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There has been a lot of hand-wringing and teeth-gnashing over the past few weeks after billionaire Elon Musk took over Twitter.

Although, Musk presents himself as a free speech advocate, his critics fear he will turn the place into a fertile breeding ground for hate and misinformation.

“The reason I acquired Twitter is because it is important to the future of civilization to have a common digital town square, where a wide range of beliefs can be debated in a healthy manner, without resorting to violence,” Musk wrote.

The nationwide reaction to Musk’s takeover is due, in part, to the fact that Twitter is extremely popular with people in the media and “very-online” news junkies. This makes the platform a great place to get breaking news but also creates a skewed version of reality for both the media and those who overconsume it.

In his controversial 2021 Netflix special “The Closer,” Dave Chappelle made light of the public’s overestimation of the platform’s importance. “Apparently, they dragged me on Twitter,” he said. “I don’t give a f*ck because Twitter’s not a real place.”

A new poll by Pew Research Center does a great job of putting Twitter, and Musk’s involvement with the platform, into proper perspective. Around 1 in 5 Americans (23%) use Twitter, about the same number as those who use WhatsApp (23%) and Snapchat (25%).

Can you imagine the world freaking out over someone buying Snapchat?

The top 10% of active users on Twitter create 138 tweets a month, while the median user in the bottom 90% tweets an average of twice per month. To put it simply, Twitter amplifies the voices of a very, very small percentage of the American population.

This imbalance makes it very easy for Twitter users to develop a funhouse mirror version of reality and it also bleeds into the real world. As the preferred social media tool for journalists and media types, it plays a huge role in shaping public opinion. But given the small number of voices actually speaking on the platform, is it an accurate representation of reality?

Travis View, host of the QAnon Anonymous Podcast, a show about conspiracy theories in the “post-truth era,” reality-checked the forum on December 11 and it received nearly 5,000 likes.

u201cI find it helpful to remember two humbling facts. 1) Normal people donu2019t have a Twitter account. 2) 90% of Twitter users create just two tweets per month on average.u201d

— Travis View (@Travis View)
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If you have a Twitter account and tweet several times a week, please understand you a weird person. You are not representative of the general population. There’s something wrong with you that isn’t wrong with normal people.

— Travis View (@travis_view) December 12, 2022

When it comes to politics, Joe Biden’s White House has found success by proudly brushing off Twitter’s influence over his party. When Biden ran in the 2020 Democratic primary, his campaign’s mantra was “Twitter isn’t real life.” Washington Post columnist Jennifer Rubin notes that the media’s fixation on the party activists who dominate Twitter created a skewed version of the average Democratic voter.

“The hyper-partisan left-wing rhetoric on social media — a realm where many media personalities live — is not representative of the party,” Rubin wrote, and Biden won “despite the media’s fixation on the loud but less politically viable left wing.”

A former White House staffer told Semafor that Twitter is an “afterthought” in White House communications.

The idea that extreme views on Twitter aren’t representative of the general voting public was confirmed in a 2019 New York Times study, “The Democratic Electorate on Twitter Is Not the Actual Democratic Electorate.”

When you look at the data, it’s pretty obvious that Twitter isn’t “real life” or a “real place,” but social media never was supposed to be in the first place. If the internet has taught us anything over the past generation it’s that the trouble starts when we confuse the digital world with reality. That’s why it’s important we all find the right balance in our lives and take time to put the phone down and touch grass to see what’s really happening.

For the study, researchers recorded the comings and goings of free-roaming cats using 60 motion-activated wildlife cameras across 1500 different locations in Washington, D.C. Over the span of three years, the D.C. Cat Count Survey’s findings revealed an overwhelming amount of reasons to opt for the great indoors instead.

For one thing, free-roaming cats are exponentially more exposed to dangerous diseases.

“We discovered that the average domestic cat in D.C. has a 61% probability of being found in the same space as racoons – America’s most prolific rabies vector – 61% spatial overlap with red foxes, and 56% overlap with Virginia opossums, both of which can also spread rabies,” said Daniel Herrera, lead author of the study and Ph.D. student in the University of Maryland’s Department of Environmental Science and Technology (ENST).

Herrera’s conclusion was straightforward: “By letting our cats outside we are significantly jeopardizing their health.”

Free-roaming didn’t only put cats at risk of infection—they often wander to high-exposure areas of rabies or toxoplasmosis, both of which can be transmitted to their owners.

Diseases aside, free-roaming cats pose a threat to wildlife.

Herrera explained that while most people might assume cats help balance the food chain by hunting invasive species like rats, they frequently shared spaces and preyed on small native wildlife, including grey squirrels, chipmunks, cottontail rabbits, groundhogs and white-footed mice.

“Cats are keeping rats out of sight due to fear, but there really isn’t any evidence that they are controlling the non-native rodent population. The real concern is that they are decimating native populations that provide benefits to the D.C. ecosystem,” said Herrera. Though this study only took place in one city, it feels pretty safe to assume that its findings are fairly universal.

It’s only natural to want to give our pets the best life possible. And while the thought of letting Whiskers out on an adventure might seem like a way to honor his primal side, Herrera and his fellow researchers strongly encourage keeping him safely indoors.

Luckily, there are other ways to let a cat express their natural instincts. As cat expert and influencer Jackson Galaxy advocates, consider 10-15 minutes of play a necessity, the same way you’d consider walking a dog as something that comes along with the job. Playing is a great way to not only keep your feline friend happy and healthy, it’s an adorable bonding meowment.

Ultimately, the choice on whether or not to allow a cat to roam free is up to the owner. But with great companions comes great responsibility. And all pet parents should at least be aware of the risks that come along with their decisions.

France will play in its second consecutive World Cup final. The defending champions took on the surprise of the tournament, Morocco, in a semifinal matchup on Wednesday, and despite the best efforts of the first African side to ever make it this far in the World Cup, the French proved to be too much, picking up a 2-0 win.

Morocco found itself in full control during the early moments of the game, with the French willing to sit back and let them have the ball. The crowd, which overwhelmingly supported the underdogs, was raucous from the jump, and did whatever it could to make the game feel like it was being played on Moroccan soil.

But with their first sustained spell of possession on the evening, Les Bleus struck. Antoine Griezmann slipped past an aggressive challenge and played a ball into the feet of Kylian Mbappe. Morocco’s defense was able to prevent France’s star forward from putting a shot on goal, but the ball landed right in front of Theo Hernández, who scored the first open play goal Morocco allowed to an opponent all tournament.

For the remainder of the first half, France would occasionally threaten but were mostly happy with keeping Morocco from finding a game-tying goal. This meant the Moroccans had more of the ball — sometimes for lengthy spells — and put the French on their collective back foot.

Still, France’s defense was stout, as Morocco was only able to register a pair of first-half goals on target. The best of the bunch was this completely ridiculous effort that Jawad El Yamiq, a center back, put on frame via bicycle kick and called Hugo Lloris into action.

Morocco searched for the tying goal throughout the second half, and for long stretches, they looked to be the better side. But no matter what they tried, they were unable to figure out exactly what they had to do to unlock the French defense. Morocco continued to ramp up the pressure and made France look completely out of sorts, but the sport is cruel, and in the 79th minute, a deflected Mbappe effort fell to the feet of Randal Kolo Muani, who stood at the back post and tapped the ball into the net just seconds as he entered as a substitute.

With the win, France earned a matchup with Argentina, pitting PSG teammates Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi against one another with the sport’s ultimate prize on the line. The game is slated to kick off at 10 p.m. EST on Fox.

Gunna will be released from Fulton County Jail after seven months after pleading guilty to a charge of conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, according to WSB-TV. His sentence was commuted to time served thanks to a plea deal, which reduced a five-year sentence to a one-year sentence with suspension on the remaining four years subject to 500 hours of community service.

In a statement, Gunna insisted that the plea deal was not the result of his cooperation with authorities. It reads, “While I have agreed to always be truthful, I want to make it perfectly clear that I have NOT made any statements, have NOT been interviewed, have NOT cooperated, have NOT agreed to testify or be a witness for or against any party in the case and have absolutely NO intention of being involved in the trial process in any way.” Despite this, he can still be called to testify when the trial against the remaining members of YSL, including Young Thug, proceeds in January. He can, however, choose to exercise his Fifth Amendment rights if called upon to testify.

Gunna was arrested in May along with Young Thug and 26 other members of the YSL group

This story is being updated.

The largest pop music festival in Montreal, Osheaga Art And Music Festival is returning in 2023 with an illustrious cast of headliners. The festival announced today that Kendrick Lamar, Billie Eilish, and Rufus Du Sol will serve as the top-billed acts for the 2023 edition. The Compton rapper will close out the festival’s main stage on Sunday, while Grammy darling Eilish plays Saturday and the Australian electronic music trio will headline Friday evening’s slate.

Osheaga will take place from August 4th through 6th, 2023 at the Parc Jean-Drapeau on Montreal’s St. Helen’s Island. The complete lineup will likely be announced early next year. For context, the 2022 edition with Foo Fighters, ASAP Rocky, and Dua Lipa, only announced the complete lineup in late February of this year.

The 2023 headliners for Osheaga are interesting, because they could very well be foreshadowing what acts will be in play for the summer music festival circuit in 2023. Kendrick Lamar and Billie Eilish particularly seem destined to be atop a lot of festival bills in 2023.

As for the city of Montreal, it becomes a haven for music and cultural festivals in the summer. Staples like Montreal Jazz Festival, Pop Montreal, and Just For Laughs will also taking place.

3-Day festival passes to Osheaga 2023 go on-sale Friday, 12/16 at noon ET here.

Following the recent success of his Sen2 Kbrn Vol. 2 album, Eladio Carrión announced that he will tour the US next year. Yesterday (Dec. 13), the Puerto Rican rapper revealed the dates for The Sauce USA Tour.

Carrión has emerged as one of the top rappers in Latin music. While he’s known for his knockout bars in reggaeton and trap music, last year dabbled in the New York drill sound in the “Tata” remix alongside Bobby Shmurda, Daddy Yankee, and J Balvin. With last month’s Sen2 Kbrn Vol. 2 album, he returned to his Latin trap roots. For the lead single “Mbappe,” Carrión evoked the fighting spirit of French soccer icon Kylian Kylian Mbappé. The LP debuted at No. 4 on Billboard‘s Hot Latin Albums chart.

Carrión will tour hit the road next year with The Sauce USA Tour. The title is a reference to his signature “Sauce Boy Freestyle” songs that he has released throughout his career. The tour will kick off in May 2023 in Irvine, Texas. Carrión will visit many big cities throughout the US before the tour wraps in Boston in early June.

Tickets for the The Sauce USA Tour will go on-sale this Friday, Dec. 16. Carrión’s official website has all the up-to-date info on the tour. He also recently released the music video for the Sen2 Kbrn Vol. 2 standout “Si La Calle Llama.”

Find his upcoming tour dates below.

05/11/2023 — Irvine, TX @ Toyota Music Factory
05/12/2023 — Houston, TX @ 713 Music Hall
05/13/2023 — San Antonio, TX @ Aztec Theater
05/13/2023 — Austin, TX @ Emo’s Austin
05/24/2023 — Atlanta, GA @ Tabernacle
05/25/2023 — Orlando, FL @ Hard Rock Live
05/27/2023 — Miami, FL @ Oasis Wynwood
05/31/2023 — Charlotte, NC @ Fillmore Charlotte
06/02/2023 — Philadelphia, PA @ Fillmore Philadelphia
06/03/2023 — Silver Spring, MD @ Fillmore Silver Spring
06/04/2023 — Boston, MA @ House Of Blues Boston

Earlier in the year, former O.C. star Ben McKenzie became one of the few Hollywood celebrities willing to take a stand against cryptocurrency. In fact, most of his contemporaries like Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Larry David were a little too eager to endorse the sketchy “investment” opportunity, which has experienced some devastating crashes in the time since.

Angered by seeing rich celebs getting paid to convince ordinary people to part with their hard-earned money, McKenzie took his fight to Congress on Wednesday where he did not hold back his thoughts on crypto. Via Mediaite:

“In my opinion, the cryptocurrency industry represents the largest Ponzi scheme in history,” he said, adding that “when the dust settles,” crypto could stand as a “fraud” far worse than the infamous Bernie Madoff scandal.

Crypto investors, including those tied into the FTX collapse, were “sold a bill of goods,” McKenzie said at another point.

“I believe they, and the 40 million other Americans who have invested in cryptocurrency have been sold a bill of goods,” he said. “They have been lied to in ways both big and small, by a once seemingly mighty crypto industry whose entire existence depends on misinformation, hype, and, yes, fraud.”

According to New York Times reporter David Yaffe-Bellany, who interviewed McKenzie earlier in the year when the actor embarked on his fight against crypto, the O.C. star’s motivations are simple. He doesn’t like seeing rich celebs rip off everyday folks.

“I think that he recognized that a lot of colleagues, fellow actors and entertainers were accepting money from the crypto industry and kind of promoting it without explaining the risk that are involved for these kind of experimental financial products and it really bothered him,” Yaffe-Bellany told MSNBC following the actor’s statement to Congress.

Or, to put it another way…

(Via Mediaite)

Yesterday, President Joe Biden held a celebration at the White House to mark the signing into law of the Respect For Marriage Act. The milestone act protects same-sex marriages on the federal level, making it so any potential Supreme Court decision now can’t deny those rights to LGBTQ+ people. Sam Smith, Cyndi Lauper, and Joy Oladokun each performed on The White House South Lawn in the joyous moment, but it was something that Sam Smith did during his performance of “Stay With Me” that truly captured the essence of the Respect For Marriage Act.

Smith stepped to the stage backed by a keyboard player and three backing singers to deliver the Grammy-winning hit “Stay With Me.” As Smith began to sing the song’s opening lyrics, they made a slight tweak to the lyrics and it made the moment all the more beautiful. Instead of, “Guess it’s true I’m not good at a one-night stand,” Smith sang, “Boy, you know I’m no good at a one-night stand.”

For Smith, who came out as gender non-binary in 2019 and made LGBTQ+ history this year when their “Unholy” collaboration with Kim Petras topped the Billboard Hot 100, it felt like a moment they’d been waiting for; to tailor the lyrics of the iconic song to an impactful moment for the queer community. There was none bigger than this.

Watch Smith perform “Stay With Me” on The White House South Lawn above.

Business mogul Jay-Z has come a long way since his debut in the music game in 1996. Although the Grammy-award-winning rapper has made several guest appearances on records like DJ Khaled’s “God Did,” these days, the father of three has paid a lot more attention to his investments outside of music.

With two significant deals on the table, including the potential purchase of the NFL team, the Washington Commanders, and the plans to open a casino in Times Square, his passion for music remains strong.

The Hollywood Fix captured footage of the entrepreneur leaving the Roc Nation office in the Chelsea section of New York. As he exits the building, eager fan line up for the chance to meet the mogul. While one fan began rapping in the hopes of sparking the emcee’s attention, others prop up vinyl copies of the rapper’s album requesting his autograph.

After signing the outside covers of the vinyl pressing of his albums, In My Lifetime, Vol. 1, Vol. 3… Life and Times Of S. Carter, The Blueprint, and The Black Album, Jay-Z quickly noticed one record that didn’t belong to him.

The record in question, The Black Album Revisited. The album is produced by the Japanese record label, Big Ghost Ltd, and is not an official release of Jay-Z’s. The rapper refused to sign the unauthorized record after saying, “That one ain’t even real.”

Watch the full video above.

James Cameron has done it again! In this circumstance, the “it” is just talking about a film so much that you’re starting to question where James Cameron (person) ends and where James Cameron (The Director Of Avatar) begins. As it turns out, this guy just loves his own movie, which is respectable.

Obviously, Avatar: The Way Of The Water is going to be a major hit, simply because we all want to see Edie Falco on the big screen. But Cameron is hoping that his overly blue franchise is just the beginning of a beautiful new (decade-old) franchise.

Cameron recently spoke to Variety about his aspirations for Pandora, the lush CGI world where teenage Sigourney Weaver lives (this makes sense). As with most successful movies, Cameron hopes that the film will have the same longevity as your childhood favorites. “There’s this epic landscape with epic storytelling. I was trying to emulate a Star Wars universe or Lord of the Rings. Something that’s a persistent world that people can come back to and enjoy over time.” It’s a lot easier to go back and enjoy Avatar due to the fact that it ends up in theaters any time your local AMC needs a little pick-me-up.

Still, Cameron hopes to follow in the footsteps of legendary franchises. “If you look at something like The Rings of Power, with those multiple storylines and interesting characters, that’s what I was aspiring to. But they had a guide; I didn’t,” Cameron said, adding that he had to create his own source text.

“I had to write my own Silmarillion or Lord of the Rings in the form of notes. But I also didn’t want to do it all alone. I knew that I was going to do multiple movies, so I created a little writers’ room like you would for a TV show,” Cameron added. Those writers were given extensive notes on how not to make a movie, so hopefully, they learned a little something.

If Cameron really wants to invest in his source material, he should just speak with George R.R. Martin! The two can bond over how much time passes between their releases. Surely this will go over very well.

You can check out Avatar 2 in theaters this Friday, while the third one will come out sometime over the next decade, probably.

(Via Variety)