{"id":1737,"date":"2020-01-18T12:07:17","date_gmt":"2020-01-18T12:07:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cookywook.co.uk\/blog\/?p=1737"},"modified":"2020-01-18T12:50:51","modified_gmt":"2020-01-18T12:50:51","slug":"dhotya-didnt-happen-twitter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cookywook.co.uk\/blog\/dhotya-didnt-happen-twitter\/","title":{"rendered":""Didn't Happen" Twitter in a world of fake news"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Every Christmas, something special happens on Twitter. No, not the annual \u2018man called John Lewis replies to tweets about the John Lewis Christmas ad’. Nor the tedious \u2018is Die Hard a Christmas movie?\u2019 discourse. I\u2019m talking about the Didn\u2019t Happen of the Year Awards, aka DHOTYA<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This online competition is run by Twitter handle @_dhotya<\/a><\/strong>, an account that joined the site in January 2017. The purpose of the account is to highlight made-up stories by other people on Twitter and call them out for their fabrications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A typical example might involve a mum or dad on Twitter sharing an anecdote about their child, who happens to express wisdom beyond its years, usually with some socially progressive angle (kids asking particularly astute questions about Trump for instance). Or it might be a made-up tale about heroism in a shop, where the author tackled some injustice. And then everyone in the shop applauded. Or it might just be Olly Murs telling his followers about a non-existent shooting<\/a> in a John Lewis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s a great deal of catharsis to be had in calling out these behaviours. It\u2019s satisfying to identify something as fake, and there’s a sense of internet justice when people get called out for their untruths. Twitter operates as a meritocracy, with the \u2018best\u2019 content rising to the top. People who try to game the system through inauthentic tweets specifically crafted to \u2018win\u2019 feel like cheaters, and exposing them as such looks like a valid way of restoring the natural order.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And yet, there\u2019s something sinister about the DHOTYA. Some have accused it of encouraging public shaming and dog-piling behaviours. And more specifically, with a large number of the stories it shares coming from women, there\u2019s a worry that all the apparent fun and games are simply masking toxic misogyny. So, are these worries concerned? And is DHOTYA a hero, or villain? Let\u2019s decide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Everyone agrees: fake news is a real prob<\/strong>lem<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019ve increasingly seen politicians willing to simply tell barefaced lies to win elections. And nobody\u2019s been able to quite say how much influence the made-up stories your aunt is sharing on Facebook are having. Fake news is more or less commonplace online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just last month, the Conservative Party rebranded its Press account as \u2018Fact Check UK\u2019 during a party leader debate. They only ended up getting a slap on the wrist from Twitter, but the outrage on Twitter at the time was phenomenal. This was actual fake news in the truest sense, happening in real-time. The Conservative Party Press Twitter account is not a fact-checking organisation and it had no right to do so. You could say that it knowingly and deliberately misled the public during the debate – especially as RTs from the account into your timeline didn’t include any indication of the source.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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During the "FactCheckUK" stunt, when they re-tweeted someone it didn't show that it's coming from CCHQPress handle. If you're just scrolling through this is what you saw. pic.twitter.com\/Y6ZXOuc0AJ<\/a><\/p>— Hadas Gold (@Hadas_Gold) November 20, 2019<\/a><\/blockquote>