• About Us
  • Contact us
  • Editorial Policy
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
Thursday, September 28, 2023
SUBSCRIBE
London Daily Post
  • Home
  • UK
  • World
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • Sports
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • UK
  • World
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • Sports
No Result
View All Result
London Daily Post
No Result
View All Result
ADVERTISEMENT

How to live-tweet the Cultural Revolution, 50 years later

Editorial Board by Editorial Board
December 14, 2022
in Tech News
Reading Time: 2 mins read
0


But we’ve spent the last few weeks on China Report talking about zero covid, so I thought we might take a break to talk about it the other time bomb in the room: Twitter.

I confess to being deeply addicted to Twitter, and amid all the speculation about whether it would collapse under Elon Musk’s leadership, I found myself thinking about what made this platform special. It’s not just about talking to celebrities and politicians like we’re in the same room, it’s about connecting with strangers because you’re both interested in the same random thing.

That’s why I recently spoke with Jacob Saxton, the 30-year-old logistics analyst in Southampton, UK, who is behind a rather niche Twitter account: Cultural Revolution OTD 1972 (@GPCR50). The account aims to live-tweet what happened during China’s devastating 1966-1976 political upheaval, except, of course, 50 years behind schedule.

Some of the tweets gained traction because they draw parallels with our present, like now on July 24, 1972, when Mao Zedong said that “the State should deliver free contraceptives to people’s homes because many are too embarrassed to go out and buy them.” Others offer peculiar anecdotes, historical pretext for modern problemsor fragments of profound violence and tragedy.

I’m fascinated by the combination of historical records and the idea of ​​retroactive “live tweeting”, especially in this case because it’s done by someone with no background in Chinese history. Meanwhile, I grew up in China, but the history of the Cultural Revolution was rarely taught in schools. Reading Jacob’s feed makes me feel like I am alive through this story—as if it were no different from the threads of tweets unpacking important news happening right now in China, Iran or Ukraine.

But that’s the magic of Twitter! And as a result, there are at least 6,700 other people who are the same kind of weirdo as me, whether they’re looking for contemporary echoes of history or just brushing up on their knowledge of China.

I called Jacob at the end of November to talk about how Twitter has changed in the six years he’s been doing this, the personal nature of this project, and the future of the account if Twitter shuts down. Here’s our conversation, lightly edited for length and clarity.

When did you start this account and what motivated you to do it?





Source link

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Related Posts

Tech News

These new tools could make AI vision systems less biased

September 25, 2023

Traditionally, skin-tone bias in computer vision is measured using the Fitzpatrick scale, which measures from light to dark. The scale...

Tech News

These scientists live like astronauts without leaving Earth

September 22, 2023

Across the world, around 20 analog space facilities host people who volunteer to be study subjects, isolating themselves for weeks...

Tech News

DeepMind is using AI to pinpoint the causes of genetic disease

September 19, 2023

With the rise of gene sequencing, doctors can now decode people’s genomes and then scour the DNA data for possible...

Tech News

Migrating to the cloud transforms business

September 15, 2023

Laurel: Well, let's start off. So, what has BP's move to the cloud been like? From your perspectives, what are...

Next Post

Deal struck on EU plan to finance Russian fossil fuel exit – EURACTIV.com

POPULAR

Entertainment

‘Wheel Of Fortune’ May Have Just Aired One Of Its Most Bonkers Answers Ever

September 27, 2023
World News

Russia-Ukraine war news: Russia claims Admiral Viktor Sokolov is alive

September 27, 2023
Entertainment

‘NCIS’ Star David McCallum Dead At 90

September 25, 2023
  • About Us
  • Contact us
  • Editorial Policy
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy

© 2022 London Daily Post. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • UK
  • World
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • Sports