Is ATS evolving into something different?

a reply to: nonspecific
So?
Start one!

a reply to: Phage

So somebody tells you they are an alien hybrid and you don't want to know more? That doesn't interest you? I mean, even if you think they are nuts don't you want to know what psychological process has led them to believe such a thing? I think there is much more discussion to be had about that than if the same person was to say, "I am a human." Yes, it is a fact, but that isn't anywhere near as interesting. There are 7 billion of those on this planet.

I really do think some people suffer from a real lack of imagination and it is that deficiency that makes for a forum full of "Yes, I agree" or "Huh?"

Not directed at you Phage, just a generalisation.

a reply to: LiveForever8

So somebody tells you they are an alien hybrid and you don't want to know more? That doesn't interest you? I mean, even if you think they are nuts don't you want to know what psychological process has led them to believe such a thing?

Hell yes, it's interesting from a psychological aspect. But haven't you noticed that those posts are monologues for the most part? Room for discussion? Nope. Point out inconsistencies and contradictions and what do you get? (see my sig)

You must admit Phage that you are the king of the thread killers where there is no evidence,

I mean no ill in this but I have over the past few years watched you destroy no end of threads with science and rational.

a reply to: nonspecific
If that's the case, guess what? I would prefer not. I would prefer that people present cogent arguments.

a reply to: Phage

Hell yes, it's interesting from a psychological aspect. But haven't you noticed that those posts are monologues for the most part? Room for discussion? Nope. Point out inconsistencies and contradictions and what do you get? (see my sig)

Well, yes. In the field of 'I am an alien (honest!)' that is certainly true. Although I would still rather spend half an hour asking questions to a supposed alien than spend two minutes in one of the political/news threads surrounded by people who don't profess to being aliens but come across as less human than the poor bugger who claims to be an alien.

I still stand by my original questioning of your original comment though. I believe that speculative topics are far more discussion worthy, if people are willing to suspend there disbelief and ignite their imagination. I think a lot more is to be gained from discussions of that nature than any other. Speculate to accumulate.

Please believe me I mean no ill and I am pretty sure you are aware of it.

It used to be a hobby of mine to watch the alien/ufo forums and guess how long it would be before you popped in and utterly destroyed someones OP with science and research.

I assumed it was a hobby.

a reply to: Phage

Also a reason why conversations on conspiracies have slowed down is because we basically have come to the bottom of it.

Basically, it's the establishment Gov't/corporate/banking oligarchy with shenanigans like 9/11, maintaining hegemony.. not much to talk about in that sense. So that's that. Solutions to the problem and improvements are much harder and less interesting for many people to talk about.

a reply to: nonspecific

I think that there may be a plausible explanation for at least a percentage of the drop in conspiracy topics, or posts in conspiracy centred fora...

First of all, by conspiracy topics I do not mean Aliens and UFO related topics, but general conspiracies, dodgy government policy, corrupt politicians and police forces, strange goings on with bankers and the like.

Basically I think that the news networks are starting to realise, that the people of the world no longer accept on face value, everything that they are told and shown about the figures and organisations which are either a part of their lives by rote, or by fame, or by what appears to be chance. Here in the UK, revelations about certain famous figures and their awful treatment of children, and the possibility that members of the establishment may also be involved, have certainly opened up the eyes of many people, to the well known, but little thought of rule that power corrupts. Its a phrase which has been bandied about since God was a boy, but the implications of its meaning are beginning to become clearer to those who had no prior understanding in that regard.

In the US, the insane ruse that the IRS used to explain their inability to produce email evidence, the police brutality issue, and the rise and rise of citizen journalism are doing the same. Issues which affect both nations, and have had a similarly shocking effect on many people include but are not limited to, the PRISM and ECHELON programs run by the intelligence services.

We here in the UK had the report of the intelligence analyst and number cruncher, found in a holdall, in his bathtub, apparently having locked himself in it, and the claims made about his private life, which further confuse the issue.

These are all things which have been in the mainstream media, not just on sites like this, and elsewhere in the web where things of this nature are discussed. These are things which have reached entire populations, concepts and ideas which are part of the every day consciousness now. Ten years ago, these sorts of stories would have been shot down in flames, never to see the light of day, and relegated to the stuff of legends, spoken of only in the internet equivalent of an underground speakeasy circa 1920, filled with thick blue cigarette smoke and pinstripes.

This is a brave new world, where even the mainstream media are talking about things which make your conspiracy bone vibrate in such a way as to endanger the molecular cohesion of the connective tissues surrounding it!

Now, it is absolutely the case that the MSM are not covering these topics with the same vigorous zeal with which independent researchers and hobbyists on the net do, simply because they have not got the mandate to follow these things with enough commitment and concentration. The media have a responsibility to their shareholders to make money doing what they do, and so stories which will not get them a buck will be left by the wayside, and we will always have those exclusives to our credit

But that does not change the fact that the public consciousness has changed, and I would say that for the most part, the change is for the better with regard to the concepts that regular folk are prepared to engage with, when absorbing the news.

And this is the problem we have.

There was a time I could have banded a crazy thought and the unwashed masses would have slavered over it like new meat.

These are the times, I ask a sensible question, a few crazies pipe in but before you know it Phage turns up and we have a sensible conversation about it.

Then Trubrit turns up and says some more sensible things regarding the question and two more sensible posts and its all over.

The quality of Ats is what is spoiling it in my opinion. I miss the random idiots and resent the well informed inelligent members piping in with rational thought and research.

a reply to: nonspecific

Buzz Killington reporting for duty!

What I miss most about ATS from back when I first joined, is that post quality and information density used to be much higher, and more of the research undertaken was done by the OP, rather than being essentially a rather wordy re-tweet from another news source. These days, there is a higher volume of threads in general, but many of them do not contain as much data, and much of the data they do contain is second, third, or fourth hand.

Still, that in and of itself could be a misperception. It could be that there are more threads, and therefore the ones which are gold are harder to see in the new topics list! But I think you may have had enough rational waffle from me now, and so I will leave you to your musings!

Why not bump some of the better older threads and see if they catch updated information or renewed interest among newer members.

I'm here for the science and history threads, but I stick around for the fireworks (remember that fantastic thread about the biggest fireworks in the world?).

For me I would bump an old thread but there is also a worry that you will generate a negative by bringing up an old thread vibe.

I think we could keep it healthy but thats just me.

I think it should be a progressive site and to me that means we should allow the new guys to re develop the old topics.

a reply to: Aleister

originally posted by: nonspecific
It seems that since I came back to ATS there are far less conspiracy threads than there used to be.

Perhaps it is more a case of "dilution".

There could be about the same number of threads but with more and more social stuff and everyday stuff the conspiracy threads shrink into the forest and we can't see the wood for the trees.

Seek and ye shall find...or post more conspiracy threads to even it out.

I will share with you a little story:

when I was pregnant... I saw heaps and heaps of pregnant women

and now I am not pregnant... they are still there but I just don't seem to notice them.

I don't know what to call that phenomena... but I digest that it could have something to do with my perspective.

the only reason I share this... is cos, I see so many threads all about aliens etc all the time... so I don't think anything has really changed... only YOUR perspective.

originally posted by: nonspecific
For me I would bump an old thread but there is also a worry that you will generate a negative by bringing up an old thread vibe.

I think we could keep it healthy but thats just me.

I think it should be a progressive site and to me that means we should allow the new guys to re develop the old topics.

a reply to: Aleister

There is nothing stopping new members from starting new threads about things that were covered back in the day. In fact it's encouraged.

This is only a problem when a relatively recent thread ( the last 90 days or so ) gets reposted - or an old thread is copy/pasted into a new thread - or if the thread is based upon material previously proven to be a hoax. But if a new member wants to revisit old material by creating a new OP with their personal opinions and any updated information that might be included. That is fine.

Now if you're issue is wanting to discuss material that has been deemed "Hoax" - that is something you'll have to take up with sight owners, as they are the ones who make that call. And they do not do so lightly.

a reply to: CagliostroTheGreat

That's true. But then just ignore those people I suppose.

It has been a lot quieter on here since the summer. If there are a lack of threads then its time we all done our bit.

a reply to: nonspecific

It does seem to me lately as a race to be first to post anything occurring on mainstream media.

Some of the news shares kind of leave me wondering if it's really about the content or just simply gathering kudos for being the first to post and posting anything with a headline.

originally posted by: TDawgRex
a reply to: nonspecific

I'm of the opinion that politics are the greatest generator of conspiracy theories of them all

All conspiracies ARE political, in the end.

a reply to: nonspecific

I agree that things are very different on ATS nowadays ... I became a member back in 2007 and I noticed a change about two and a half years ago.

Many of the long standing members seemed to step back (myself included) and a new influx of members came in and seemed to detract from the conspiracy side of ATS ... which I feel is a great shame because it's certainly the reason I joined ATS in the first place.

These days it is almost unrecognizable and that makes me sad ... I still visit the site regularly but tend to just read rather than participate very often as there is rarely anything I feel excited enough by to participate.

I know all things evolve but I don't feel that all change is positive ... after all ... ATS was initiated as 'the greatest conspiracy site on the entire web' ... but for whatever reason it seems to have lost it's soul and it's way ... don't get me wrong I will always be an ATS fan ... but it is not the exciting site it used to be ... it seems to have lost it's ability to tackle subjects of the weird / wonderful and unknown with any respect and/or intelligent debate ... now these subjects are simply dismissed without proper consideration thereby stunting the potential progress of such intriguing subjects.

I really, really miss the old ATS ... and a lot of the people who made it what it was

Woody )O(