The Social Dilema

[tedtan]

This could go in another subforum, but it shows the huge impact social media has on our current political climate, so I’m posting it here. And while it may not be revolutionary info for many of us, it shows how and why social media is dividing us into tribal groups and how that is impacting our current politics.

The Social Dilemma

 

[MFB]

I quit Facebook going on 3 years ago this New Years, and while I know I'm at my best, I've legitimately lost contact with everyone I used to talk to and it showed how thin friendships got through the ability to just digitally check in and not need to actually catch up with anyone about their life.

It has it's pros and cons

 

[USMarine75]

Watched it this AM. The early investor of FB (forget his name) has been on shows like Bill Maher before sounding the alarm but of course we love our screentime too much.

 

[diagrammatiks]

people are dumb as bricks. and they're always being controlled be whatever media, demogue, bible or whatever is around.

nothing new.

 

[shadowlife]

people are dumb as bricks. and they're always being controlled be whatever media, demogue, bible or whatever is around.

nothing new.

While I agree with your basic point, bibles, newspapers, televisions and radios of the past did not have the ability to "track" everything you read, watched, listened to, etc.

Current technology can be and is used in much more nefarious ways than any of the "media" of the past.

 

[diagrammatiks]

While I agree with your basic point, bibles, newspapers, televisions and radios of the past did not have the ability to "track" everything you read, watched, listened to, etc.

Current technology can be and is used in much more nefarious ways than any of the "media" of the past.

I mean maybe? but the end result is all the same. love this. hate that. don't fuck this thing. go to war. like what more insidious thing could possibly happen.

 

[sleewell]

You, what do you own the world? How do you own disorder, disorder?
Now, somewhere between the sacred silence, sacred silence and sleep
Somewhere between the sacred silence and sleep
Disorder, disorder, disorder

More wood for their fires, loud neighbors
Flashlight reveries caught in the headlights of a truck
Eating seeds as a pastime activity
The toxicity of our city, of our city

 

[TedEH]

I watched it, 'cause why not. While I don't disagree with general premise of the film, I think it's very..... exaggerated? A bit of a stretch at times? Kinda fear-monger-y for the sake of drama? I mean, it's a netflix documentary, so it's what I expected.

My entirely unprofessional opinion is that most people don't quite understand what it means to say "technology is tracking them", or what really happens with their personal data, or what that personal data even is. I mean, so many people are so tech illiterate that a movie like this is going to give them entirely the wrong idea. It's very unlikely that the average person is being literally "spied on" as if all the big companies care what you had for breakfast or what you're doing right now. The dramatization of the guy being quite literally manipulated by the digital dudes carefully timing out when to send him very personal messages so that they can control him..... no, that's not how this works.

Don't get me wrong, there are serious things to be concerned about when it comes to the internet, to the socials, to how data is used, to whether or not people are aware of what data is being stored about them, etc. But I think the dramatizations and metaphors are likely to be taken literally and lead people to understand even less about how this stuff works. Makes for a great movie, sure, but this does nothing for informing people about how their devices or the internet work.

 

[Kobalt]

When this subject rises, I always have this question in my head... what the fuck do you have to hide?

Your taste in music? Clothing? Food? Video games? Movies? The car you drive?!!

Nothing. Unless you’re a shady piece of shit who runs fraud, blackmails women into sending nudes or into having sex with you, or do any pedophilic activity online, why the fuck does it even matter if you’re data is tracked.. oooh, big deal you like ice cream, too bad Facebook’s gonna run an ad that DQ’s running a promo 2 for 1 on Blizzards. I DON’T WANT MY PRIVACY INVADED LIKE THIS!!!

 

[Adieu]

When this subject rises, I always have this question in my head... what the fuck do you have to hide?

Your taste in music? Clothing? Food? Video games? Movies? The car you drive?!!

Nothing. Unless you’re a shady piece of shit who runs fraud, blackmails women into sending nudes or into having sex with you, or do any pedophilic activity online, why the fuck does it even matter if you’re data is tracked.. oooh, big deal you like ice cream, too bad Facebook’s gonna run an ad that DQ’s running a promo 2 for 1 on Blizzards. I DON’T WANT MY PRIVACY INVADED LIKE THIS!!!

Example 1: You're a fat guy on a diet who sleeptalks about yummy cheeseburgers

Outcome: the algorithm will try pretty dang hard to scuttle your diet and will keep you obese


Example 2: You're a borderline alcoholic.

Outcome: ....guess what, alcohol advertising is still legal on Youtube. Enjoy being taunted by beer all the time.


Example 3: you watched a few subtitled Chinese martial arts epics.

Outcome: dumb as rocks Youtube can't tell you don't speak a word of Chinese, and keeps sending you global chinese ads and even LOCAL southern california businesses' ads....IN CHINESE.
Your brain exlodes and the local Chinese realtor just wasted good money for that.


Example 4: you have so-so credit, regularly get in debt, but pay it back eventually every time. With lots of penalties. You also have shopaholic tendencies.

Outcome: these days, Amazon can be not just your retailer, your supplier, and your totally snoopy advertiser.... they're also likely your banker (Chase Amazon Visa, 5% cashback, anyone?). And they KNOW all your vices.


...what DO you have to hide?

 

[Randy]

I quit Facebook going on 3 years ago this New Years, and while I know I'm at my best, I've legitimately lost contact with everyone I used to talk to and it showed how thin friendships got through the ability to just digitally check in and not need to actually catch up with anyone about their life.

It has it's pros and cons

I dropped Facebook about 9 years ago and experienced the same thing, but it helped me take stock of who my real friends were and it removed a TON of stress/drama from my life. After things settled, I got into talking to those people via text, email, etc and I think we actually have a much more substantive relationship than we did just 'liking' and 'commenting' eachothers nonsense on Facebook.

My actual relationships and interactions with people are way way deeper than they were living on social media, hands down. I've got some people in my life (mostly family and in-laws) that still live on social media and I'm amazed at how petty the things are they spend their days talking about.

That said, I'm ready to move beyond the 'Social Dilemma' and into the 'Netflix Dilemma', which I define as whatever cheap reality thing Netflix greenlights instantly meming it's way into our lives. Remember when everyone was talking about that Asian woman that organizes shit? Do we really care about any of this stuff?

 

[USMarine75]

Remember when everyone was talking about that Asian woman that organizes shit? Do we really care about any of this stuff?

Only if it brings you joy.

 

[Lorcan Ward]

That said, I'm ready to move beyond the 'Social Dilemma' and into the 'Netflix Dilemma', which I define as whatever cheap reality thing Netflix greenlights instantly meming it's way into our lives. Remember when everyone was talking about that Asian woman that organizes shit? Do we really care about any of this stuff?

I was thinking what was their end goal. It’s users their drop social media usage to watch Netflix more? Less scrolling on smart phones means more Netflix time?

I deleted the FB app from my phone cause it’s nothing but Covid & Trump posts lately, i found my self constantly unfollowing so many people and pages. I don’t miss it at all. The guitar group stuff was getting way to repetitive with the same posts everyday and never has the depth of a forum like this.

I don’t really care about tracking since they do such a bad job at it. I’ve gambled twice in my life I think but 90% of ads across the Internet for me is gambling and stocks. How about targeting me with things I actually like and do from my search results.

 

[diagrammatiks]

Example 1: You're a fat guy on a diet who sleeptalks about yummy cheeseburgers

Outcome: the algorithm will try pretty dang hard to scuttle your diet and will keep you obese


Example 2: You're a borderline alcoholic.

Outcome: ....guess what, alcohol advertising is still legal on Youtube. Enjoy being taunted by beer all the time.


Example 3: you watched a few subtitled Chinese martial arts epics.

Outcome: dumb as rocks Youtube can't tell you don't speak a word of Chinese, and keeps sending you global chinese ads and even LOCAL southern california businesses' ads....IN CHINESE.
Your brain exlodes and the local Chinese realtor just wasted good money for that.


Example 4: you have so-so credit, regularly get in debt, but pay it back eventually every time. With lots of penalties. You also have shopaholic tendencies.

Outcome: these days, Amazon can be not just your retailer, your supplier, and your totally snoopy advertiser.... they're also likely your banker (Chase Amazon Visa, 5% cashback, anyone?). And they KNOW all your vices.


...what DO you have to hide?

my facebook ads are all for japanese and Ukrainian dating services.

i only use facebook to post pictures of my kids.

so either it's working super well....

actually it's probably working super well.

 

[Kobalt]

Example 1: You're a fat guy on a diet who sleeptalks about yummy cheeseburgers

Outcome: the algorithm will try pretty dang hard to scuttle your diet and will keep you obese


Example 2: You're a borderline alcoholic.

Outcome: ....guess what, alcohol advertising is still legal on Youtube. Enjoy being taunted by beer all the time.


Example 3: you watched a few subtitled Chinese martial arts epics.

Outcome: dumb as rocks Youtube can't tell you don't speak a word of Chinese, and keeps sending you global chinese ads and even LOCAL southern california businesses' ads....IN CHINESE.
Your brain exlodes and the local Chinese realtor just wasted good money for that.


Example 4: you have so-so credit, regularly get in debt, but pay it back eventually every time. With lots of penalties. You also have shopaholic tendencies.

Outcome: these days, Amazon can be not just your retailer, your supplier, and your totally snoopy advertiser.... they're also likely your banker (Chase Amazon Visa, 5% cashback, anyone?). And they KNOW all your vices.


...what DO you have to hide?

You are blaming someone’s disease on advertisement? Sorry but, if you have a problem, you should blame yourself, not the world for making those things available to you (and others who enjoy them in healthy ways). Just saying...

 

[Chokey Chicken]

You are blaming someone’s disease on advertisement? Sorry but, if you have a problem, you should blame yourself, not the world for making those things available to you (and others who enjoy them in healthy ways). Just saying...

That's not at all what he said. Lmfao

He made the point that advertisers knowing your demons helps them exploit you, basically. You have no way out of opting out of booze commercials as a recovering alcoholic, as an example. And if you're a recovering alcoholic, you've likely googled a lot about alcohol, so Google will be more likely to push booze on you. Ads don't create the disease, but they can be a nuisance to those trying to better themselves with no way of opting out. One could argue it could be done on purpose to keep someone on the hook of addiction.

It's like blowing smoke in the face of someone with lung cancer who's going through chemo.

Nothing wrong with ads, but there are ways to exploit social media and non-personal data, which was really the only point it seemed he was making.

 

[InHiding]

I do not have the time to watch that now, but here's this:

 

[Adieu]

You are blaming someone’s disease on advertisement? Sorry but, if you have a problem, you should blame yourself, not the world for making those things available to you (and others who enjoy them in healthy ways). Just saying...

Sorry man, I'm slim ripped and sober.... the Mandarin Chinese ads thing, however, IS driving me nuts.

And some of the other ads I caught some algorithmic false positives for are predatory as fuck (conservative propaganda bullshit masquerading as public information, guilt free binge low fat ice cream for fat chicks, literally 4x overpriced leases from Uber for young black men with no credit, etc.)

 

[Kobalt]

That's not at all what he said. Lmfao

He made the point that advertisers knowing your demons helps them exploit you, basically. You have no way out of opting out of booze commercials as a recovering alcoholic, as an example. And if you're a recovering alcoholic, you've likely googled a lot about alcohol, so Google will be more likely to push booze on you. Ads don't create the disease, but they can be a nuisance to those trying to better themselves with no way of opting out. One could argue it could be done on purpose to keep someone on the hook of addiction.

It's like blowing smoke in the face of someone with lung cancer who's going through chemo.

Nothing wrong with ads, but there are ways to exploit social media and non-personal data, which was really the only point it seemed he was making.

That’s what I understood, maybe I expressed myself wrong.

You guys are putting the blame on the advertisement for making an alcoholic relapse. No, the blame is on the alcoholic for letting himself use it as an excuse.

It’s the same debate about guns. I’m Canadian, I think guns are stupid and shouldn’t be in civilian hands, but I’m rational enough to say that “guns don’t kill people, idiots with guns kill people”. If people are allowed to own guns for their own safety, don’t put the blame on guns for the percentage of idiots that use them wrong.

Advertisement is to sell products and services, not make a diabetic or alcoholic deteriorate their own condition, or whatever the case may be. It’s called self-control, it’s something you learn by yourself, no one will teach it to you.

 

[diagrammatiks]

Sorry man, I'm slim ripped and sober.... the Mandarin Chinese ads thing, however, IS driving me nuts.

And some of the other ads I caught some algorithmic false positives for are predatory as fuck (conservative propaganda bullshit masquerading as public information, guilt free binge low fat ice cream for fat chicks, literally 4x overpriced leases from Uber for young black men with no credit, etc.)

man you see some wacky shit.

90 percent of my ads are for grammarly. which given how I type. fair.