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FTA : >>> Facebook isn’t a mind-control ray. Cory is fine but here, he's wrong. FaceBook is a mind control tool. It is a mind control because when you send it

by wiz21c 8y ago

FTA : >>> Facebook isn’t a mind-control ray. Cory is fine but here, he's wrong. FaceBook is a mind control tool. It is a mind control because when you send it some information, you know that friends, facebook employees, facebook algorithm, potentially marketeers, potentially state agencies, etc. will read read it. So you inflict yourself some degree of censorship. You basically alter your behaviour. So, in a sense, it is a mind control machine.

amarkov 8y ago
Most people aren't particularly tempted to shape their behavior to Facebook. They just use other channels for things they don't specifically want everyone to see. If some people are so uninvested in their thoughts that "open up a group chat" is an insurmountable barrier... well, they were going to be mind controlled by a stiff breeze, so it's hard to blame Facebook.
smt88 8y ago
Any effective advertising is mind control, in a sense. It convinces you to take an action you wouldn't have otherwise taken. Sometimes that action is bad for you, but the advertising has convinced you that it's good for you (or that the alternative is scarier). The better Facebook can convince you to take an action, the more value its platform has. The Darwinism of the ad industry meant that the top ad-tech companies were eventually going to be really, really good at changing people's behavior.
theyinwhy 8y ago
You don't know who will read it because of algorithms or just because someone did not log in and so on... Those tools are just media and offer you visibility to a certain degree. And of course you adapt your presentation style to reach a specific audience.
frgtpsswrdlame 8y ago
The information economy as self-inflicted panopticon?
- badbug 8y ago
  Just basic agenda setting theory: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agenda-setting_theory https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agenda-setting_theory
CaptainZapp 8y ago
I find your comment rather frightening. And in a way: Spot on!
adamsea 8y ago
To be fair this is true of any mass media - radio, television, etc. To a degree, books (aka printing press - check out "yellow journalism") as well. Marshall Mcluhan talked about "hot" and "cool" mediums, and I think the internet may be some sort of mutant hybrid (too weird to die), but, there is definitely somthing about TV /internet being more "mind controlling" than books. https://www.quora.com/What-did-Marshall-McLuhan-mean-by-hot-and-cool-media https://www.quora.com/What-did-Marshall-McLuhan-mean-by-hot-...
cm2012 8y ago
Using language like "mind-control ray" is also targeted for persuasion (Or "mind-control" as you put it).
badbug 8y ago
He's right and the rest of the article supports this statement. It isn't some magical sci find weapon to instantly control people. But it is bad and is used for agenda setting. "The media doesn't tell you what to think, it tells you what to think about"
- dvlsg 8y ago
  I'm not sure I agree with that. The media quote, I mean. There's plenty of media companies (on both sides of the political spectrum) that are definitely trying to tell you what to think. Maybe not all of them, but there are some.
  - kbenson 8y ago
    "Tells my what to think" it's a common idiom in English, meaning not just that you were told", but that you were commanded and followed*. It's basically synonymous with "controls how I think", and almost always used as a negation. That is, someone will say "he doesn't tel me what to think" to express that their thoughts are still their own and independent. In that context, "The media doesn't tell you what to think, it tells you what to think about" is meant to be taken as "The media doesn't control how you think, but it defines the discussion." I think this is just a case where an author decided for alliteration over clarity. Sometimes that's a useful path, as alliteration can help phrases stick in the social consciousness. In this case it's just confusing.
olivermarks 8y ago
(paywall) Jaron Lanier on fighting Big Tech’s ‘manipulation engine’ https://www.ft.com/content/a3ea16f6-7edd-11e8-bc55-50daf11b720d https://www.ft.com/content/a3ea16f6-7edd-11e8-bc55-50daf11b7...

by wiz21c 8y ago

amarkov 8y ago

Most people aren't particularly tempted to shape their behavior to Facebook. They just use other channels for things they don't specifically want everyone to see. If some people are so uninvested in their thoughts that "open up a group chat" is an insurmountable barrier... well, they were going to be mind controlled by a stiff breeze, so it's hard to blame Facebook.

smt88 8y ago

Any effective advertising is mind control, in a sense. It convinces you to take an action you wouldn't have otherwise taken. Sometimes that action is bad for you, but the advertising has convinced you that it's good for you (or that the alternative is scarier). The better Facebook can convince you to take an action, the more value its platform has. The Darwinism of the ad industry meant that the top ad-tech companies were eventually going to be really, really good at changing people's behavior.

theyinwhy 8y ago

You don't know who will read it because of algorithms or just because someone did not log in and so on... Those tools are just media and offer you visibility to a certain degree. And of course you adapt your presentation style to reach a specific audience.

frgtpsswrdlame 8y ago

The information economy as self-inflicted panopticon?

badbug 8y ago
Just basic agenda setting theory: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agenda-setting_theory https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agenda-setting_theory

CaptainZapp 8y ago

I find your comment rather frightening. And in a way: Spot on!

adamsea 8y ago

To be fair this is true of any mass media - radio, television, etc. To a degree, books (aka printing press - check out "yellow journalism") as well. Marshall Mcluhan talked about "hot" and "cool" mediums, and I think the internet may be some sort of mutant hybrid (too weird to die), but, there is definitely somthing about TV /internet being more "mind controlling" than books. https://www.quora.com/What-did-Marshall-McLuhan-mean-by-hot-and-cool-media https://www.quora.com/What-did-Marshall-McLuhan-mean-by-hot-...

cm2012 8y ago

Using language like "mind-control ray" is also targeted for persuasion (Or "mind-control" as you put it).

badbug 8y ago

He's right and the rest of the article supports this statement. It isn't some magical sci find weapon to instantly control people. But it is bad and is used for agenda setting. "The media doesn't tell you what to think, it tells you what to think about"

dvlsg 8y ago
I'm not sure I agree with that. The media quote, I mean. There's plenty of media companies (on both sides of the political spectrum) that are definitely trying to tell you what to think. Maybe not all of them, but there are some.
- kbenson 8y ago
  "Tells my what to think" it's a common idiom in English, meaning not just that you were told", but that you were commanded and followed*. It's basically synonymous with "controls how I think", and almost always used as a negation. That is, someone will say "he doesn't tel me what to think" to express that their thoughts are still their own and independent. In that context, "The media doesn't tell you what to think, it tells you what to think about" is meant to be taken as "The media doesn't control how you think, but it defines the discussion." I think this is just a case where an author decided for alliteration over clarity. Sometimes that's a useful path, as alliteration can help phrases stick in the social consciousness. In this case it's just confusing.

olivermarks 8y ago

(paywall) Jaron Lanier on fighting Big Tech’s ‘manipulation engine’ https://www.ft.com/content/a3ea16f6-7edd-11e8-bc55-50daf11b720d https://www.ft.com/content/a3ea16f6-7edd-11e8-bc55-50daf11b7...