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For the past few years, whenever a company demonstrates that it is actively working against a culture of free speech, I block its URL in /etc/hosts. In this ca
by bm3719 8y ago
For the past few years, whenever a company demonstrates that it is actively working against a culture of free speech, I block its URL in /etc/hosts. In this case, I already added Twitter long ago, so no change necessary.
Not only do I have less time wasters around, but I noticed that the internet is far less angry of a place as a result.
- bdcravens 8y agoHN also actively moderates its content and its users. An Alex Jones would last about a day here before being banned. > I noticed that the internet is far less angry of a place as a result I would think it would be quite the opposite: the likelihood of being censored creates inhibition.
- LocalH 8y agoHN also has much less influence on the greater world, as opposed to Twitter.
- DoreenMichele 8y agoHow so? I mean, what is your thinking here?
- LocalH 8y agoThe general public uses Twitter on a massive scale. They don't generally even know HN exists.
- DoreenMichele 8y agoThanks.
- MBCook 8y agoI don’t think that really addresses his point. Hacker news, like basically anything, is trivial in size compared to Twitter. Despite that hacker news, like MANY other sites, moderate the content it gets posted in an attempt to maintain some level of decorum/sanity/functioning community. Why would a larger site need LESS of that? I think would be the other way around. In smaller sites very basic social norms seem to be strong enough to prevent problematic behavior. Once a site gets big enough that other users are seen as “other people” as opposed to “one of us” things go downhill fast if you don’t start doing something.
- bm3719 8y ago> I would think it would be quite the opposite: the likelihood of being censored creates inhibition. I suspect that it's due to general interest social media sites being unhappy places. For example, I was definitely exposed to a constant stream of negativity when actively using Twitter. That might be because both sides see them as the front lines in culture and political wars.
- s73v3r_ 8y agoGiven that this very site moderates quite heavily, why is it not in your /etc/hosts file?
- bm3719 8y agoBecause I don't equate moderation with "actively working against a culture of free speech". If HN was an enemy of it as a cultural norm, then I could not in good conscious support it with my traffic/content/etc.
- DoreenMichele 8y agoI think it could be argued that good moderation helps preserve free speech.