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We’re in a weird transition period where all this information is now available but we’re not used to it yet. The illusion that people had a clean past is still
by mikeash 8y ago
We’re in a weird transition period where all this information is now available but we’re not used to it yet. The illusion that people had a clean past is still prevalent. I suspect that in another decade or two, we’ll finally internalize the fact that everybody does stupid crap and nobody will care about it anymore.
- braythwayt 8y agoI'd like to think so, but when I look at the disparity between how society treats the mistakes of one class of people ("He was no angel, he stole a cigar"), and another class of people ("Standard freshman behaviour, and besides, what is 'consent' anyways?")... My fear is that more transparency will simply widen the disparity in treatment, because there will be more ammunition to use against the weak, while the strong are protected from accountability no matter what is dug up from their past. —— Major edit: This is why I am an advocate for privacy, rather than radical transparency. I think a level playing field is a prerequisite for transparency.
- cbsks 8y agoOr people will realize that the internet is forever and will stop posting even slightly controversially things publicly, unless under a pseudonym. My generation may be the first and last to publicly post all of their stupid teenage thoughts on the internet for anyone to dig up later.
- pizza 8y agoI feel like it's more likely that someone will just automate private intelligence gathering and sell it as "generating a reputation score for job/relationship/political candidates". Like the social credit system in China.