3 ms·

Does your reasoning apply to other companies? Coca-cola, for example, is very interested in building profiles and modifying behavior. I estimate they're much

Does your reasoning apply to other companies? Coca-cola, for example, is very interested in building profiles and modifying behavior. I estimate they're much less sophisticated w/r/t building profiles (although if you think in terms of flavors, instead of demographics, perhaps not...) They are definitely very effective in terms of behavior modification. The product does significant harm. It also hijacks an evolutionary flaw (people like other people's feedback=FB, people like sweet things=CC).

Barrin92 7y ago
Not the OP but I think it definitely does. What's the public health damage caused by disease epidemics like obesity and diabetes in the long term, tens if not hundreds of billions, even more? It's time to bring the hammer down on advertisement and manipulation of people's behaviour. Imagine if the government would try to nudge people in the way these companies do, we'd never here the end of it and rightfully so.
- bryan_w 7y ago
  > Imagine if the government would try to nudge people in the way these companies do You've never seen a Got Milk ad, have you?
  - rsync 7y ago
    "You've never seen a Got Milk ad, have you?" That's not the government - it is a private association of "... milk processors and dairy farms."[1] [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Got_Milk%3F https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Got_Milk%3F
- needaccount 7y ago
  Basically that’s what the field of public health is: https://bioethics.hms.harvard.edu/sites/g/files/mcu336/f/Derek%20Soled%20-%20Beecher%20Prize%202018.pdf https://bioethics.hms.harvard.edu/sites/g/files/mcu336/f/Der... Non health related example: https://datasmart.ash.harvard.edu/news/article/how-government-can-nurture-the-nudge-1047 https://datasmart.ash.harvard.edu/news/article/how-governmen... Also any taxes on goods like cigarettes or fuel are nudges. Also zoning..
JohnFen 7y ago
> Does your reasoning apply to other companies? Coca-cola, for example, is very interested in building profiles and modifying behavior. (Not the OP) Personally, yes, it applies in full to all other companies. That said, marketing and advertising companies (which Facebook counts as) are the most egregious with this sort of thing.

Barrin92 7y ago

Not the OP but I think it definitely does. What's the public health damage caused by disease epidemics like obesity and diabetes in the long term, tens if not hundreds of billions, even more? It's time to bring the hammer down on advertisement and manipulation of people's behaviour. Imagine if the government would try to nudge people in the way these companies do, we'd never here the end of it and rightfully so.

bryan_w 7y ago
> Imagine if the government would try to nudge people in the way these companies do You've never seen a Got Milk ad, have you?
- rsync 7y ago
  "You've never seen a Got Milk ad, have you?" That's not the government - it is a private association of "... milk processors and dairy farms."[1] [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Got_Milk%3F https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Got_Milk%3F
needaccount 7y ago
Basically that’s what the field of public health is: https://bioethics.hms.harvard.edu/sites/g/files/mcu336/f/Derek%20Soled%20-%20Beecher%20Prize%202018.pdf https://bioethics.hms.harvard.edu/sites/g/files/mcu336/f/Der... Non health related example: https://datasmart.ash.harvard.edu/news/article/how-government-can-nurture-the-nudge-1047 https://datasmart.ash.harvard.edu/news/article/how-governmen... Also any taxes on goods like cigarettes or fuel are nudges. Also zoning..

JohnFen 7y ago

> Does your reasoning apply to other companies? Coca-cola, for example, is very interested in building profiles and modifying behavior. (Not the OP) Personally, yes, it applies in full to all other companies. That said, marketing and advertising companies (which Facebook counts as) are the most egregious with this sort of thing.