4 ms·

This is what happens when you mix utilitarian morality with a desire to stop online bullying. You just stop letting the most likely targets of bullying be seen

This is what happens when you mix utilitarian morality with a desire to stop online bullying. You just stop letting the most likely targets of bullying be seen. This is much cheaper and easier than trying to get rid of everyone who has ever been mean online, because that's everyone.

im3w1l 7y ago
The documents reveal that it's about curating appealing content to get user retention, and that the talk of stopping bullying is just talk.
- catalogia 7y ago
  > The documents reveal that it's about curating appealing content to get user retention Seems kind of similar to what supermarket magazines do. Obviously a social media app is not a supermarket magazine, but the premise of cynically using pretty people to drive up engagement is nothing new.
  - _jal 7y ago
    Magazines are not communication platforms their 'users' expect to use in anything remotely the same way. A better comparison might be bottle-service bars where looks or money buys your way in. Which I personally don't mind - if that's your thing, I guess, go for it. Not every place has to be somewhere I want to go, and they're pretty up-front that you need to meet whatever standards or pay crazy money. Tik Tok, from observed behavior, is weaselly about it. Combine with the fact that it is obviously part of the Silk Road strategy and likely an intelligence tool, and I'm going to continue to treat is as the radioactive garbage it is.
nixpulvis 7y ago
But it's just "The Algorithm"... /s
- scotty79 7y ago
  The Algorithm is people!
  - deleted 7y ago
    [deleted]
deleted 7y ago
[deleted]
BLanen 7y ago
A look, a theory contrary to all evidence!
- whyaduck 7y ago
  Quoting from the article: 'Regarding the policy of suppressing videos featuring unattractive, disabled, or poor users, Gartner stated that the rules “represented an early blunt attempt at preventing bullying, but are no longer in place, and were already out of use when The Intercept obtained them.”'
  - BLanen 7y ago
    According to them, trying to make themselves look good.
pulisse 7y ago
> This is what happens when you mix utilitarian morality with a desire to stop online bullying. What in TFA indicates that these policies were intended to stop online bullying? Just as plausible to think that they were intended to create a saccharine user experience in order to promote growth.
- wayoutthere 7y ago
  The Chinese solution to "disharmony" is to simply erase anyone who is different. LGBT people are allowed to exist so long as they don't draw attention to themselves. Also the ethnic cleansing in Xinjiang. I don't think these were intended to stop online bullying as much as they are just another bullying tactic themselves.
  - VWWHFSfQ 7y ago
    Exactly. The Chinese government's vision of a clean, sterile, society and citizenship.
  - sexpositiveuser 7y ago
    Is this all that different from Apple's walled garden? You want a porn app on your iPhone or a Political app, both are banned and no user oriented way to side load. (geek only solutions don't count).
    - wayoutthere 7y ago
      Political apps exist? Bernie has an app and I'm sure the other major party candidates do too. Porn also seems like a very reasonable place to draw the line for the app store. It's not like the iPhone has a porn filter, you just have to use a browser to watch your porn.
qtplatypus 7y ago
Wanting to stop online bullying sounds more like a cover story then the truth.

im3w1l 7y ago

The documents reveal that it's about curating appealing content to get user retention, and that the talk of stopping bullying is just talk.

catalogia 7y ago
> The documents reveal that it's about curating appealing content to get user retention Seems kind of similar to what supermarket magazines do. Obviously a social media app is not a supermarket magazine, but the premise of cynically using pretty people to drive up engagement is nothing new.
- _jal 7y ago
  Magazines are not communication platforms their 'users' expect to use in anything remotely the same way. A better comparison might be bottle-service bars where looks or money buys your way in. Which I personally don't mind - if that's your thing, I guess, go for it. Not every place has to be somewhere I want to go, and they're pretty up-front that you need to meet whatever standards or pay crazy money. Tik Tok, from observed behavior, is weaselly about it. Combine with the fact that it is obviously part of the Silk Road strategy and likely an intelligence tool, and I'm going to continue to treat is as the radioactive garbage it is.

nixpulvis 7y ago

But it's just "The Algorithm"... /s

scotty79 7y ago
The Algorithm is people!
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]

deleted 7y ago

[deleted]

BLanen 7y ago

A look, a theory contrary to all evidence!

whyaduck 7y ago
Quoting from the article: 'Regarding the policy of suppressing videos featuring unattractive, disabled, or poor users, Gartner stated that the rules “represented an early blunt attempt at preventing bullying, but are no longer in place, and were already out of use when The Intercept obtained them.”'
- BLanen 7y ago
  According to them, trying to make themselves look good.

pulisse 7y ago

> This is what happens when you mix utilitarian morality with a desire to stop online bullying. What in TFA indicates that these policies were intended to stop online bullying? Just as plausible to think that they were intended to create a saccharine user experience in order to promote growth.

wayoutthere 7y ago
The Chinese solution to "disharmony" is to simply erase anyone who is different. LGBT people are allowed to exist so long as they don't draw attention to themselves. Also the ethnic cleansing in Xinjiang. I don't think these were intended to stop online bullying as much as they are just another bullying tactic themselves.
- VWWHFSfQ 7y ago
  Exactly. The Chinese government's vision of a clean, sterile, society and citizenship.
- sexpositiveuser 7y ago
  Is this all that different from Apple's walled garden? You want a porn app on your iPhone or a Political app, both are banned and no user oriented way to side load. (geek only solutions don't count).
  - wayoutthere 7y ago
    Political apps exist? Bernie has an app and I'm sure the other major party candidates do too. Porn also seems like a very reasonable place to draw the line for the app store. It's not like the iPhone has a porn filter, you just have to use a browser to watch your porn.

qtplatypus 7y ago

Wanting to stop online bullying sounds more like a cover story then the truth.