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If I could take two things away, it would be upvotes and targeted advertising. They allow for manipulation of the new commons and the societies of the people t
by tarkin2 6y ago
If I could take two things away, it would be upvotes and targeted advertising.
They allow for manipulation of the new commons and the societies of the people therein.
The manipulation existed before, but not in such an effective way.
US army in Eglin, various Russian bot farms, and effective private firms are open to deep-pocketed millionaires.
There must be a way that's /less/ open to manipulation. Or at least a way that openly expresses this happens.
As the world comes even more digital, the bigger risks this manipulation has on society.
- londons_explore 6y agoI mean you're free to start a site with neither upvotes nor targeted advertising... And while I'm sure you'll find an audience, the vast majority of the population enjoys upvoting, and actually prefers targeted adverts over untargeted ones.
- tarkin2 6y agoI doubt anyone enjoys targeted advertising. Any slim benefits it brings comes with the huge disadvantage of mass emotional manipulation for political ends. Upvoting is a difficult one. Undoubtedly it's enjoyable. But given enough money and time any private or public organisation can game it for the same political ends. If you can use targeted mass advertising to play on people's fears or give the illusion of group acceptance, then you have an incredibly powerful tool, and especially so in a democracy.