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So much of the strife we're seeing in the world right now stems from information now, maybe for the first time ever, being truly free. All the gatekeepers of in

So much of the strife we're seeing in the world right now stems from information now, maybe for the first time ever, being truly free. All the gatekeepers of information are no longer relevant. This means that the truly delusional can spread their conspiracy theories and get people to believe them. But it also means that people caught within exploitative power structures can spread their stories - see MeToo as an example. The strife stems from the very old, very firm order collapsing under this assault of free information. It's a little scary, to be honest, but I also believe it has the potential to be create a more just world. Facebook's role, in my view, should be to ensure that this information remains truly free. The old order still tries to influence the spread of this free information (bot farms, paid influencers, etc.). If you can stop this, I think you're doing a good job.

refurb 6y ago
So much of the strife we're seeing in the world right now stems from information now, maybe for the first time ever, being truly free What strife in particular? From a US point of view, we've had several instance of race riots in the past. And those were far worse than what we see now. And in terms of conspiracies, those have always existed. Maybe they move faster, but think of the conspiracies around JFK's assassination. Those were broadly known long before the internet arrived. Plus, we see a lot more thanks to the internet. A good example is holocaust denial. Those people were always around. And I haven't seen any data to suggest holocaust denial is any more prevalent than in the past, despite people having more exposure to it. I'm not sure much has changed.
lopmotr 6y ago
Some of the truly delusional have always had plenty of power and ability to spread their theories - religious people. Free information will hopefully reduce that rather than enhance it. Modern small-time delusions like anti-vax or white supremacy are nowhere near the scale and badness of, say Islam. But since Islam is well established, people turn a blind eye.
- TheSpiceIsLife 6y ago
  Religions aren’t homogeneous wholes. The overwhelming majority of adherents to all(?) religions are peaceable people. We just don’t hear much from them.

refurb 6y ago

So much of the strife we're seeing in the world right now stems from information now, maybe for the first time ever, being truly free What strife in particular? From a US point of view, we've had several instance of race riots in the past. And those were far worse than what we see now. And in terms of conspiracies, those have always existed. Maybe they move faster, but think of the conspiracies around JFK's assassination. Those were broadly known long before the internet arrived. Plus, we see a lot more thanks to the internet. A good example is holocaust denial. Those people were always around. And I haven't seen any data to suggest holocaust denial is any more prevalent than in the past, despite people having more exposure to it. I'm not sure much has changed.

lopmotr 6y ago

Some of the truly delusional have always had plenty of power and ability to spread their theories - religious people. Free information will hopefully reduce that rather than enhance it. Modern small-time delusions like anti-vax or white supremacy are nowhere near the scale and badness of, say Islam. But since Islam is well established, people turn a blind eye.

TheSpiceIsLife 6y ago
Religions aren’t homogeneous wholes. The overwhelming majority of adherents to all(?) religions are peaceable people. We just don’t hear much from them.