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I dislike Facebook as much as the next person. I think most self-regulation is somewhat of a joke, especially in the private sector, but I also think the blame
by moksly 6y ago
I dislike Facebook as much as the next person. I think most self-regulation is somewhat of a joke, especially in the private sector, but I also think the blame belongs with the money people who buy the manipulation. Sure Facebook has rotten ethics, but the real danger to our democracy is the fact that you can buy a medium platform and just manipulate all day long.
Our only real option to fight it, if we refuse to go after the people who pay for the manipulation, is to make sure we educate our children better.
But really, I think we should ask ourselves if we really want that sort of power sitting with a few billionaires. Because it’s not going to stop with Facebook. It’ll be on any social media ever.
- smt88 6y ago1) A lot of manipulation happens outside of ads. For example, fake news sites being shared widely or private groups spreading anti-vaxx propaganda. 2) Most of the people being manipulated haven't been children for decades. Educating children better is already happening, especially as children grow up knowing that you can't believe what you read on the Web.
- alexmingoia 6y agoCan you provide an example of what you consider “manipulation?”
- cheschire 6y agoThis seems like a question with obvious answers, which leads me to believe you're attempting to build a trap because you've already got some outcome in mind and you're ready to pounce. But just in case you're serious, check out what a shill is. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shill https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shill
- alexmingoia 6y agoI know what a shill is... Are you implying that the manipulation is shilling? Can you provide an example? I use Facebook. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything I would qualify as manipulation in sponsored posts, as my sponsored posts are almost always product advertisements. So it’s not obvious to me what is meant by “manipulation” in the post I was responding to. I think asking for an example is quite reasonable.
- turbohz 6y agoYou're in the bubble
- deleted 6y ago[deleted]
- smt88 6y agoNot everyone on FB sees manipulated media. I almost never did before I deleted my account. It depends on your social network, groups, likes, and shares. Manipulators are always going to try to target people who want to believe their lies.
- alexmingoia 6y agoWhich is why I asked for an example... I frequently read claims of voter manipulation and armies of paid shills and such, but I’ve never seen a single example of what exactly they’re talking about.
- smt88 6y agoEven if you're right, you're not supposed to attack people on HN. It's not interesting to see everyone accuse each other of being shills without adding anything to the discussion. It's better to just downvote and move on.
- cheschire 6y agoI wasn't implying he is a shill, I was answering his question by providing reference to a type of manipulation that has been around since before the internet. The first part of my response was because it seemed like he was trying to lure the parent reply into a debate trap using leading questions. Not because I thought he was a shill.
- deleted 6y ago[deleted]
- moksly 6y agohttps://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/manipulate https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/englis...