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Caveat emptor. It says a lot about people on social networks that they can't see through a fake account. Either they don't have the intelligence to discrimina

by mikece 6y ago

Caveat emptor. It says a lot about people on social networks that they can't see through a fake account. Either they don't have the intelligence to discriminate between fake and real or they are so easily led about that anyone -- even fake people -- can sway them one way or the other. The latter is what scares me the most, especially when they vote. The naive and easily swayed are the very people who elect and empower persuasive dictators and tyrants. Social media isn't "the problem" but it's accelerating an existing problem.

intended 6y ago
> https://spotthetroll.org/ https://spotthetroll.org/ Fake accounts, especially for swaying public opinion are not that easy to spot. I failed at spotting several, and I used to spend more time than average dealing with user content. It's hard to look at an account and simply say "this isn't a person.", perhaps more so if you have a broad view on the range of possible human behavior. Maliciously formed content works hard to be indistinguishable from normal behavior, Its essentially a pseudo turing test. Can we mass produce social media accounts that pass for human to both humans and automated systems. I'm really not sure how someone can identify this unless they are trained.
- mikece 6y ago
  My larger point is that people who cannot distinguish between reality and not-reality are an extreme drag on a society as they require others to think for them. Such people shouldn't be on social media and shouldn't be voting... it's how we end up with the politicians in office that we have now. People who have a solid grasp on reality and their own convictions won’t be swayed by online activists whether they are flesh and blood or bits and bytes.
- dingaling 6y ago
  > Fake accounts, especially for swaying public opinion are not that easy to spot. If you don't know the account holder in person, or through word of mouth in a social context, don't follow them.

by mikece 6y ago

intended 6y ago

> https://spotthetroll.org/ https://spotthetroll.org/ Fake accounts, especially for swaying public opinion are not that easy to spot. I failed at spotting several, and I used to spend more time than average dealing with user content. It's hard to look at an account and simply say "this isn't a person.", perhaps more so if you have a broad view on the range of possible human behavior. Maliciously formed content works hard to be indistinguishable from normal behavior, Its essentially a pseudo turing test. Can we mass produce social media accounts that pass for human to both humans and automated systems. I'm really not sure how someone can identify this unless they are trained.

mikece 6y ago
My larger point is that people who cannot distinguish between reality and not-reality are an extreme drag on a society as they require others to think for them. Such people shouldn't be on social media and shouldn't be voting... it's how we end up with the politicians in office that we have now. People who have a solid grasp on reality and their own convictions won’t be swayed by online activists whether they are flesh and blood or bits and bytes.
dingaling 6y ago
> Fake accounts, especially for swaying public opinion are not that easy to spot. If you don't know the account holder in person, or through word of mouth in a social context, don't follow them.