7 ms·

Yeah, this can only end well /s Reminder: "TikTok Told Moderators: Suppress Posts by the “Ugly” and Poor" [0] https://theintercept.com/2020/03/16/tiktok-app-m

Yeah, this can only end well /s Reminder: "TikTok Told Moderators: Suppress Posts by the “Ugly” and Poor" [0] https://theintercept.com/2020/03/16/tiktok-app-moderators-users-discrimination/ https://theintercept.com/2020/03/16/tiktok-app-moderators-us...

addison-lee 5y ago
The last time I brought this up there was a surprising amount of people trying to defend this behavior from TikTok. Glad to see you bring this up—awful company.
- monkeybutton 5y ago
  Compared to traditional mass market media is it that different? Actors and actresses on prime time TV are beautiful by western standards, thin and with perfect teeth. Living in beautiful, spacious houses that most people can't afford. edit: Not that I'm defending Tiktok, just saying that the way it distorts and portrays the world is a continuation of what media companies were already doing. I was going to make a point about how it is a lot like the Society of the Spectacle, but it looks like others have already made the connection: https://blendertrouble.substack.com/p/now-i-know-whats-real-and-what-is https://blendertrouble.substack.com/p/now-i-know-whats-real-...
  - addison-lee 5y ago
    You'll have to send me these articles of other social media companies instructing their moderators to suppress ugly, poor, and disabled users. https://theintercept.com/2020/03/16/tiktok-app-moderators-users-discrimination/ https://theintercept.com/2020/03/16/tiktok-app-moderators-us...
    - monkeybutton 5y ago
      I was making a comparison between Hollywood and TikTok, not between TikTok and other social media companies?
  - wutbrodo 5y ago
    I suppose the argument would be that there's no illusion that media hiring is intended to serve actors' desires as opposed to building the image that studios want for their product. If tiktok had marketed themselves as a unique kind of curated content company instead of a social media service with democratically-determined exposure, I think the studio comparison would be apt.
- matz1 5y ago
  um most people, including me, like to see beautiful people. It make sense to suppress post by the ugly.
  - EvilEy3 5y ago
    You're probably downvoted because of how you articulated your message, but the initial idea is correct. We're biologically programmed to like beautiful things, people, whatever.
- LudwigNagasena 5y ago
  What is so bad about this behavior?
bigpumpkin 5y ago
I find disfigured/ disabled people livestreaming to many people on Tiktok all the time in my feed.
- ipaddr 5y ago
  What % will be hired through tiktok vs traditional approaches?
dqpb 5y ago
Don’t worry, they’re just checking for “culture fit”.
- adventured 5y ago
  That's brilliant. It's unfortunate you're being downvoted for the sharpest comment in this thread. Trying to find cultural fit (exactly as in product market fit) for max attention (clicks, likes, ads) is exactly what social media pandering is all about, both by the companies and the "influencers." With each post they're experimenting to reach that end goal.
xvector 5y ago
They publicly apologized and the policy has been changed. It’s not like it matters, anyways - your users will suppress posts like these for you regardless.
- gman83 5y ago
  Yeah they just built their algorithm to suppress poor and ugly people, no need for mods to do it. Not sure if that's any better.
  - xvector 5y ago
    The algorithm simply accurately reflects what people like. It turns out most people, perhaps subconsciously, actually kind of hate poor and ugly people. I have some friends that went from overweight/obese to looking fit. Their very first reactions were “wow, I cannot believe how differently I am being treated.” Seeing the pettiness of human society, as expressed by the massive difference in how they were being treated, turned many of them into misanthropes. It is a completely different world for good-looking people. However, solving this problem isn’t really TikTok’s job. Whether a video interview or a physical one, if you’re pretty and rich, you’ll have massive advantage regardless.
    - nxc18 5y ago
      As a formerly obese person, I can absolutely confirm this. Respect is a big issue for me, because for the first ~25 years of my life, disrespect and even disgust were the default with every new person I interacted with. Still, I mostly like videos posted by attractive people on TikTok, because I’m not about lying to myself to pretend to be woke. It’s a visual medium. Just like you don’t hire stupid engineers, it doesn’t make sense to watch ugly people. It’s about knowing your strengths, if you’re not going to maintain your appearance, maybe do podcasts instead. Or one of the millions of TikTok videos that don’t show your appearance, because that is 100% optional.
      - deleted 5y ago
        [deleted]
t_akosuke 5y ago
In this thread - people who have never used tiktok talk shit about tiktok. Some of my favorite tiktokers are severely disabled, grotesquely disfigured, and wildly popular, and making a living telling stories that they would otherwise not be doing
- throwaway3699 5y ago
  Probably because it descends from Music.ly, an app known to be used mainly by tweens and predators looking for tweens.
LudwigNagasena 5y ago
People don’t like watching ugly and poor people, that’s just how the life is. I don’t see how turning TikTok into Harrison Bergeron will make the situation any better.
- Craighead 5y ago
  ^ The sympathizer poster always makes me laugh. You understand China culled the herd and killed millions and disenfranchised any who disagreed with their revolution? disgusting.

addison-lee 5y ago

The last time I brought this up there was a surprising amount of people trying to defend this behavior from TikTok. Glad to see you bring this up—awful company.

monkeybutton 5y ago
Compared to traditional mass market media is it that different? Actors and actresses on prime time TV are beautiful by western standards, thin and with perfect teeth. Living in beautiful, spacious houses that most people can't afford. edit: Not that I'm defending Tiktok, just saying that the way it distorts and portrays the world is a continuation of what media companies were already doing. I was going to make a point about how it is a lot like the Society of the Spectacle, but it looks like others have already made the connection: https://blendertrouble.substack.com/p/now-i-know-whats-real-and-what-is https://blendertrouble.substack.com/p/now-i-know-whats-real-...
- addison-lee 5y ago
  You'll have to send me these articles of other social media companies instructing their moderators to suppress ugly, poor, and disabled users. https://theintercept.com/2020/03/16/tiktok-app-moderators-users-discrimination/ https://theintercept.com/2020/03/16/tiktok-app-moderators-us...
  - monkeybutton 5y ago
    I was making a comparison between Hollywood and TikTok, not between TikTok and other social media companies?
- wutbrodo 5y ago
  I suppose the argument would be that there's no illusion that media hiring is intended to serve actors' desires as opposed to building the image that studios want for their product. If tiktok had marketed themselves as a unique kind of curated content company instead of a social media service with democratically-determined exposure, I think the studio comparison would be apt.
matz1 5y ago
um most people, including me, like to see beautiful people. It make sense to suppress post by the ugly.
- EvilEy3 5y ago
  You're probably downvoted because of how you articulated your message, but the initial idea is correct. We're biologically programmed to like beautiful things, people, whatever.
LudwigNagasena 5y ago
What is so bad about this behavior?

bigpumpkin 5y ago

I find disfigured/ disabled people livestreaming to many people on Tiktok all the time in my feed.

ipaddr 5y ago
What % will be hired through tiktok vs traditional approaches?

dqpb 5y ago

Don’t worry, they’re just checking for “culture fit”.

adventured 5y ago
That's brilliant. It's unfortunate you're being downvoted for the sharpest comment in this thread. Trying to find cultural fit (exactly as in product market fit) for max attention (clicks, likes, ads) is exactly what social media pandering is all about, both by the companies and the "influencers." With each post they're experimenting to reach that end goal.

xvector 5y ago

They publicly apologized and the policy has been changed. It’s not like it matters, anyways - your users will suppress posts like these for you regardless.

gman83 5y ago
Yeah they just built their algorithm to suppress poor and ugly people, no need for mods to do it. Not sure if that's any better.
- xvector 5y ago
  The algorithm simply accurately reflects what people like. It turns out most people, perhaps subconsciously, actually kind of hate poor and ugly people. I have some friends that went from overweight/obese to looking fit. Their very first reactions were “wow, I cannot believe how differently I am being treated.” Seeing the pettiness of human society, as expressed by the massive difference in how they were being treated, turned many of them into misanthropes. It is a completely different world for good-looking people. However, solving this problem isn’t really TikTok’s job. Whether a video interview or a physical one, if you’re pretty and rich, you’ll have massive advantage regardless.
  - nxc18 5y ago
    As a formerly obese person, I can absolutely confirm this. Respect is a big issue for me, because for the first ~25 years of my life, disrespect and even disgust were the default with every new person I interacted with. Still, I mostly like videos posted by attractive people on TikTok, because I’m not about lying to myself to pretend to be woke. It’s a visual medium. Just like you don’t hire stupid engineers, it doesn’t make sense to watch ugly people. It’s about knowing your strengths, if you’re not going to maintain your appearance, maybe do podcasts instead. Or one of the millions of TikTok videos that don’t show your appearance, because that is 100% optional.
    - deleted 5y ago
      [deleted]

t_akosuke 5y ago

In this thread - people who have never used tiktok talk shit about tiktok. Some of my favorite tiktokers are severely disabled, grotesquely disfigured, and wildly popular, and making a living telling stories that they would otherwise not be doing

throwaway3699 5y ago
Probably because it descends from Music.ly, an app known to be used mainly by tweens and predators looking for tweens.

LudwigNagasena 5y ago

People don’t like watching ugly and poor people, that’s just how the life is. I don’t see how turning TikTok into Harrison Bergeron will make the situation any better.

Craighead 5y ago
^ The sympathizer poster always makes me laugh. You understand China culled the herd and killed millions and disenfranchised any who disagreed with their revolution? disgusting.