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I think this must be happening on every social media platform in some way. The fact is that people seem to love being afraid and anxious. Bad news spreads like
by davesque 5y ago
I think this must be happening on every social media platform in some way. The fact is that people seem to love being afraid and anxious. Bad news spreads like wild fire. All that X bad actor has to do is just figure out any worrying take on a topic of choice and then just sit back and watch the mayhem.
I also think the most likely originators of this content are state actors. If they can pay a group of people to drop intellectual bombs in the public spheres of their enemies all day, I'm sure they see that as an overall (and very cheap) win. Honestly, it's more a question of why they wouldn't do this than why would they.
- wmeredith 5y ago> The fact is that people seem to love being afraid and anxious They don't love it, but it does compel them to engage with the content. Engagement = growth. Social media is basically a cancer. There are good pockets here and there if curated carefully, but overall it seems like it's a drain on society.
- agumonkey 5y agoweb 2.0 makes one miss pubs
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- slivanes 5y agoI read someones comment that put this into perspective, here was the basic take: In repressive regimes, social media is a boon for the general public to organize and resist. In established democracies, social media has slow insidious negative effect on the general population, typically propaganda supplied by the disillusioned and said repressive regimes.
- lupire 5y agoSocial media triggered the Arab Spring which destroyed nations.
- unishark 5y agoI think this is an aspect of a general network security problem. Another example is how the internet or phone system turns people in developing countries into targets for scammers worldwide. We just assume it's a inherently good thing that everyone can be connected to anyone else. But these are the downsides it creates.
- TravHatesMe 5y agoMy concern is that it creates a false sense of reality. As people become more consumed by technology, the content of the technology becomes their reality. To be delusional is my greatest fear.
- hn8788 5y agoThat's definitely true. I have a family member that was doing a running program as part of physical therapy. One day they said they were afraid to go running alone because they read about a girl getting kidnapped while she was out for a run. Turns out it happened over 1000 miles away, but the constant fearmongering and outrage bait has warped their perception to think that kind of stuff is happening everywhere all the time.
- Layke1123 5y agoWay ahead of you with religion.
- climb_stealth 5y agoFor a few weeks I lived with people whose world view seemed shaped by popular news channels on TV. They seemed genuinely and constantly worried about getting mugged / raped / murdered / burgled in their perfectly quiet and innocent suburban neighbourhood. It has been years since then but this disconnect between reality and their perception still boggles my mind. And it really has me worried that it is not an isolated thing.
- cutemonster 5y agoAlso can make people think that others in a place nearby are dangerous and evil all of them, and in that way keep conflicts alive or start new. > For a few weeks I lived with people whose world view seemed shaped by .. I wonder, what could have been things to say, that could have helped them to stop looking at the world in that way Unplugging the TV would have helped I suppose Or giving them something else to think about, but what?
- climb_stealth 5y ago
- amatecha 5y agoEvery centralized "open to everyone" social media platform, yes. No "trends" on Mastodon though, so you don't have to worry about this BS on there, and blocking instances that allow bots/spam is easy. :)
- jaredwiener 5y agoSimple solution -- dont get your news from places that let anyone post. https://blog.nillium.com/fighting-misinformation-online/ https://blog.nillium.com/fighting-misinformation-online/
- davesque 5y agoIt's not so simple though. Because even trusted curators and media organizations still feel obligated on some level to maximize engagement. To compete with social media, they often end up promoting and peddling similarly terrifying, pessimistic, and "engaging" content.
- ajsnigrutin 5y agoIf anyone can post, you can see all the possible opinions. On sites with moderated content, you see only one sided opinions.
- PhineasRex 5y agoI don't know why you're being downvoted. Decentralization is effective at limiting the effectiveness of misinformation. It's more difficult to impersonate a legitimate user in a smaller community.
- amatecha 5y agoWhoever downvotes this (??): Am I wrong? You think Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, Instagram, VK, Tumblr, LinkedIn etc. are not having their algorithms/feeds exploited by bot-posted content? Even the most cursory search on the web reveals countless reports. Here are just a couple: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/jun/19/social-media-proganda-manipulating-public-opinion-bots-accounts-facebook-twitter https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/jun/19/social-me... https://internetofbusiness.com/propaganda-bots-social-media-manipulation/ https://internetofbusiness.com/propaganda-bots-social-media-... https://www.snopes.com/news/2020/06/24/how-fake-accounts-constantly-manipulate-what-you-see-on-social-media/ https://www.snopes.com/news/2020/06/24/how-fake-accounts-con... https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinesscouncil/2020/08/03/the-dangerous-art-of-social-media-and-messaging-manipulation/ https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinesscouncil/2020/08/0...
- stjohnswarts 5y agoFear is a much more powerful and simple emotion than contentment or happiness. That's why things spread like wildfire, particularly in conservative circles. Often completely fake news circulates before there is any hope of quelling it.