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You would be surprised how quickly people can learn how to fool something, without knowing exactly how it works. Uber drivers used to look up time slots for bi

You would be surprised how quickly people can learn how to fool something, without knowing exactly how it works. Uber drivers used to look up time slots for big planes arriving at the airport. They would then all go offline on the app to trigger "surge pricing" and then all benefit from it. No one knows exactly how the algorithm works, but they know how to fool it.

trhway 5y ago
interesting aspect here is that otherwise honest people at some point of unjust pressure put on them start to allow themselves to cross into that gray zone, and without feeling shame it leads to that being done in the open inside those specific social groups affected and thus becomes the acceptable social norm there.
- bigfudge 5y ago
  I think people are able to segment moral behaviours very effectively. Uber’S ride allocation system would be very far down the list of things I would feel bad about gaming.
- oarsinsync 5y ago
  > interesting aspect here is that otherwise honest people at some point of unjust pressure put on them start to allow themselves to cross into that gray zone, and without feeling shame it leads to that being done in the open inside those specific social groups affected and thus becomes the acceptable social norm there. The thing to consider is that no actions are taking place in a vaccuum. The drivers gaming the system is not an isolated input that is occurring. Instead, there are a number of different inputs that are putting downwards pressure on the rates a driver gets to charge / how much money the driver actually takes home after costs, taxes, etc. While it's not incorrect (or even unjust) to describe the behaviour as being potentially 'gray' (although the use of colour is a different matter, I understand the sentiment being expressed), by only highlighting and focusing on the least powerful members in the system, it unconsciously paints a picture that draws focus away from the other inputs into the system that have resulted in this situation occurring in the first place.
ben_w 5y ago
Yeah, that’s fair. Cargo cults got famous because they worked, despite the mocking way they are often reported.

trhway 5y ago

interesting aspect here is that otherwise honest people at some point of unjust pressure put on them start to allow themselves to cross into that gray zone, and without feeling shame it leads to that being done in the open inside those specific social groups affected and thus becomes the acceptable social norm there.

bigfudge 5y ago
I think people are able to segment moral behaviours very effectively. Uber’S ride allocation system would be very far down the list of things I would feel bad about gaming.
oarsinsync 5y ago
> interesting aspect here is that otherwise honest people at some point of unjust pressure put on them start to allow themselves to cross into that gray zone, and without feeling shame it leads to that being done in the open inside those specific social groups affected and thus becomes the acceptable social norm there. The thing to consider is that no actions are taking place in a vaccuum. The drivers gaming the system is not an isolated input that is occurring. Instead, there are a number of different inputs that are putting downwards pressure on the rates a driver gets to charge / how much money the driver actually takes home after costs, taxes, etc. While it's not incorrect (or even unjust) to describe the behaviour as being potentially 'gray' (although the use of colour is a different matter, I understand the sentiment being expressed), by only highlighting and focusing on the least powerful members in the system, it unconsciously paints a picture that draws focus away from the other inputs into the system that have resulted in this situation occurring in the first place.

ben_w 5y ago

Yeah, that’s fair. Cargo cults got famous because they worked, despite the mocking way they are often reported.