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I believe that people themselves aren't as gullible, but rather that we now know how to manipulate people much better. Huge companies like FAANGs only exist bec
by FastEatSlow 5y ago
I believe that people themselves aren't as gullible, but rather that we now know how to manipulate people much better.
Huge companies like FAANGs only exist because of human manipulation, there's entire fields dedicated to manipulating us, the obvious being marketing, but data science is also used for this.
- noduerme 5y agoI love this answer. It implies that manipulation and reason/common sense are in a kind of arms race. If humans are actually getting better at spotting B.S., just not as quickly as orgs are finding new ways to manipulate them, then maybe what's programmed can be de-programmed.
- FastEatSlow 5y agoI wonder what would have to be done to turn it around. The B.S. detectors seem to be less effective during panic and stress, so marketing must be booming right now thanks to the pandemic.
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- TheSpiceIsLife 5y agoRemember also that roughly half of any given population is approximately below average, on any axis you care to measure. Combine that with majority in many democratic systems being 51%. And we’re in for a hell of a mediocre time.
- tobyjsullivan 5y agoMajority in most democratic systems (almost anywhere outside the US) is well below that. Closer to 35% in many democracies.
- TheSpiceIsLife 5y agoYeah good point.
- noduerme 5y agoI could see fewer being better. If everyone in the US was forced to vote on election day, I think Elvis would be president for life. (Or death. Or just forever.)