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> But the nicotine/sugar debate is kinda missing that we sell alcohol at 7/11 which is devastating in excess to my health, my loved one’s sanity, and fatal to t

> But the nicotine/sugar debate is kinda missing that we sell alcohol at 7/11 which is devastating in excess to my health, my loved one’s sanity, and fatal to the guy I run over driving. In many respects I agree here. But, like sugar and nicotine: alcohol is an active choice that one must pay for in a much different way - the barrier to entry is not the same. We can also draw parallels that advertising by the liquor company is targeting me to buy it. But liquor companies aren't marketing companies playing a slight of hand game. They sell a product, not the ad. Is alcohol detrimental to society in certain respects? Yes. The argument here, however, seems to be: that it's OK to add another unhealthy aspect to our lives. But it's much harder for a 12 year old to buy alcohol. It's not hard for that same 12 year old to misunderstand the motives of Facebook, TikTok and Instagram. Alcoholism and Social Media share health negativities. But they are not the same in ease with which to consume. Andrew Bosworth (not Bozworth) knows very well the negative implications of the product he works on, yet continues to stand behind it even if "...he could buy like a pro sports team...". Just because he's rich doesn't mean his intentions serve anyone other than himself. He penned "The Ugly" at Facebook and knows the platform can have dire implications. I didn't claim he was faking it, I was stating that your response seemed to take a cue from his analogy. Irrespective of that I also don't think the analogy is a good representation of the state of social media.

benreesman 5y ago
I think my original post started out by saying there are legitimate reasons to be concerned about social media. I mean, I quit with a lot of unvested stock because it wasn’t obvious to me that I was making people net happier by my work, which is a way that I want to feel about my work. But I think that the number of people on this site who organize their careers around pure altruism is small enough that I’ll probably live through those people throwing rocks because I’m arguing that this subject is nuanced and complicated. I think I said that Boz and I have disagreed plenty over the years. But if he’s going to get burned at the stake in a public forum because he’s had to make very, very difficult decisions and didn’t always make the right ones, we’ll tie me to the same post because I’ve badly fucked up on much simpler decisions.

benreesman 5y ago

I think my original post started out by saying there are legitimate reasons to be concerned about social media. I mean, I quit with a lot of unvested stock because it wasn’t obvious to me that I was making people net happier by my work, which is a way that I want to feel about my work. But I think that the number of people on this site who organize their careers around pure altruism is small enough that I’ll probably live through those people throwing rocks because I’m arguing that this subject is nuanced and complicated. I think I said that Boz and I have disagreed plenty over the years. But if he’s going to get burned at the stake in a public forum because he’s had to make very, very difficult decisions and didn’t always make the right ones, we’ll tie me to the same post because I’ve badly fucked up on much simpler decisions.