4 ms·

> it also doesn't gaslight the person that starred a repo only for it to disappear from their list. It's honestly hilarious how the definition of 'gaslight' ha

> it also doesn't gaslight the person that starred a repo only for it to disappear from their list. It's honestly hilarious how the definition of 'gaslight' has expanded so dramatically in the past few years that it now means 'anything that confuses me'. For future reference, here's what it actually means [1]: > Psychological manipulation of a person usually over an extended period of time that causes the victim to question the validity of their own thoughts, perception of reality, or memories and typically leads to confusion, loss of confidence and self-esteem, uncertainty of one's emotional or mental stability, and a dependency on the perpetrator Github did none of those things to you. [1] https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gaslighting https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gaslighting

Dylan16807 4y ago
Removing something from my personal bookmark list, with no notification, does in fact lead me to question the validity of my own memories. That fits just fine with simpler definitions like "To mislead someone such that they doubt their own memory, perceptions, or sanity." It's an expansion from the original context but I don't think it's an unreasonable expansion.
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
jacobolus 4y ago
The origin of “gaslight” is a movie where a husband surreptitiously removes objects from the room, dims and brightens the lights, etc. and pretends the changes were just the wife’s imagination. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaslight_(1944_film)#Plot https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaslight_(1944_film)#Plot Removing bookmarks from someone’s list without notification seems at least broadly comparable (in both cases, the victim is confused and might question their own memory, because the state of the world changed in an incongruous way), though it is the action of an emotionless machine with a programming bug rather than a malicious human.
- calcifer 4y ago
  > albeit the action of an emotionless machine with a programming bug rather than a malicious human Yes, if you remove a major part of the definition (intent) then it can fit whatever you want it to fit. Like Gino D'Acampo most famously said [1], if my grandmother had wheels, she would have been a bike. [1]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-RfHC91Ewc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-RfHC91Ewc
  - alecbz 4y ago
    I think it’s a fair use of the term. I’d maybe feel differently if there was a better term to use for “non-intentional gaslighting”, but afaik there isn’t really.
    - JetAlone 4y ago
      How about we coin a term today, "LEDlighting"? (Pronounced Led-Lighting). "When a digital platform's state is altered in an opaque way without input on the user's behalf that directly commanded it to, and as a result causes them to question reality in the form of either their memory, the actual state of the system itself, or whether or not the system was intentionally made to do it by an unseen human." Shadowbans, whether you think they're a good form of moderation or not, would be an example of LEDlighting. In a game if the chat system stops working but the rest of the game works and everyone thinks they have been muted for some unknown infraction of the rules by an overreaching moderator, that's also LEDlighting.

Dylan16807 4y ago

Removing something from my personal bookmark list, with no notification, does in fact lead me to question the validity of my own memories. That fits just fine with simpler definitions like "To mislead someone such that they doubt their own memory, perceptions, or sanity." It's an expansion from the original context but I don't think it's an unreasonable expansion.

deleted 4y ago

[deleted]

jacobolus 4y ago

The origin of “gaslight” is a movie where a husband surreptitiously removes objects from the room, dims and brightens the lights, etc. and pretends the changes were just the wife’s imagination. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaslight_(1944_film)#Plot https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaslight_(1944_film)#Plot Removing bookmarks from someone’s list without notification seems at least broadly comparable (in both cases, the victim is confused and might question their own memory, because the state of the world changed in an incongruous way), though it is the action of an emotionless machine with a programming bug rather than a malicious human.

calcifer 4y ago
> albeit the action of an emotionless machine with a programming bug rather than a malicious human Yes, if you remove a major part of the definition (intent) then it can fit whatever you want it to fit. Like Gino D'Acampo most famously said [1], if my grandmother had wheels, she would have been a bike. [1]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-RfHC91Ewc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-RfHC91Ewc
- alecbz 4y ago
  I think it’s a fair use of the term. I’d maybe feel differently if there was a better term to use for “non-intentional gaslighting”, but afaik there isn’t really.
  - JetAlone 4y ago
    How about we coin a term today, "LEDlighting"? (Pronounced Led-Lighting). "When a digital platform's state is altered in an opaque way without input on the user's behalf that directly commanded it to, and as a result causes them to question reality in the form of either their memory, the actual state of the system itself, or whether or not the system was intentionally made to do it by an unseen human." Shadowbans, whether you think they're a good form of moderation or not, would be an example of LEDlighting. In a game if the chat system stops working but the rest of the game works and everyone thinks they have been muted for some unknown infraction of the rules by an overreaching moderator, that's also LEDlighting.