3 ms·

You make a a great argument, without any evidence. I think there is a real case to made for saying that Facebook/Meta's products have brought people much closer

by axg11 4y ago

You make a a great argument, without any evidence. I think there is a real case to made for saying that Facebook/Meta's products have brought people much closer together. Between Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp I am _far_ more frequently in contact with friends (and acquaintances) than an alternate reality where these products do not exist. Social media is an inevitable result of the internet. Take a look at any social platform: Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, and Snap. All of these platforms suffer from similar issues to Facebook/Instagram. They all harbour disinformation, and all of these platforms come with considerable other downsides along with their main positive goal: connecting people. I am not a Meta apologist. Meta and Zuckerberg, have made plenty of mistakes in their history. Facebook and Instagram happen to be the two biggest platforms (discounting YouTube and chat-only platforms). Perhaps _some_ of the issues we see on these platforms are inevitable outcomes as a result of human behaviour? I've spent some time diving into Facebook's efforts in moderation and safety. Despite all the negative coverage, they are one of the companies that has actually poured a lot of resources into these functions.

widjit 4y ago
for someone complaining about a lack of evidence, this response is dripping with bias and unprovable speculation we simply do not have access to an "alternate reality where these products do not exist" (so talking about it is misleading at best) and to claim that platform issues are "inevitable outcomes ... of human behavior" is a dangerous fallacy; what we can talk about meaningfully is what these companies and platforms do and are doing, and no amount of specious talk can (or should) cover for the astounding negatives that they have imposed on society.

3 ms·

You make a a great argument, without any evidence. I think there is a real case to made for saying that Facebook/Meta's products have brought people much closer

by axg11 4y ago

widjit 4y ago
for someone complaining about a lack of evidence, this response is dripping with bias and unprovable speculation we simply do not have access to an "alternate reality where these products do not exist" (so talking about it is misleading at best) and to claim that platform issues are "inevitable outcomes ... of human behavior" is a dangerous fallacy; what we can talk about meaningfully is what these companies and platforms do and are doing, and no amount of specious talk can (or should) cover for the astounding negatives that they have imposed on society.