4 ms·

I have no sympathy for facebook as a company, but i find it hard to believe that someone would find it weird to have human express human feelings upon being fir

by bsaul 4y ago

I have no sympathy for facebook as a company, but i find it hard to believe that someone would find it weird to have human express human feelings upon being fired. They're not "humanized", they're humans.

thot_experiment 4y ago
Right, but it's sort of like seeing, I dunno, a documentary about some human facet of a murderous dictatorial regime. In a way it's mortifying to be viscerally reminded that humans capable of being hurt are casually inflicting so much harm on humanity. That they're completely insulated from the second and third order effects of their work. Just following orders without thought.
- bsaul 4y ago
  you should probably get some distance from IT for a while to get some perspective. Facebook was in the advertising business... Not better but not worst than what this sector previously did to help brands manipulate the opinion. It's certainly a great loss to have so many brilliant minds work in that crappy business, but let's not compare that to any kind of atrocities humans have been capable of in the west in the 20th century.
  - deleted 4y ago
    [deleted]
  - thot_experiment 4y ago
    You may be right, I hope you are. I make posts in this vein partially in the hope that someone will convince me I am wrong because it would be a hell of a burden lifted off my shoulders if I could exist in this world without feeling constantly assaulted by FB/Microsoft/Apple/Amazon etc. To be clear though, while I think ads/fake news etc are bad, they're not the main reasons I am so negative. I believe that at their core, these organizations operate under incentive structures that encourage dis-empowering people at every turn. Regulatory and userbase capture allow them to continually make choices that hurt users and help their bottom line. It feels like they are emblematic of a world view where normal people aren't trusted with the power of the computer. Where it's okay to play zero sum games. That's vile.
    - fenderbluesjr 4y ago
      Step away from the computer and you will no longer be 'constantly assaulted' by tech companies
      - thot_experiment 4y ago
        Sure, but I really really love the computer actually. I'm here because I love it and because I want it to be better for everyone.

by bsaul 4y ago

thot_experiment 4y ago

Right, but it's sort of like seeing, I dunno, a documentary about some human facet of a murderous dictatorial regime. In a way it's mortifying to be viscerally reminded that humans capable of being hurt are casually inflicting so much harm on humanity. That they're completely insulated from the second and third order effects of their work. Just following orders without thought.

bsaul 4y ago
you should probably get some distance from IT for a while to get some perspective. Facebook was in the advertising business... Not better but not worst than what this sector previously did to help brands manipulate the opinion. It's certainly a great loss to have so many brilliant minds work in that crappy business, but let's not compare that to any kind of atrocities humans have been capable of in the west in the 20th century.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
- thot_experiment 4y ago
  You may be right, I hope you are. I make posts in this vein partially in the hope that someone will convince me I am wrong because it would be a hell of a burden lifted off my shoulders if I could exist in this world without feeling constantly assaulted by FB/Microsoft/Apple/Amazon etc. To be clear though, while I think ads/fake news etc are bad, they're not the main reasons I am so negative. I believe that at their core, these organizations operate under incentive structures that encourage dis-empowering people at every turn. Regulatory and userbase capture allow them to continually make choices that hurt users and help their bottom line. It feels like they are emblematic of a world view where normal people aren't trusted with the power of the computer. Where it's okay to play zero sum games. That's vile.
  - fenderbluesjr 4y ago
    Step away from the computer and you will no longer be 'constantly assaulted' by tech companies
    - thot_experiment 4y ago
      Sure, but I really really love the computer actually. I'm here because I love it and because I want it to be better for everyone.