3 ms·

There is both self-censorship and literal censorship. When I was working for big corporations and SV startups, I was extremely careful about what I said online

There is both self-censorship and literal censorship. When I was working for big corporations and SV startups, I was extremely careful about what I said online, including anonymously. I was even afraid to like or give a thumbs up to certain comments. After I joined the blockchain sector and started earning some passive income, I started posting every single thought that came to my mind. My ex-colleagues don't post anything on social media. They don't even click like on anything... They just consume but never interact. I'm not surprised why ESG narratives are so pervasive on social media; people are afraid to express any view to the contrary. There have been no negative career repercussions for liking or promoting ESG content; quite the opposite.

pjc50 4y ago
ESG?
- jongjong 4y ago
  Environmental Social Governance https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental,_social,_and_corporate_governance https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental,_social,_and_cor... Wow, I thought everyone was aware of ESG by now (especially on HN). It seems that social media echo chambers keep getting worse...
  - pjc50 4y ago
    You said: > I'm not surprised why ESG narratives are so pervasive on social media; people are afraid to express any view to the contrary. There have been no negative career repercussions for liking or promoting ESG content; quite the opposite. .. OK, so now some more context: why is this bad? What is a "narrative" here? Why should there be negative repercussions?
    - BaseballPhysics 4y ago
      It's become a new wedge issue for Republicans, alongside trans rights, CRT, and the generic "woke left". Basically, some investors started considering broader elements of corporate governance in their decisions. Now the right has latched on, claiming that choosing to invest in companies that, say, commit to sustainability initiatives or fight workplace harrassment, are somehow engaging in woke censorship The irony is their solution is to try to ban the practice, thereby restricting freedom of association. Isn't it ironic?
    - airhangerf15 4y ago
      It's a social credit score for companies and startups. It doesn't actually help the environment at all. It's bullshit to create new "carbon markets" and causes companies to work against the interests of their shareholders and customers in order to meet completely arbitrary guidelines in order to get high ESG ratings (to draw in investors). They then become dependent on those investors, even though ESG policies cause them to lose money .. when the 2023 dot com bust goes full swing, those investors will get to decide which companies live in die in the same way TARP funds allowed the US Government to decided which banks lived and died.
ambicapter 4y ago
> I started posting every single thought that came to my mind Uhhhh, is this a good thing?
- jongjong 4y ago
  Good for society yes. It helps others feel more comfortable about expressing their own views when they see others doing it. Probably not that good for me personally but hey, Elon's doing it too. The less people see others expressing themselves, the less comfortable they feel in doing so. Elon Musk goofing has been valuable but my concern is that some people will think that only billionaires are allowed to do so. It shouldn't become a status thing that's why regular folks like me need to do it too. IMO, anyone who isn't directly under the thumb of the big corporate oligarchy has a duty to express themselves publicly to show that it's OK. The thing that left-wing neoliberals don't seem to understand (or maybe they are evil and actually want this) is that if the number of people who are willing to express themselves drops below a certain threshold, authorities may start literally locking us up (or worse) and then the entire world will be just like North Korea or worse.

pjc50 4y ago

ESG?

jongjong 4y ago
Environmental Social Governance https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental,_social,_and_corporate_governance https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental,_social,_and_cor... Wow, I thought everyone was aware of ESG by now (especially on HN). It seems that social media echo chambers keep getting worse...
- pjc50 4y ago
  You said: > I'm not surprised why ESG narratives are so pervasive on social media; people are afraid to express any view to the contrary. There have been no negative career repercussions for liking or promoting ESG content; quite the opposite. .. OK, so now some more context: why is this bad? What is a "narrative" here? Why should there be negative repercussions?
  - BaseballPhysics 4y ago
    It's become a new wedge issue for Republicans, alongside trans rights, CRT, and the generic "woke left". Basically, some investors started considering broader elements of corporate governance in their decisions. Now the right has latched on, claiming that choosing to invest in companies that, say, commit to sustainability initiatives or fight workplace harrassment, are somehow engaging in woke censorship The irony is their solution is to try to ban the practice, thereby restricting freedom of association. Isn't it ironic?
  - airhangerf15 4y ago
    It's a social credit score for companies and startups. It doesn't actually help the environment at all. It's bullshit to create new "carbon markets" and causes companies to work against the interests of their shareholders and customers in order to meet completely arbitrary guidelines in order to get high ESG ratings (to draw in investors). They then become dependent on those investors, even though ESG policies cause them to lose money .. when the 2023 dot com bust goes full swing, those investors will get to decide which companies live in die in the same way TARP funds allowed the US Government to decided which banks lived and died.

ambicapter 4y ago

> I started posting every single thought that came to my mind Uhhhh, is this a good thing?

jongjong 4y ago
Good for society yes. It helps others feel more comfortable about expressing their own views when they see others doing it. Probably not that good for me personally but hey, Elon's doing it too. The less people see others expressing themselves, the less comfortable they feel in doing so. Elon Musk goofing has been valuable but my concern is that some people will think that only billionaires are allowed to do so. It shouldn't become a status thing that's why regular folks like me need to do it too. IMO, anyone who isn't directly under the thumb of the big corporate oligarchy has a duty to express themselves publicly to show that it's OK. The thing that left-wing neoliberals don't seem to understand (or maybe they are evil and actually want this) is that if the number of people who are willing to express themselves drops below a certain threshold, authorities may start literally locking us up (or worse) and then the entire world will be just like North Korea or worse.