4 ms·

Easy to criticize, much more difficult to provide solutions

gmerc 3y ago
You expect single open source developers to provide solutions. That’s like telling you to lay off plastic straws to save the planet.
- zogrodea 3y ago
  What's the issue with single open source developers providing solutions? I would expect they'd have an easier time than married ones because of the time commitment married people should give to their family.
  - pixl97 3y ago
    Some problems are not solvable in software. They are emergent human behavioral issues that are not obvious until larger scales are reached. When you reach scale you have issues with threat actors at different levels. One is the platform operator itself, scale costs money to run and exploiting human weakness is one way to pay for the operation. Others would be scammers/spammers in a system. Then you have the users in the system that can be threats to each other. There is no easy time for anyone to provide solutions to these problems and it's possible there are not solutions at particular larger scales.
  - mistermann 3y ago
    Was Zuck married when he started Facebook? Cuz it's done fairly well for itself. Could lightning strike twice? As for this fellow's approach: I like it! If this could be turned into a popular meme attacking all evil corporations/phenomena, I think it could make the world a better place.
lenova 3y ago
> Easy to criticize, much more difficult to provide solutions Easy to say it's easy to criticize, much more difficult to write a substantial comment ;-)
roughly 3y ago
Ok, here's a set of solutions: - Don't build systems intentionally designed to be addictive or make people feel worse about themselves. - When you are told that the things you've built make people feel worse about themselves, don't keep building them. - When choosing where to work, don't work for places that don't follow the above. - Stop equating 'not making as much money as possible' with an unbearable or inconceivable personal sacrifice. - Stop looking at the incentive structures around you and pretending you don't have any personal agency. - In general, stop fobbing off personal responsibility on the collective crowd, especially when choosing where to apply your skills and what impact you can make on the world as a relatively privileged and well-to-do tech worker. (with the obvious, HN-required caveat that if your child is dying because they need an infusion of Meta stock every 3 months or their heart will explode or your parents inadvertently crossed the Cali cartel and the only way you can keep yourself and everyone you've ever met alive is by working for as many Zuckerbucks as you can afford, I'm not speaking to _you_ specifically. The rest of you need to stop pretending you're morally obligated to build shit that makes society worse, though.)
bostonwalker 3y ago
> solutions What problem is Instagram solving?
- vore 3y ago
  For one, artists and photographers use Instagram to promote their work. The viral nature of social media makes it a lot easier for posts to get traction compared to, say, having to go through making your own portfolio site and then having to do website SEO etc. Maybe this doesn't bother the more technically minded, but as an artist you just want to get eyeballs on your art and any hurdle between you and that is taking time away from what you actually want to do.
  - karaterobot 3y ago
    The use case for photographers seems like a side effect of Instagram's popularity, not the problem they wake up every day trying to solve.
    - georgebcrawford 3y ago
      Exposure (excuse the pun) is incredibly difficult for photographers. A platform like instagram removes a barrier (a self-run website). The popularity of instagram helps with the number of eyeballs.
the_third_wave 3y ago
Just a few seconds of microwaving that Android or iPhone tends to solve all such problems in a whiff (of smoke). Turn off, tune out, drop in - the opposite of Leary's mantra but just the sort of thing which can help when confronted with "social" media. Turn that damn phone off, tune out of the fake rate race and drop in for a cuppa tea or something. Live, that is, in person, not by clicking some stupid thumbs-up symbol or sending an animated ideogram of a smiling something.

You expect single open source developers to provide solutions. That’s like telling you to lay off plastic straws to save the planet.

zogrodea 3y ago
What's the issue with single open source developers providing solutions? I would expect they'd have an easier time than married ones because of the time commitment married people should give to their family.
- pixl97 3y ago
  Some problems are not solvable in software. They are emergent human behavioral issues that are not obvious until larger scales are reached. When you reach scale you have issues with threat actors at different levels. One is the platform operator itself, scale costs money to run and exploiting human weakness is one way to pay for the operation. Others would be scammers/spammers in a system. Then you have the users in the system that can be threats to each other. There is no easy time for anyone to provide solutions to these problems and it's possible there are not solutions at particular larger scales.
- mistermann 3y ago
  Was Zuck married when he started Facebook? Cuz it's done fairly well for itself. Could lightning strike twice? As for this fellow's approach: I like it! If this could be turned into a popular meme attacking all evil corporations/phenomena, I think it could make the world a better place.

lenova 3y ago

> Easy to criticize, much more difficult to provide solutions Easy to say it's easy to criticize, much more difficult to write a substantial comment ;-)

roughly 3y ago

Ok, here's a set of solutions: - Don't build systems intentionally designed to be addictive or make people feel worse about themselves. - When you are told that the things you've built make people feel worse about themselves, don't keep building them. - When choosing where to work, don't work for places that don't follow the above. - Stop equating 'not making as much money as possible' with an unbearable or inconceivable personal sacrifice. - Stop looking at the incentive structures around you and pretending you don't have any personal agency. - In general, stop fobbing off personal responsibility on the collective crowd, especially when choosing where to apply your skills and what impact you can make on the world as a relatively privileged and well-to-do tech worker. (with the obvious, HN-required caveat that if your child is dying because they need an infusion of Meta stock every 3 months or their heart will explode or your parents inadvertently crossed the Cali cartel and the only way you can keep yourself and everyone you've ever met alive is by working for as many Zuckerbucks as you can afford, I'm not speaking to _you_ specifically. The rest of you need to stop pretending you're morally obligated to build shit that makes society worse, though.)

bostonwalker 3y ago

> solutions What problem is Instagram solving?

vore 3y ago
For one, artists and photographers use Instagram to promote their work. The viral nature of social media makes it a lot easier for posts to get traction compared to, say, having to go through making your own portfolio site and then having to do website SEO etc. Maybe this doesn't bother the more technically minded, but as an artist you just want to get eyeballs on your art and any hurdle between you and that is taking time away from what you actually want to do.
- karaterobot 3y ago
  The use case for photographers seems like a side effect of Instagram's popularity, not the problem they wake up every day trying to solve.
  - georgebcrawford 3y ago
    Exposure (excuse the pun) is incredibly difficult for photographers. A platform like instagram removes a barrier (a self-run website). The popularity of instagram helps with the number of eyeballs.

the_third_wave 3y ago

Just a few seconds of microwaving that Android or iPhone tends to solve all such problems in a whiff (of smoke). Turn off, tune out, drop in - the opposite of Leary's mantra but just the sort of thing which can help when confronted with "social" media. Turn that damn phone off, tune out of the fake rate race and drop in for a cuppa tea or something. Live, that is, in person, not by clicking some stupid thumbs-up symbol or sending an animated ideogram of a smiling something.