5 ms·

In this case it really is easy to try a different search engine and switch to it to the extent you prefer it. At least if you're not too uncomfortable using sof

In this case it really is easy to try a different search engine and switch to it to the extent you prefer it. At least if you're not too uncomfortable using software.

xigoi 2y ago
Did you miss the “friends and family” part?
- abecedarius 2y ago
  Are you saying friends and family using Google are an obstacle to you using something else? Or maybe if you use something else, that makes you so uncool that your friends and family are not more likely to follow you, but actually less? I guess what you're actually getting at is that my switching doesn't automatically make my friends and family switch, but why insist that change only happen in blocks of people all at once? How does that help?
  - xigoi 2y ago
    The original comment was pointing out that in order to break the monopoly of Google, the wide society will need to switch to something else, not just a few tech-interested people.
    - abecedarius 2y ago
      The thing is, that kind of logic claiming the futility of individual action does not weaken the grandparent's advice. If you're an advertiser, you can't just switch from Google and hope to change anything. You'd be hurting yourself to no benefit, probably. Collective action is your main hope. It's not like this for users of search. Google can lose its search leadership one user at a time. When the user switches, "the problem is gone" for that user, and Google has that much less revenue. Gradient descent is powerful.
kayodelycaon 2y ago
Actually, that’s exactly my point. The “thing” is always trivial to the person making the statement. The “just” refers to ignoring that other factors are involved. If your personal goal is to convert X people to do something, you are accounting for it. If your goal is a specific call to action to have people voluntarily join you, you are accounting for it. If you’re stating a lot of people need to change, you’re acknowledging the scope of the problem. If you’re doing these things, you can make a difference. Go do the thing! Have others join you! If you say everyone should just do it and walk away thinking you have the solution to the problem, you don’t. :)

In this case it really is easy to try a different search engine and switch to it to the extent you prefer it. At least if you're not too uncomfortable using software.

xigoi 2y ago

Did you miss the “friends and family” part?

abecedarius 2y ago
Are you saying friends and family using Google are an obstacle to you using something else? Or maybe if you use something else, that makes you so uncool that your friends and family are not more likely to follow you, but actually less? I guess what you're actually getting at is that my switching doesn't automatically make my friends and family switch, but why insist that change only happen in blocks of people all at once? How does that help?
- xigoi 2y ago
  The original comment was pointing out that in order to break the monopoly of Google, the wide society will need to switch to something else, not just a few tech-interested people.
  - abecedarius 2y ago
    The thing is, that kind of logic claiming the futility of individual action does not weaken the grandparent's advice. If you're an advertiser, you can't just switch from Google and hope to change anything. You'd be hurting yourself to no benefit, probably. Collective action is your main hope. It's not like this for users of search. Google can lose its search leadership one user at a time. When the user switches, "the problem is gone" for that user, and Google has that much less revenue. Gradient descent is powerful.

kayodelycaon 2y ago

Actually, that’s exactly my point. The “thing” is always trivial to the person making the statement. The “just” refers to ignoring that other factors are involved. If your personal goal is to convert X people to do something, you are accounting for it. If your goal is a specific call to action to have people voluntarily join you, you are accounting for it. If you’re stating a lot of people need to change, you’re acknowledging the scope of the problem. If you’re doing these things, you can make a difference. Go do the thing! Have others join you! If you say everyone should just do it and walk away thinking you have the solution to the problem, you don’t. :)