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> social media and tech just made this 10x more effective. Social media took away the hesitation of crowing about stupid things. If many people are saying it,

> social media and tech just made this 10x more effective. Social media took away the hesitation of crowing about stupid things. If many people are saying it, maybe I am not stupid after all. The legitimisation and amplification of dumbness is a big contributor to the current state. Among other things of course.

jajko 2y ago
When there started to be money made, and even better real power to be gained by herding such crowds then its not anymore just about self-organization over time, the push becomes very proactive
acadapter 2y ago
Social media no longer represents "many people are saying it". The early internet could give an overview of what's being said in general on a particular topic - but today's content is often manipulated to support or attack a particular viewpoint.
- antisthenes 2y ago
  You don't need to explain with malice what can adequately be explained by stupidity. In fact that's one of the roads to fascism - constantly looking for "manipulators" everywhere and other witch hunt types. The longer I live the more I am convinced that the average person has next to 0 ability for critical thinking. They just sort of stumble between local maximas until they end up wherever they are.
  - red-iron-pine 2y ago
    > In fact that's one of the roads to fascism - constantly looking for "manipulators" everywhere and other witch hunt types. Bollocks. Studies suggest as much as 35% of social media posts are fake, and as high as 40% on some forums. This isn't Fascism or paranoia, this is just how large tech companies make money. Like, if you don't understand how AI and scripting align with marketing and propaganda goals then you're gonna get played like a rube every time. The problem is that "marketing works even when you understand how marketing works", and that it is very hard to maintain constant vigilance.

jajko 2y ago

When there started to be money made, and even better real power to be gained by herding such crowds then its not anymore just about self-organization over time, the push becomes very proactive

acadapter 2y ago

Social media no longer represents "many people are saying it". The early internet could give an overview of what's being said in general on a particular topic - but today's content is often manipulated to support or attack a particular viewpoint.

antisthenes 2y ago
You don't need to explain with malice what can adequately be explained by stupidity. In fact that's one of the roads to fascism - constantly looking for "manipulators" everywhere and other witch hunt types. The longer I live the more I am convinced that the average person has next to 0 ability for critical thinking. They just sort of stumble between local maximas until they end up wherever they are.
- red-iron-pine 2y ago
  > In fact that's one of the roads to fascism - constantly looking for "manipulators" everywhere and other witch hunt types. Bollocks. Studies suggest as much as 35% of social media posts are fake, and as high as 40% on some forums. This isn't Fascism or paranoia, this is just how large tech companies make money. Like, if you don't understand how AI and scripting align with marketing and propaganda goals then you're gonna get played like a rube every time. The problem is that "marketing works even when you understand how marketing works", and that it is very hard to maintain constant vigilance.