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Between Meta/X and opioids, the USA is overtly doing serious damage to the USA, and most people don't care. (In all seriousness, I do agree that TikTok is awfu

Between Meta/X and opioids, the USA is overtly doing serious damage to the USA, and most people don't care. (In all seriousness, I do agree that TikTok is awful, but I find the fascination with TikTok while ignoring all other social media and their dangers to be interesting)

apercu 1y ago
Look, I hate the current admin deeply, but China is very much not our "friend"
- ziddoap 1y ago
  >but China is very much not our "friend" Sorry, but which part of my comment implied that I think they are?
- bee_rider 1y ago
  Extremely few countries are “friends.” Maybe the past Canada/US relationship could have been considered legitimate friendship between two countries, but it was a very rare thing. China is just a competitor, not some sort of boogeyman. The US is a competitor with a lot of countries. Maybe they should ban our social media, but for whatever reason that is mostly not done. If we want to set that as the convention, it is certainly worth considering.
ekianjo 1y ago
Kids don't use X and Facebook is for their grandparents now
- xnx 1y ago
  > Facebook is for their grandparents now I use Facebook for the local buy nothing group. Everytime I open Facebook I'm shocked by the manipulative AI slop (person in a boat pulling barnacles off a dolphin that's standing up in the water) that shows up in the first screen. I'm terrified that grandparents who vote are engaging with this stuff.
sanderjd 1y ago
I think actually lots of people do care about all these problems. It's weird how so many of these threads are "whatabout other social media", when there is no contradiction in just saying "that too", and essentially none of the people who agree with the premise that TikTok is bad will argue that other social media is good.
- kelipso 1y ago
  You are posting in a thread where the OP is saying China is covertly doing damage via TikTok. Do you seriously not see the contradictions here? China is doing damage to us when we are doing damage to ourselves too? Really? It’s going after the wrong thing and so not finding the actual problem and hopefully the solution.
  - sanderjd 1y ago
    That is not at all the primary point of this article. This article focuses nearly entirely on the damage done by TikTok as a social media application, very much in keeping with the exact same criticisms the author makes of other social media. It focuses very little on the national security implications of Chinese ownership. Personally, I think the national security argument is the much stronger one for the divestment bill (which the current administration is illegally refusing to enforce at the moment). But that's just not what this author cares most about.
    - kelipso 1y ago
      I meant the GP of your previous post. Your criticism of whataboutism is flawed under the context of that GP accusing China of everything under the sun.
tw04 1y ago
Who is ignoring all other social media? Meta is literally on trial right now and there are comments about how bad they are almost daily on this site.
- ziddoap 1y ago
  >Meta is literally on trial right now For the social harm to children that they cause? I thought it was to break out WhatsApp & Instagram into their own entities from like a monopoly perspective, but I admit I am not keeping up on the current trial at all, so I could be wrong. >about how bad they are almost daily on this site. This site is hardly representative of the average citizen. In my daily life, local news, etc., most people I encounter will talk about how bad TikTok is for children but barely (if ever) mention harms of other social media.
  - tw04 1y ago
    Specifically calling out kids? No. But that also isn’t a law. “This hurts the mental well being of children” isn’t a statute. For causing harm in general? Yes. >The FTC’s argument hinges, in part, on its claim that Meta harmed users after acquiring the two companies by increasing the quantity of ads and watering down privacy protections. > This site is hardly representative of the average citizen. In my daily life, local news, etc., most people I encounter will talk about how bad TikTok is for children but barely (if ever) mention harms of other social media. And yet in my daily life almost everyone one in my circle of friends has deleted Facebook because of their disgust with the platform. Ironically the biggest issue is the number of people that don’t understand Instagram is also a meta property.

apercu 1y ago

Look, I hate the current admin deeply, but China is very much not our "friend"

ziddoap 1y ago
>but China is very much not our "friend" Sorry, but which part of my comment implied that I think they are?
bee_rider 1y ago
Extremely few countries are “friends.” Maybe the past Canada/US relationship could have been considered legitimate friendship between two countries, but it was a very rare thing. China is just a competitor, not some sort of boogeyman. The US is a competitor with a lot of countries. Maybe they should ban our social media, but for whatever reason that is mostly not done. If we want to set that as the convention, it is certainly worth considering.

ekianjo 1y ago

Kids don't use X and Facebook is for their grandparents now

xnx 1y ago
> Facebook is for their grandparents now I use Facebook for the local buy nothing group. Everytime I open Facebook I'm shocked by the manipulative AI slop (person in a boat pulling barnacles off a dolphin that's standing up in the water) that shows up in the first screen. I'm terrified that grandparents who vote are engaging with this stuff.

sanderjd 1y ago

I think actually lots of people do care about all these problems. It's weird how so many of these threads are "whatabout other social media", when there is no contradiction in just saying "that too", and essentially none of the people who agree with the premise that TikTok is bad will argue that other social media is good.

kelipso 1y ago
You are posting in a thread where the OP is saying China is covertly doing damage via TikTok. Do you seriously not see the contradictions here? China is doing damage to us when we are doing damage to ourselves too? Really? It’s going after the wrong thing and so not finding the actual problem and hopefully the solution.
- sanderjd 1y ago
  That is not at all the primary point of this article. This article focuses nearly entirely on the damage done by TikTok as a social media application, very much in keeping with the exact same criticisms the author makes of other social media. It focuses very little on the national security implications of Chinese ownership. Personally, I think the national security argument is the much stronger one for the divestment bill (which the current administration is illegally refusing to enforce at the moment). But that's just not what this author cares most about.
  - kelipso 1y ago
    I meant the GP of your previous post. Your criticism of whataboutism is flawed under the context of that GP accusing China of everything under the sun.

tw04 1y ago

Who is ignoring all other social media? Meta is literally on trial right now and there are comments about how bad they are almost daily on this site.

ziddoap 1y ago
>Meta is literally on trial right now For the social harm to children that they cause? I thought it was to break out WhatsApp & Instagram into their own entities from like a monopoly perspective, but I admit I am not keeping up on the current trial at all, so I could be wrong. >about how bad they are almost daily on this site. This site is hardly representative of the average citizen. In my daily life, local news, etc., most people I encounter will talk about how bad TikTok is for children but barely (if ever) mention harms of other social media.
- tw04 1y ago
  Specifically calling out kids? No. But that also isn’t a law. “This hurts the mental well being of children” isn’t a statute. For causing harm in general? Yes. >The FTC’s argument hinges, in part, on its claim that Meta harmed users after acquiring the two companies by increasing the quantity of ads and watering down privacy protections. > This site is hardly representative of the average citizen. In my daily life, local news, etc., most people I encounter will talk about how bad TikTok is for children but barely (if ever) mention harms of other social media. And yet in my daily life almost everyone one in my circle of friends has deleted Facebook because of their disgust with the platform. Ironically the biggest issue is the number of people that don’t understand Instagram is also a meta property.