this post was submitted on 20 Mar 2024
1012 points (98.0% liked)

Technology

60052 readers
3048 users here now

This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.


Our Rules


  1. Follow the lemmy.world rules.
  2. Only tech related content.
  3. Be excellent to each another!
  4. Mod approved content bots can post up to 10 articles per day.
  5. Threads asking for personal tech support may be deleted.
  6. Politics threads may be removed.
  7. No memes allowed as posts, OK to post as comments.
  8. Only approved bots from the list below, to ask if your bot can be added please contact us.
  9. Check for duplicates before posting, duplicates may be removed

Approved Bots


founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] [email protected] 72 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (5 children)

I don't understand the comments suggesting this is "guilty by proxy". These platforms have algorithms designed to keep you engaged and through their callousness, have allowed extremist content to remain visible.

Are we going to ignore all the anti-vaxxer groups who fueled vaccine hesitancy which resulted in long dead diseases making a resurgence?

To call Facebook anything less than complicit in the rise of extremist ideologies and conspiratorial beliefs, is extremely short-sighted.

"But Freedom of Speech!"

If that speech causes harm like convincing a teenager walking into a grocery store and gunning people down is a good idea, you don't deserve to have that speech. Sorry, you've violated the social contract and those people's blood is on your hands.

[–] [email protected] 29 points 9 months ago (3 children)

Not just "remain visible" - actively promoted. There's a reason people talk about Youtube's right-wing content pipeline. If you start watching anything male-oriented, Youtube will start slowly promoting more and more right-wing content to you until you're watching Ben Shaprio and Andrew Tate

[–] [email protected] 18 points 9 months ago (2 children)

I got into painting mini Warhammer 40k figurines during covid, and thought the lore was pretty interesting.

Every time I watch a video, my suggested feed goes from videos related to my hobbies to entirely replaced with red pill garbage. The right wing channels have to be highly profitable to YouTube to funnel people into, just an endless tornado of rage and constant viewing.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

The algorithm is, after all, optimized for nothing other than advertisements/time period. So long as the algorithm believes that a video suggestion will keep you on the website for a minute more, it will suggest it. I occasionally wonder about the implications of one topic leading to another. Is WH40k suggested the pipeline by demographics alone or more?

Irritation at suggestions was actually what originally led me to invidious. I just wanted to watch a speech without hitting the “____ GETS DUNKED ON LIKE A TINY LITTLE BITCH” zone. Fuck me for trying to verify information.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 9 months ago

One thing to consider is that conservatives are likely paying for progressives to see their content, and geeks tend to have liberal views and follow the harm principle without many conditions.

Otherwise, it really shows the demographics of the people who play Warhammer. Before my sister transitioned, she played Warhammer and was a socialist but had a lot of really wehraboo interests. She has been talking about getting back into it, but she passes really well and imagines how it would go with the neckbeards.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 9 months ago

YouTube is really bad about trying to show you right wing crap. It's overwhelming. The shorts are even worse. Every few minutes there's some new suggestion for some stuff that is way out of the norm.

Tiktok doesn't have this problem and is being attacked by politicians?

[–] [email protected] 8 points 9 months ago (1 children)

it legit took youtube's autoplay about half an hour after I searched "counting macros" to bring me to american monarchist content

[–] [email protected] 3 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Oh are we doing kings now?

Vote for me for King, I'll make sure there's a taco truck on every corner.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago (1 children)

I’ll vote for you if you make me the Marquess of Michigan

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago (1 children)

... Deal. But I reserve the right to turn the upper peninsula in to my own personal resort.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Deal, but Michigan gets Cleveland then. I feel like Cleveland for the UP is a fair trade

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago

That's actually a great idea. I've always been a fan of the Browns.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 9 months ago (2 children)

"But freedom of speech"

If that speech causes harm like convincing a teenager walking into a grocery store and gunning people down is a good idea, you don't deserve to have that speech.

In Germany we have a very good rule for this(its not written down, but that's something you can usually count onto). Your freedom ends, where it violates the freedom of others. Examples for this: Everyone has the right to live a healthy life and everyone has the right to walk wherever you want. If I now take my right to walk wherever to want to cause a car accident with people getting hurt(and it was only my fault). My freedom violated the right that the person who has been hurt to life a healthy life. That's not freedom.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 9 months ago

In Canada, they have an idea called "right to peace". It means that you can't stand outside of an abortion clinic and scream at people because your right to free speech doesn't exceed that person's right to peace.

I don't know if that's 100% how it works so someone can sort me out, but I kind of liked that idea

[–] [email protected] 5 points 9 months ago

Very reasonable, close to the "Golden Rule" concept of being excellent to each other

[–] [email protected] 6 points 9 months ago (1 children)

This may seem baseless, but I have seen this from years of experience in online forums. You don’t have to take it seriously, but maybe you can relate. We have seen time and time again that if there is no moderation then the shit floats to the top. The reason being that when people can’t post something creative or fun, but they still want the attention, they will post negative. It’s the loud minority, but it’s a very dedicated loud minority. Let’s say we have 5 people and 4 of them are very creative time and funny, but 1 of them complains all the time. If they make posts to the same community then there is a very good chance that the one negative person will make a lot more posts than the 4 creative types.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago

Oh absolutely, and making something creative takes days, weeks, months.

Drama, complaining, conspiracy theorizing, and hate-videos take a few minutes to make more than the video itself lasts.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 9 months ago (1 children)

What about youtube? That had actually paid those people to spread their sick ideas, making the world a worst place and getting rich while doing it.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago

YouTube will actually take action and has done in most instances. I won't say they're the fastest but they do kick people off the platform if they deem them high risk.

[–] [email protected] -4 points 9 months ago

Ok...don't complain to me later when the thing you like gets taken down.