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How Fear and Outrage Are Sold for Profit

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Re: How Fear and Outrage Are Sold for Profit

#21

Post by kurthr »

sevensor wrote: post #17
erikb wrote: post #7

Is it a coincidence that just yesterday we discussed a similar topic with fear being a product sold to us? https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14843080 (This is to increase the discussion spectrum, not to shut down the one started here)

I encourage everyone to read the Lapham essay. The medium article under discussion here presents details, Lapham's essay talks about the historical forces driving the culture of fear. The problem I have with this meta discussion is that it also inclines to make one fearful. At least in this instance we're talking fearfully about fear itself. For my part, I've begun to recognize that any news that provokes me to outra…

Exactly, I can't believe how meta the whole "This Is How Your Fear and Outrage Are Being Sold..." tile is. They are using your fear and outrage at other peoples fear and outrage to sell your clicks or attention to someone else. It's about like the, "my narrow media sources tell me that you live in a media bubble that isn't like my own!" argument de absurdum.

https://itscoffeeti.me/secrets-of-monetizing-a-medium-blog-d...

Re: How Fear and Outrage Are Sold for Profit

#23

Post by it_learnses »

aub3bhat wrote: post #16
hprotagonist wrote: post #9

Worship power, you will end up feeling weak and afraid, and you will need ever more power over others to numb you to your own fear. Worship your intellect, being seen as smart, you will end up feeling stupid, a fraud, always on the verge of being found out. But the insidious thing about these forms of worship is not that they're evil or sinful, it's that they're unconscious. They are default settings. They're the kin…

Meh DFW is the last person you ought to listen to for advice. [1] It's just demotivational-speak paraded around as if it were some profound wisdom, just to assuage ego of your average reader with Liberal arts degree. So that she/he can fool herself by believing that they are better than others because they "truly care"... “truly to care about other people and to sacrifice for them” is just meaningless babbling that y…

please expand upon your definition of "true change".

Re: How Fear and Outrage Are Sold for Profit

#24

Post by graphitezepp »

JustSomeNobody wrote: post #14
maxxxxx wrote: post #3

I don't understand why so many people are addicted to outrage, anger and fear. For a while I played along but then I quickly realized that all this stuff is manufactured to manipulate people. Now I can't even stand watching CNN or watching a campaign ad.

1) It's very much easier to be negative than to be positive. 2) Negativity is more contagious.

I agree with 1, but positivity can be contagious too, just gotta keep fighting to stay positive in the face of others negativity.

Re: How Fear and Outrage Are Sold for Profit

#25

Post by marcosdumay »

smacktoward wrote: post #13
laretluval wrote: post #10

The narrative that information distribution was more accurate in the past because of "traditional journalism" has always struck me as self-serving. > Journalism — the historical counter to propaganda — has become the biggest casualty in this algorithmic war for our attention. Is the best solution really to fight propaganda by leaving our information distribution to a selected elite that we have to trust to follow som…

> Is the best solution really to fight propaganda by leaving our information distribution to a selected elite that we have to trust to follow some standards? Compared to leaving our information distribution to anybody who's out to make a quick buck?

Yes, basically. You said it like if the answer was obvious, but I can't see anything obvious about it.

Re: How Fear and Outrage Are Sold for Profit

#26

Post by aub3bhat »

it_learnses wrote: post #23
aub3bhat wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Meh DFW is the last person you ought to listen to for advice. [1] It's just demotivational-speak paraded around as if it were some profound wisdom, just to assuage ego of your average reader with Liberal arts degree. So that she/he can fool herself by believing that they are better than others because they "truly care"... “truly to care about other people and to sacrifice for them” is just meaningless babbling that y…

please expand upon your definition of "true change".

Microprocessors, Internet, Green Revolution, T-Cell therapy, China & India over the last 2 decades ..... You know the stuff that actually required knowledge and power. Not some feel goodery truthiness.

Re: How Fear and Outrage Are Sold for Profit

#27

Post by raverbashing »

And articles like that miss (or just ignore) that there are reasons to be worried, as small as they might be

A person having Ebola seems to me like a significant fact even though it doesn't represent any danger

These articles want to play a holier-than-though nihilist/"we know better" image but just come across as idiotic.

Overreacting is stupid, but underreacting is naive.

Re: How Fear and Outrage Are Sold for Profit

#28

Post by astrobe_ »

laretluval wrote: post #10

The narrative that information distribution was more accurate in the past because of "traditional journalism" has always struck me as self-serving. > Journalism — the historical counter to propaganda — has become the biggest casualty in this algorithmic war for our attention. Is the best solution really to fight propaganda by leaving our information distribution to a selected elite that we have to trust to follow som…

> Is there a trustless way to implement journalistic standards such as sourcing?

That's kind of what HN and a few selected subreddits are for me.

Re: How Fear and Outrage Are Sold for Profit

#29

Post by rosser »

marcosdumay wrote: post #25
smacktoward wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Is the best solution really to fight propaganda by leaving our information distribution to a selected elite that we have to trust to follow some standards? Compared to leaving our information distribution to anybody who's out to make a quick buck?

Yes, basically. You said it like if the answer was obvious, but I can't see anything obvious about it.

I think the only obvious thing there is that leaving it to people whose actual motive is their profit, over your being well-informed, is obviously not the way to do it. It serves their ends to manipulate and monetize your attention in the ways The Fine Article describes.
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