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Modern Media Is a DoS Attack on Free Will

m.nautil.us

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Re: Modern Media Is a DoS Attack on Free Will

#81

Post by cracell »

ryandrake wrote: post #42

Ironically, the first thing you're greeted with on this site is an attention-grabbing ad, if you choose to browse without protection. If modern media a DoS attack, it's not very sophisticated since it can be easily avoided by non-participation. Install an Ad blocker. Browse the web in private mode. Turn off notifications. Treat everything you read with skepticism (assume it is trying to manipulate you). And never, ev…

> I don't buy into this victim mentality

I don't think we should be thinking about this from a psychological perspective but instead a sociological one. Yes individuals can disconnect and do whatever they need to assuming adequate resources but that's beside the point.

If you think of people as boxes with inputs and outputs I think it's very worth understanding how social media impacts those boxes and what the long term affects are.

Has nothing to do with being a victim. Just if you press this button on every box does something desirable for society happen? Or something negative? Or we can't tell still?

And if it is negative then do we as a society want regulations to reduce the impact?

Re: Modern Media Is a DoS Attack on Free Will

#82

Post by brucephillips »

tribune wrote: post #34

I've been coming to resent my smartphone more and more, essentially because of this. I recently quit using tobacco. I remembered all the warnings from my school health classes about how hard it was to quit once you start, how there's a physical dependence and all that. It was uncomfortable at times, and there were plenty of cravings to get over, but I was ultimately successful. I can compare this to the couple of tim…

Keep it turned off until you need it on. When you're done using it, turn it off again.

This is what I do, and it's drastically reduced my information addiction.

Re: Modern Media Is a DoS Attack on Free Will

#83

Post by SAI_Peregrinus »

tj-teej wrote: post #63
tribune wrote: post #34

I've been coming to resent my smartphone more and more, essentially because of this. I recently quit using tobacco. I remembered all the warnings from my school health classes about how hard it was to quit once you start, how there's a physical dependence and all that. It was uncomfortable at times, and there were plenty of cravings to get over, but I was ultimately successful. I can compare this to the couple of tim…

A simple first step, which changed a lot for me: Keeping your phone on Do Not Disturb permanently. It (AT LEAST) frees you to decide when to check the phone, rather than letting these companies, (through notifications) decide for you when you're going to check your phone.

Another benefit of this (at least on Android) is that you can set Do Not Disturb to "Priority Only" and have it allow calls/texts from your contacts, but not other notifications. This eliminates telemarketer robocalls, as they're very unlikely to get lucky and spoof a contact's number.

I also turn off the ability of most apps to display notifications. That helps.

Re: Modern Media Is a DoS Attack on Free Will

#84

Post by eksemplar »

tribune wrote: post #34

I've been coming to resent my smartphone more and more, essentially because of this. I recently quit using tobacco. I remembered all the warnings from my school health classes about how hard it was to quit once you start, how there's a physical dependence and all that. It was uncomfortable at times, and there were plenty of cravings to get over, but I was ultimately successful. I can compare this to the couple of tim…

You can ditch Facebook and not lose out socially. My life got a lot more social after I got off social media because there weren't easy fixes to my social needs.

Ditching reddit or hacker news is much harder. I mean, how do you even use the internet these days?

Re: Modern Media Is a DoS Attack on Free Will

#85

Post by hsod »

crankylinuxuser wrote: post #51
ryandrake wrote: post #42

Ironically, the first thing you're greeted with on this site is an attention-grabbing ad, if you choose to browse without protection. If modern media a DoS attack, it's not very sophisticated since it can be easily avoided by non-participation. Install an Ad blocker. Browse the web in private mode. Turn off notifications. Treat everything you read with skepticism (assume it is trying to manipulate you). And never, ev…

Oh, just wait until the hordes come out of the woodwork to poo-poo you for blocking ads and such. They have their reasons, like "No Ads means no free content", or "You're taking the money out of content creators mouths", or variations on a theme. What's doubly silly, is I control how my computer renders what content, downloads what content, and does whatever actions I want. Once it leaves your computer/network, its n…

Seems inevitable. Unfortunately, the content companies have a lot of leverage because they are the ones making the content that you want to see.

Re: Modern Media Is a DoS Attack on Free Will

#86

Post by unholiness »

I personally haven't found the same effect in long-form media, such as:

- Non-fiction books

- University-centered online courses

- Documentaries

- Some of Netflix's original programs

- Wikipedia's monthly news summaries

- The "Great Courses" on Audible

These media aren't thoroughly monetized on a pay-per-attention-stolen model. They're more optimized around having good reviews from friends and online.

It makes me wonder if there might be the possibility of a Netflix for news, where a 3rd party curates and allows ratings of lengthier pieces on long-term issues, interviews with important figures, and 20-minute investigative reports (like I remember seeing on 60 minutes). Naturally, this wouldn't work for up-to-the minute news where everyone's attention is driven based on who's got the latest break, but it seems like it would work for these other things. It would still give the "lunch conversation" motivation, where people could talk about whatever was released in the last few days. Certainly it sounds like a less attention-assaulting place than the current state of news.

Re: Modern Media Is a DoS Attack on Free Will

#88

Post by telchar »

stcredzero wrote: post #8
QAPereo wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Bullshit != Knowledge. Worse, bullshit benefits from the sharp end of Brandolini’s Law.

There's the old adage: If you can't beat 'em, join 'em! Let's take that seriously. It has always been much easier to imitate the semblance of meaning than it was to find the substantively meaningful. Things with only the semblance of meaning have always proliferated. Idle talk, children's rhymes, songs, music, myths... all of these have always proliferated. Why did they not drown out actual meaning? I think the above…

I would argue that those things historically have drowned out actual meaning, if by actual meaning you mean factually correct and significant information. Only with the advent of science have we been able to reliably sort the meaningless from the meaningful.

I think the major concern here, aside from the general deleterious effects of addiction of any sort on people, is that the tide of meaningless factoids and useless information is swelling and drowning out substantive, useful information which is generated with greater difficulty and spreads less easily.

A greater ratio of meaninglessness to meaningfulness is part of the problem, compounded by the aggressive way our attention is directed toward it. I think the filter you mention exists but is struggling in this environment more than in the recent past.

Re: Modern Media Is a DoS Attack on Free Will

#89

Post by bubinubn »

mobilefriendly wrote: post #52
ako wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Given free hand, corporations can be just as dangerous as governments. I don't know why you would trust corporations more, since their only goal is to make money.

>just as dangerous as governments Corporations don't have nukes or concentration camps.

The Black Hole of Calcutta is a widely known example of what can only be considered a corporate concentration camp of the (at the time privately owned) British East India Company...

Re: Modern Media Is a DoS Attack on Free Will

#90

Post by nitrogen »

cabaalis wrote: post #54
ako wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Given free hand, corporations can be just as dangerous as governments. I don't know why you would trust corporations more, since their only goal is to make money.

At least with a corporation you understand their goal completely.

Not really, unless you can listen to every meeting or conversation and read every document.
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