Live data from Hacker News

Modern Media Is a DoS Attack on Free Will

m.nautil.us

441–450 of 523 posts

Re: Modern Media Is a DoS Attack on Free Will

#441

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If that works for you, then cheers. I get so sucked into Reddit's front page that I just need to avoid it all entirely. With Twitter, I'm less inclined to explore.

What's a "front page"?

The Reddit front page is simply reddit.com. It shows the most upvoted content from all the subreddits you are subscribed to. Alternatively the most popular ones from the standard subreddits if you don't have an account.

Re: Modern Media Is a DoS Attack on Free Will

#442

Stop carrying your smartphone. Leave it at home. If you must because your family/work depends on you, then delete every app. Use your laptop as your main driver. If you need to, get a laptop with better battery life. Start developing a personal philosophy of internet usage. Here is mine: Category 3 [Abstain from completely] Reddit (Yes, all of reddit), Facebook ... Category 2 [Check once every couple days ~15 min tot…

Abstain from Facebook? For me, that's like saying "abstain from talking to your friends". Why would you choose to be so antisocial? Besides that, your other suggestions match my usage. What I am trying to do with FB is treat it like talking to my friends on the phone - which I would not do during the workday other than by exception. I thought that I could do this with self-control but I have not succeeded. So I think…

I've come to the conclusion that I cannot cut out Facebook completely. It's simply too good of a tool, for keeping up to date on bands I like, upcoming concerts and similar events. But I have unliked, unfollowed and hidden as many time wasters as I possibly can, to pare down my FB experience to the basics. I am very vigilant in hiding any that still happen to pop up due to being shared by friends. If someone shares too much junk, I either unfollow them or (in extreme cases) unfriend them completely.

I have noticed often that I go on Facebook, check up on an event invitation, take a look at the news feed and think "meh, there's nothing interesting". That is a good thing in the context of Facebook.

I have also uninstalled the FB app from my phone, to slightly increase the effort needed to go there, since I have to open my browser and go to facebook.com. It's a tiny thing that makes a huge difference.

Re: Modern Media Is a DoS Attack on Free Will

#445
I disagree. Like most things in this world it is a skill question.

There's more information of all kind. Good, bad, devilish, spam. And with more comes the requirement that the consumer learns to filter and interact more meaningful with it.

The same applies for instance to food as well. We have so much food now that we need to learn to manage eating by willpower, discipline and habits. It also applies to other luxuries.

What I can say is that I'm way more educated, way more skilled and way more able to grab a certain subset of knowledge exactly at the time and location that I need it.

Re: Modern Media Is a DoS Attack on Free Will

#447
post #333
post #316

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And when they make factual errors, they publish errata

Technically legal https://twitter.com/ggreenwald/status/930510825617543173 is the name of the game. Smear than obscurely retract is the news of 2016.

Why are you linking twitter screenshots about something relating to buzzfeed?

Re: Modern Media Is a DoS Attack on Free Will

#448
post #121
post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Did I deliberately avoid the M-word? Maybe. A solid counter to demagoguery is economic justice and education that encourages critical thinking. People are much less prone to be swayed by that sort of thing when their health, shelter, and food are not at risk.

"People are much less prone to be swayed by that sort of thing when their health, shelter, and food are not at risk." You seem to have disproved your own thesis, then, since there aren't that many people who have their health, shelter, or food directly affected by this race for the attention economy. (Yes, I said "aren't that many" and not "zero", but it's still not that many.) What basis do you have for believing a…

I believe concentration of power and the lack of transparency is what causes the problems in both systems. A "centralized" government that works for the people is possible, as long as we avoid those things. Make the democratic process as direct as possible, don't create any positions of great power. Have all decision-making be completely transparent, so the little power that people have, they are unable to abuse without getting caught. If no one has a lot of power (be it in the form of political power, or money), no one has the power to control people.

Re: Modern Media Is a DoS Attack on Free Will

#449
post #137

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes but no one claimed advertising was 'driven by a democratic process'. Marxists keep telling people what they want, and of course lying to them, even as the bodies are piling up. At the centenary of Russian Revolution, with 50 million dead, it's hard to believe one can still see hammer and sickles around the place. Yet one can.

That's exactly why the democratic process part is so important. Without the peaceful exercise of power via democracy, all that's left is violence, and nobody in their right mind wants that.

[deleted]

Re: Modern Media Is a DoS Attack on Free Will

#450

Stop carrying your smartphone. Leave it at home. If you must because your family/work depends on you, then delete every app. Use your laptop as your main driver. If you need to, get a laptop with better battery life. Start developing a personal philosophy of internet usage. Here is mine: Category 3 [Abstain from completely] Reddit (Yes, all of reddit), Facebook ... Category 2 [Check once every couple days ~15 min tot…

My Chromebook runs a copy of emacs with my org-mode and I love the ergonomics of the near-tablet sized/weighted, full keyboard style. But: if I walk with that under my arm (I walk to work!) I'm going to get it robbed.

For some reason, street thugs care much less about cell phones. Too hard to visualize from safe distance whether you have a latest model or a quad-chip cheapo.

Post reply on HN