Why I don't use my real photo when messaging with customers on my website • Hacker News Board

Re: Why I don't use my real photo when messaging with customers on my website

#481

Post by sincerely » Fri, Feb 16, 2018, 4:54 PM UTC

newfoundglory wrote: post #448

mschuster91 wrote: post #339

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> In fact HN is a lot nicer than a number of verified name forums. HN is relatively niche, it's not mainstream. Even if a troll posts e.g. sexist or Nazi crap here, it will get no attention due to a lack of fellow Nazis to upvote and engage like on Twitter/FB/Reddit, and in addition both the userbase and the mods are quick in removing trolling, thus further reducing the "profit" that a troll can have from trolling. A…

Perhaps we have different definitions of sexist - I think that HN is generally quite supportive of the “free-thinker” type of sexism and racism exemplified by James Damore.

I've found HN much less supportive of that mindset than, say, reddit.

Re: Why I don't use my real photo when messaging with customers on my website

#482

Post by bayofpigs » Fri, Feb 16, 2018, 4:56 PM UTC

If there's anything unusual or peculiar about a photo you will get hate/troll comments on it. If you had a picture of a fat/overweieght person this would happen. A picture of a very dark black person wearing 'gang' clothing would get racist comments. If the asian person had looked more stereotypical, like thick glasses and a bowl haircut, they too would have received them.

People like to make fun of what's different and anonymity gives them the courage to do so. I just hope the victims of them don't jump to the conclusion this proves inherent racism, or sexism, etc. People will find a way to hate and troll regardless of those things.

Re: Why I don't use my real photo when messaging with customers on my website

#483

Post by Slansitartop » Fri, Feb 16, 2018, 4:58 PM UTC

TheAdamAndChe wrote: post #468

Slansitartop wrote: post #423

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> China is solving this problem China is run by a authoritarian oligarchy that wants to suppress any challenge to it's power. The planned "social credit" system is part of that suppression. FYI, this oligarchy has a list of "perils" that include: > “Western constitutional democracy”; others included promoting “universal values” of human rights, Western-inspired notions of media independence and civic participation [1…

The fact that China as a whole is an authoritarian oligarchy does not mean that they can't do things better than the US.

> The fact that China as a whole is an authoritarian oligarchy does not mean that they can't do things better than the US.

You're missing the point. The US should not emulate China's authoritarian systems of control, regardless of how well China can do them or how they might seem applicable to some aspect of American life. They are the tools of authoritarianism, and to bring them here is to allow authoritarianism to creep in.

Re: Why I don't use my real photo when messaging with customers on my website

#484

Post by drharby » Fri, Feb 16, 2018, 5:00 PM UTC

mschuster91 wrote: post #339

eitland wrote: post #297

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Disagree strongly. And HN is proof that this isn't (entirely) true. In fact HN is a lot nicer than a number of verified name forums.

> In fact HN is a lot nicer than a number of verified name forums. HN is relatively niche, it's not mainstream. Even if a troll posts e.g. sexist or Nazi crap here, it will get no attention due to a lack of fellow Nazis to upvote and engage like on Twitter/FB/Reddit, and in addition both the userbase and the mods are quick in removing trolling, thus further reducing the "profit" that a troll can have from trolling. A…

edit: Oh, there is one other thing which explains "nicer" for me. HN definitely leans towards the leftie-libertarian side. Usually, hate speech, offensive insults, derogatory vocabulary, discrimination, pointless trolling and other aspects associated with "unpleasant environments" are found on the right-wing/authoritarian/alt-right/gamergate/masculist spectrum.

Reducing credibility of right minded folks by categorizing them all as authoritarian You can be right wing And an upstanding citizen

Re: Why I don't use my real photo when messaging with customers on my website

#485

Post by [deleted] » Fri, Feb 16, 2018, 5:02 PM UTC

nukeop wrote: post #382

mnx wrote: post #296

Earlier quoted context omitted.

VPN providers keep logs even when they say they don't, your browser transmits an often unique fingerprint, vulnerabilities allow disclosing real ip, and so on. Even darknet market operators with all the reasons for trying to be anonymous and paranoid get outed. It's just a matter of how much resources it takes.

Why would a VPN provider disclose customer info to a random third party? Why would you assume that the majority of VPN providers lie to customers? Why do you think people who want to stay anonymous don't know how to throw off browser fingerprinting?

[deleted]

Re: Why I don't use my real photo when messaging with customers on my website

#486

Post by taneq » Fri, Feb 16, 2018, 5:03 PM UTC

cimmanom wrote: post #282

taneq wrote: post #207

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What? No. "A man and a woman are treated differently" is not sexism unless there's a causal link between their sex and their treatment.

How else would you explain the difference in this case?

I dunno, maybe with some actual analysis of the events rather than an assumption that "if something bad happens to a woman then it's sexist"?

Re: Why I don't use my real photo when messaging with customers on my website

#487

Post by sincerely » Fri, Feb 16, 2018, 5:03 PM UTC

username223 wrote: post #434

alkonaut wrote: post #191

Kids who grew up in an environment where anonymous interaction is the norm (such as kids who have anonymous social chats at school, or do in-game chats etc) have grown so accustomed to it that I don't think they even see it as sexist, racist, bullying etc. Most would probably never say any of this to someones' face, not out of fear of consequences but simply because they know better. Yet in anonymous contact they don…

> Kids who grew up in an environment where anonymous interaction is the norm... I generally agree that the kids should get off my lawn, but the G.I.F.T. meme was created in 2004, and Usenet was a rough neighborhood even back before most posters here were born: http://www.faqs.org/faqs/net-abuse-faq/troll-faq/ Actually, the a.s.t trolls were probably more vicious and effective than today's variety. That's just how peo…

I think it may be relevant that more and more people are growing up with easy access to computers and pseudoanonymous social networks today, even if the trolls of yesteryear were crueler.

Re: Why I don't use my real photo when messaging with customers on my website

#488

Post by aninhumer » Fri, Feb 16, 2018, 5:05 PM UTC

mikulas_florek wrote: post #451

aninhumer wrote: post #378

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So the gendered assumption is the result of a gendered marketing practice which is based on gender differentiated responses to images (which are proven by stats )? But there's no sexism involved here? Okay, I'm being glib, but this idea that thinking of a plausible causation with no further critical analysis means it's "not sexism" is kind of exasperating.

>But there's no sexism involved here? I'm only saying a person using good looking woman as an avatar because of a/b testing does not make him sexist.

I'm not sure why it matters if they're "a sexist".

Whether they make a decision based on internal biases caused by societal norms, or make a decision by measuring those societal norms directly and responding to them, the decision is still an expression of societal sexism.

Re: Why I don't use my real photo when messaging with customers on my website

#489

Post by ghostbrainalpha » Fri, Feb 16, 2018, 5:05 PM UTC

notyourday wrote: post #295

alkonaut wrote: post #191

Kids who grew up in an environment where anonymous interaction is the norm (such as kids who have anonymous social chats at school, or do in-game chats etc) have grown so accustomed to it that I don't think they even see it as sexist, racist, bullying etc. Most would probably never say any of this to someones' face, not out of fear of consequences but simply because they know better. Yet in anonymous contact they don…

It used to be said that a drunk person would tell you exactly what he or she thinks about you or about any topic. Internet anonymity ( or semi-anonymity ) does not affect the character. It exposes the character.

The added wrinkle to this is that the internet hides age....

So if you go to The_Donald, a bunch of the views expressed are just teenagers being awful (or normal teenagers basically), but the adults who line up with their views don't realize they how many of their peers are children.

It can definitely normalize that viewpoint and spread into the wider adult conversations. I also have noticed a few times on Reddit when someone says something insanely terrible, I will check their history to see if they are a White Nationalist or what else they are interested in, and dozens of times every post in their history is about video games. And the only time the venture out of the video game bubble it is with bizarrely hateful political commentary.

Maybe its an anomaly and if I clicked all the good posters history's they would be about video games too.... but it's starting to feel like there may be a genuine and unique culture developing around gaming that is distinctly racist, homophobic and celebrates almost any form of cruelty.

And I say that as someone who is in their 30's and still LOVES video games.

Re: Why I don't use my real photo when messaging with customers on my website

#490

Post by Bartweiss » Fri, Feb 16, 2018, 5:09 PM UTC

Consultant32452 wrote: post #441

muse900 wrote: post #425

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a kid I grew up playing video games. Around the age of 13 I switched on to online video games. I spent too much time on games like w3/wow etc. As a kid being exposed to such an environment wasn't good at all. After years, now being in my 30's I can totally understand how online gaming changed me and my interactions vs people that haven't played online games etc are completely different. I used to have a complete d…

I think a plurality of kids in middle and high school go through this phase whether they play video games or not. It's a normal part of growing up. You've got lots of new hormones and frustrations in life. It's a time of testing all sorts of social boundaries. I wonder to what extent gaming increases this phenomenon from the norm, or whether it's just a different avenue through which these things are expressed.

I have a rather vivid memory from age 15 of someone tossing off a "your mom" joke to someone whose mother had just died. It was, obviously, a terrible moment.

And it was far from the only thing of that sort that happened. I remember really upsetting people on a couple of occasions because I thought about the likely, harmless consequence of what I was saying, and didn't consider whether it could cut some people much deeper.

None of us were taught to do this by gaming online. Honestly, I'm doubtful that gaming teaches cruelty any more than team sports or school cafeterias do. I get that it's depersonalizing and people say cruel things, but it feels like a boogeyman given how much actual violence gets ignored at that age.