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Federal workers say they increasingly distrust platforms like Facebook

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Re: Federal workers say they increasingly distrust platforms like Facebook

#71

Post by walljm »

scarface_74 wrote: post #38
_fat_santa wrote: post #24

I find the reaction to DOGE quite fascinating and it's really exposed just how different some work cultures are. In tech we face layoffs constantly, so much so that's not a huge shock when a FAANG lays off hundreds or even thousands. We might get a couple of stories if the layoff is particularly large but the general consensus is "this is the way of the world, go find another job". Contrast that with the stories we a…

The contrast is that there are these things called “laws” and the “constitution” where Congress passed laws and budgets and the President is supposed to execute those laws. No one expected a President to behave in an unconstitutional manner nor did they expect an unelected official to get access to their accounts. Also do you realize that only 1% of the federal budget is for government workers? And there is no way th…

1% ??? that can't be true. the DoD's personel budget, by itself is 2.7% of the total budget for the whole federal government.

Re: Federal workers say they increasingly distrust platforms like Facebook

#72

Post by walljm »

walljm wrote: post #71
scarface_74 wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The contrast is that there are these things called “laws” and the “constitution” where Congress passed laws and budgets and the President is supposed to execute those laws. No one expected a President to behave in an unconstitutional manner nor did they expect an unelected official to get access to their accounts. Also do you realize that only 1% of the federal budget is for government workers? And there is no way th…

1% ??? that can't be true. the DoD's personel budget, by itself is 2.7% of the total budget for the whole federal government.

this was pulled from the 2024 monthly budget report from the treasury.

Re: Federal workers say they increasingly distrust platforms like Facebook

#73

Post by scarface_74 »

walljm wrote: post #71
scarface_74 wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The contrast is that there are these things called “laws” and the “constitution” where Congress passed laws and budgets and the President is supposed to execute those laws. No one expected a President to behave in an unconstitutional manner nor did they expect an unelected official to get access to their accounts. Also do you realize that only 1% of the federal budget is for government workers? And there is no way th…

1% ??? that can't be true. the DoD's personel budget, by itself is 2.7% of the total budget for the whole federal government.

I was wrong it’s 6.6% of the budget

https://www.brookings.edu/articles/is-government-too-big-ref...

If his goal is to cut 10% of the employees That 10% is less than 1% of the budget.

Re: Federal workers say they increasingly distrust platforms like Facebook

#74

Post by settsu »

_fat_santa wrote: post #24

I find the reaction to DOGE quite fascinating and it's really exposed just how different some work cultures are. In tech we face layoffs constantly, so much so that's not a huge shock when a FAANG lays off hundreds or even thousands. We might get a couple of stories if the layoff is particularly large but the general consensus is "this is the way of the world, go find another job". Contrast that with the stories we a…

The fact that you see corporate layoffs and what Elon Musk is doing in the U.S. government as in any way remotely comparable is... troubling.

Re: Federal workers say they increasingly distrust platforms like Facebook

#75

Post by scarface_74 »

jader201 wrote: post #61
TheAceOfHearts wrote: post #23

My Facebook feed is full of unhinged content from random pages I never followed or interacted with. I'd be fine with some edgy content, but there's limits to what I'd consider acceptable. Most recently I see these "memes" where it's literally just an image of Elon with a hand pointing a gun at him, and a caption saying suggesting he should be murdered. The most worrying part is that I don't know if this sentiment is…

> The most worrying part is that I don't know if this sentiment is actually widespread and a seriously held belief. It makes me worry that we might see a continued escalation of political violence this year. Maybe I’m just more aware of it now vs. 20-30 years ago, but I feel the division with our country just keeps growing more and more with each passing year/presidency. And I feel like social media/FB play a big par…

> Maybe I’m just more aware of it now vs. 20-30 years ago, but I feel the division with our country just keeps growing more and more with each passing year/presidency.

I keep seeing this. Within my still living parents’ lifetime, people were literally and legally “divided” by Jim Crow laws and segregation. America wasn’t exactly a great egalitarian nation in the 60s.

Not to mention Vietnam and Kent State.

Re: Federal workers say they increasingly distrust platforms like Facebook

#76

Post by scarface_74 »

RandomBacon wrote: post #44
Molitor5901 wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I loathe the AI and suggested content. I only want to see the content posted by people I have explicitly followed, I do not want to see what some random group or person posted. The inability to turn this off is the reason I stopped using Facebook. If I want to seek out groups and people I will do so on my own, I do not want a fire hose flooding my personal feed.

Facebook feed of just your friends' posts in chronological order: https://www.facebook.com/?filter=friends&sk=h_chr

Still garbage with random groups I can follow

Re: Federal workers say they increasingly distrust platforms like Facebook

#77

Post by paganel »

regularjack wrote: post #21
paganel wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

Why would that be a good thing? Sounds like a bad thing to me

It may sound like a bad thing for the American citizens that cherish imperialism and for the compradors here in Eastern Europe who directly profit from said American imperialism, but for the rest of us, normal people (both in the US and in Eastern Europe and other such parts of the American Empire) seeing USAID and NED gone is a gift from Heaven.

Re: Federal workers say they increasingly distrust platforms like Facebook

#78

Post by settsu »

jader201 wrote: post #61
TheAceOfHearts wrote: post #23

My Facebook feed is full of unhinged content from random pages I never followed or interacted with. I'd be fine with some edgy content, but there's limits to what I'd consider acceptable. Most recently I see these "memes" where it's literally just an image of Elon with a hand pointing a gun at him, and a caption saying suggesting he should be murdered. The most worrying part is that I don't know if this sentiment is…

> The most worrying part is that I don't know if this sentiment is actually widespread and a seriously held belief. It makes me worry that we might see a continued escalation of political violence this year. Maybe I’m just more aware of it now vs. 20-30 years ago, but I feel the division with our country just keeps growing more and more with each passing year/presidency. And I feel like social media/FB play a big par…

I completely understand the frustration and the conclusion you arrived at. The problem is echo chambers existed before the advent of online social media. Safe to say they have existed since nearly the dawn of human consciousness.

The difference is that once algorithms could be optimized for "engagement", a company simply can't resist amping up the dopamine hits. Because the ultimate goal of those networks is persistent, unrelenting attention. They are for-profit businesses whose primary income is ads (upwards of 98% of Facebook/Meta revenue.)

So the more attention you can drum up, and the longer you can maintain it, the faster the money printer can go brrrr.

Re: Federal workers say they increasingly distrust platforms like Facebook

#79

Post by hackeraccount »

jhedwards wrote: post #50
_fat_santa wrote: post #24

I find the reaction to DOGE quite fascinating and it's really exposed just how different some work cultures are. In tech we face layoffs constantly, so much so that's not a huge shock when a FAANG lays off hundreds or even thousands. We might get a couple of stories if the layoff is particularly large but the general consensus is "this is the way of the world, go find another job". Contrast that with the stories we a…

> But on the other hand, something like 40-50% of my paycheck goes out in taxes and I would prefer if my government actually spent it on things to improve my life versus dumb shit domestically or abroad. I agree here, but one thing that has come to light recently is that the federal work force is only ~6% of the federal budget. That means that most of those taxes are not going to pay the salaries of government worker…

I agree a ton the budget is transfer payments. That said I live in the DC metro area and a ton of people are complaining to high heaven - and they aren't technically in the federal work force. They're contractors. People who's jobs depend in large part on federal grants.

Re: Federal workers say they increasingly distrust platforms like Facebook

#80

Post by lazide »

spiderfarmer wrote: post #68
lazide wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’ve known a lot of gov’t workers over my not-super-short life. You will never find a group of people more distrusting of the gov’t, if not outright calling for it’s destruction. Honestly, similar to software engineers and software.

That might be a cultural issue then. From what I see in the USA people don’t even trust their own family members.

it could also just be experience.
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