Fixing Social Media with Data Trusts • Hacker News Board

Re: Fixing Social Media with Data Trusts

#11

Post by null0pointer » Thu, Jun 02, 2022, 10:07 PM UTC

Calvin02 wrote: post #2

While I like Jared and the ideas that he puts forward, I can’t help but feel that in reality they would fail abysmally. Half of this country (US) denies that Sandy Hook happened, they deny that the election was fair, they think that every mass shooting is staged in an attempt by the government to seize their guns. Why would these people want to join a social group and only post through that group? Also, why would it…

> Half of this country (US) denies that Sandy Hook happened, they deny that the election was fair, they think that every mass shooting is staged in an attempt by the government to seize their guns.

Half? This is such a gross overestimation. The people that hold those views are a tiny fringe minority. It's rhetoric like this, where you accuse the half of the country that didn't vote for your team of holding extreme views, that drives division in the United States.

Re: Fixing Social Media with Data Trusts

#12

Post by mmarq » Fri, Jun 03, 2022, 8:47 AM UTC

I just need a way of filtering out idiotic content produced by people with limited cognitive abilities and professional trolls and provocateurs.

Re: Fixing Social Media with Data Trusts

#13

Post by ece » Fri, Jun 03, 2022, 10:35 AM UTC

null0pointer wrote: post #11

Calvin02 wrote: post #2

While I like Jared and the ideas that he puts forward, I can’t help but feel that in reality they would fail abysmally. Half of this country (US) denies that Sandy Hook happened, they deny that the election was fair, they think that every mass shooting is staged in an attempt by the government to seize their guns. Why would these people want to join a social group and only post through that group? Also, why would it…

> Half of this country (US) denies that Sandy Hook happened, they deny that the election was fair, they think that every mass shooting is staged in an attempt by the government to seize their guns. Half? This is such a gross overestimation. The people that hold those views are a tiny fringe minority. It's rhetoric like this, where you accuse the half of the country that didn't vote for your team of holding extreme vi…

Have you tuned into a congressional hearing on a divisive issue recently? Like the one that happened yesterday. OP is basically right. Right wing radio in the 90s was a parallel universe, and congress was somewhat civil, now half of congress lives in that parallel universe, and right wing radio/social media basically advocates for fascism in the open.

Until the electoral college is fixed or more people vote, it might as well be half the country. It makes little difference that it's at least 50% in the red states.

Re: Fixing Social Media with Data Trusts

#14

Post by zaphar » Fri, Jun 03, 2022, 1:30 PM UTC

My theory on why social media has a net bad effect on society is that it devolves into an internet mob generation machine. Mob's are almost guaranteed to be unintelligent. They destroy individual discourse and they quell independent thought. There is a lot of truth to the quote that "A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky, dangerous animals..." -- Ed Solomon, Men in Black. Social media flips us from "a person" to "people"

Social Media makes us dumber because it tries to force us into mobs. The problem I think is caused by engagement metrics. They optimize for mobs because mobs are the easiest form of engagement to measure. I'm not even sure you can measure the better forms of engagement to be honest. Which perhaps means that this isn't fixable without destroying Social Networks as a business.