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New accounts on HN more likely to use em-dashes

marginalia.nu

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Re: New accounts on HN more likely to use em-dashes

#171

Post by [deleted] »

mancerayder wrote: post #132
dematz wrote: post #48

One pattern I've noticed recently is sort of formulaic comments that look okish on their own, maybe a bit abstract/vague/bland, and not taking a particular side on good/bad in the way people like to do, but really obviously AI when you look at the account history and they're all the same formula: >this is [summary] >not just x, it's y >punchy ending, maybe question Once you know it's AI it's very obvious they told it…

What motivation is there to use AI to astroturf (if that's what this is) like this? Is it ideological? Is it product marketing in those relevant threads where someone is showcasing? Or is it pure technical testing, playing around?

[deleted]

Re: New accounts on HN more likely to use em-dashes

#172

Post by veryemartguy »

izucken wrote: post #169
m_w_ wrote: post #152

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"is real" is another big red flag, go search this in comments. There appear to be at least three accounts posting direct LLM outputs. https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=false&qu...

This correlation you are observing is real.

I am real and this is my art

Re: New accounts on HN more likely to use em-dashes

#173

Post by RobRivera »

dematz wrote: post #48

One pattern I've noticed recently is sort of formulaic comments that look okish on their own, maybe a bit abstract/vague/bland, and not taking a particular side on good/bad in the way people like to do, but really obviously AI when you look at the account history and they're all the same formula: >this is [summary] >not just x, it's y >punchy ending, maybe question Once you know it's AI it's very obvious they told it…

Every single time I read the phrase 'I have been thinking about this a lot lately' my eyeballs roll back hard.

Re: New accounts on HN more likely to use em-dashes

#174

Post by tokyobreakfast »

mancerayder wrote: post #132
dematz wrote: post #48

One pattern I've noticed recently is sort of formulaic comments that look okish on their own, maybe a bit abstract/vague/bland, and not taking a particular side on good/bad in the way people like to do, but really obviously AI when you look at the account history and they're all the same formula: >this is [summary] >not just x, it's y >punchy ending, maybe question Once you know it's AI it's very obvious they told it…

What motivation is there to use AI to astroturf (if that's what this is) like this? Is it ideological? Is it product marketing in those relevant threads where someone is showcasing? Or is it pure technical testing, playing around?

Same as Reddit. Accumulate enough points via posting shallow and uninteresting—yet popular—dialogue to earn down voting and flagging abilities, which can be used (via automation) to manipulate discussions and suppress viewpoints.

Slashdot's system was superior because mod points were finite and randomly dispensed. This entropy discouraged abuse by design—as opposed to making it a key feature of the site.

It's the Achilles' heel of Reddit and every site that attempts to emulate it.

Re: New accounts on HN more likely to use em-dashes

#175

Post by anematode »

d4mi3n wrote: post #50

I'm still salty that I can't use em-dashes anymore for fear of my writing being flagged as AI generated. Been using them for years—it's just `alt+shift+-` on a Mac keyboard and I find them more legible in many fonts compared to the simple dash on the typical numpad. It's so sad to me that good typographical conventions have been co-opted by the zeitgeist of LLMs.

I've sometimes taken to using spaced en dashes, which I haven't seen in many AI comments: https://anemato.de/blog/emdash

Re: New accounts on HN more likely to use em-dashes

#176

Post by peyton »

basch wrote: post #124
d4mi3n wrote: post #50

I'm still salty that I can't use em-dashes anymore for fear of my writing being flagged as AI generated. Been using them for years—it's just `alt+shift+-` on a Mac keyboard and I find them more legible in many fonts compared to the simple dash on the typical numpad. It's so sad to me that good typographical conventions have been co-opted by the zeitgeist of LLMs.

are there really places that a comma, super-comma; or (parenthesis) dont work roughly as well? I find the em-dash mildly abhorrent, even before this all.

Yeah it’s for abrupt changes in thought. It’s used in literature. Maybe you prefer organized writing.

Re: New accounts on HN more likely to use em-dashes

#177

Post by AlienRobot »

dematz wrote: post #48

One pattern I've noticed recently is sort of formulaic comments that look okish on their own, maybe a bit abstract/vague/bland, and not taking a particular side on good/bad in the way people like to do, but really obviously AI when you look at the account history and they're all the same formula: >this is [summary] >not just x, it's y >punchy ending, maybe question Once you know it's AI it's very obvious they told it…

Did they delete all their comments?

Re: New accounts on HN more likely to use em-dashes

#178

Post by globalise83 »

izucken wrote: post #169
m_w_ wrote: post #152

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"is real" is another big red flag, go search this in comments. There appear to be at least three accounts posting direct LLM outputs. https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=false&qu...

This correlation you are observing is real.

Your confirmation of the correlation is the first real result.

Re: New accounts on HN more likely to use em-dashes

#179

Post by homebrewer »

AlienRobot wrote: post #177
dematz wrote: post #48

One pattern I've noticed recently is sort of formulaic comments that look okish on their own, maybe a bit abstract/vague/bland, and not taking a particular side on good/bad in the way people like to do, but really obviously AI when you look at the account history and they're all the same formula: >this is [summary] >not just x, it's y >punchy ending, maybe question Once you know it's AI it's very obvious they told it…

Did they delete all their comments?

Enable "showdead" in your profile. This cancer gets kicked off the site once it receives enough flags or mod reports, and its comments get hidden.

Re: New accounts on HN more likely to use em-dashes

#180

Post by sumeno »

mancerayder wrote: post #132
dematz wrote: post #48

One pattern I've noticed recently is sort of formulaic comments that look okish on their own, maybe a bit abstract/vague/bland, and not taking a particular side on good/bad in the way people like to do, but really obviously AI when you look at the account history and they're all the same formula: >this is [summary] >not just x, it's y >punchy ending, maybe question Once you know it's AI it's very obvious they told it…

What motivation is there to use AI to astroturf (if that's what this is) like this? Is it ideological? Is it product marketing in those relevant threads where someone is showcasing? Or is it pure technical testing, playing around?

Others have covered some of the incentives, but sometimes the answer is simply "because they're pathetic"

They don't have anything worth saying but want people to think they do

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