271–280 of 451 posts
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Have you checked the news the last few days? Plenty of people out there are stupid enough to fall for this and much worse.
Which is exactly the point. Why keep being a democracy when we don't trust the voters to do the right thing?
im saying this because it seems like such an obvious point but i havent seen it here- why are people who want the government to be replaced by the "free market" allowed to be upset that private companies are silencing them? what is the rationale for squaring this circle
The opposite of a contradiction is another contradiction. Why are people that believe in regulation of the world's largest corporations suddenly laissez-faire libertarians? If you have opposed the Citizen's United ruling for a decade, don't suddenly act like you care about a corporation's civil liberties, including freedom of association and freedom of expression. The answer is obvious: both sides want power more tha…
¬(A & ¬A) = ¬A | A = True
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Facebook's shadowban mechanism is more elaborate than that. They will still show the post to people they think you are closest to, while hiding it from the general newsfeed where most things show. The Facebook newsfeed is quite similar to TV, because you can only change channels, but have very little control over what is displayed.
How do you know how Facebook's shadowban mechanism works? Has it been reverse-engineered? My search-fu us failing me.
Are we really so stupid that we cannot see through this kind of thing and need to actively censor it to have civilized society continue to function? When do we just give up on democracy completely?
I completely agree. I would like to see some of the other replies here comment on how democracy can function if the citizens are incompetent/stupid. If they can't be trusted to be knowledgeable, then how can they make informed decisions, including voting? And of course, who decides which people hold legitimate positions and which people are ignorant?
Democracy doesn't need to make people richer, healthier, or safer to function. Oklahoma's population is anti education and this is reflected in their government. Will that damage their children for the future? Likely. But democracy continues to function in Oklahoma anyway.
It cannot function if the losers turn violent and attack the government. At this point, "stop the steal" is almost a rallying cry for militant action as every other possible remedy has been exhausted. That is what makes it distinct.
Does this put them in the unenvious position to take down any up-to-then unproven allegations? Does it mean any group seeking remedy against BigCorp with slogans like “Stop the Stink” to oppose a new dump can be shut down through lawyers if the group cannot prove their allegations?
This doesn't really seem comparable, does it?
Are we really so stupid that we cannot see through this kind of thing and need to actively censor it to have civilized society continue to function? When do we just give up on democracy completely?
Winston S Churchill, 11 November 1947
Don't give up on democracy. It is hard. Nonetheless, it will always remain the best form of government we have seen. The United States Constitution is resilient as it has proven time and time again.
Should the US government make its own social network? That would cut off all kinds of issues. Only content that is literally illegal would be removed. Everyone would be guaranteed access.
Spam alone would eliminate its utility.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Have you checked the news the last few days? Plenty of people out there are stupid enough to fall for this and much worse.
Which is exactly the point. Why keep being a democracy when we don't trust the voters to do the right thing?
Earlier quoted context omitted.
You'd have a valid point here if all people were 100% rational actors with perfect knowledge and agency. Unfortunately, they aren't.
> Unfortunately, they aren't. Yet they are allowed to drive cars, fly planes, raise children, buy guns and vote but somehow cannot decide for themselves what’s good or bad, and need a higher moral entity like Facebook to babysit them. I find this a weak argument.
Tell me how this is wrong: The US is de facto converting to the Chinese model for the internet: All communication must be monitored, damaging content must be erased, and in serious cases, those responsible must be punished. If Parler gets a foreign data center, I expect a "Great Firewall of China" with American characteristics will soon follow.
It's wrong because you're conflating the US private companies with the Chinese government.