On Charlie Kirk and Saving Civil Society • Hacker News Board

Re: On Charlie Kirk and Saving Civil Society

#31

Post by awgneo » Sat, Sep 13, 2025, 5:34 AM UTC

SilverElfin wrote: post #5

I don’t think it is possible to just “quit” using social media. The problem is that quitting feels to most people like giving you your weapons when your enemy still has them. Maybe if everyone “disarmed” at the same time it would work but how could you coordinate that? No one wants to sit out social media only to let their opponents continue to use it as an effective way to spread THEIR message.

This sounds a bit like an addiction? We need to find ways to exercise influence in the real world, offline. The connections formed through volunteering or public service are the better weapons.

Re: On Charlie Kirk and Saving Civil Society

#32

Post by Fr0styMatt88 » Sat, Sep 13, 2025, 6:47 AM UTC

AaronAPU wrote: post #27

ranys wrote: post #9

I think it's lazy to say social media is to blame. Political murder and radical ideas have been around pretty much from the beginning of history. Is social media really more effective in radicalizing people than folklore, religion or mass propaganda? People didn't change much, only the means by which they communicate and share ideas.

I think its not so much the specific social media platforms, its the fundamental increase in how densely connected the social graph is and how much information flows across it. We don’t have the capacity to process it as individuals and our instincts lead us astray.

It’s that and the recommendation algorithm. Why is it even needed? How come I can’t just have a network of my friends that I picked and that’s it?

Rhetorical questions, I know why (engagement, profit) — that’s the big issue.

Re: On Charlie Kirk and Saving Civil Society

#33

Post by seattle_spring » Sat, Sep 13, 2025, 6:47 AM UTC

zahlman wrote: post #26

It's interesting to me that the Kirk submission that criticizes those celebrating death, and advocating for stepping away from social media, is the one that gets flagged.

Might be because he was in the leaderboard for people that made social media "toxic and dehumanizing" in the first place.

Re: On Charlie Kirk and Saving Civil Society

#34

Post by skyyler » Sat, Sep 13, 2025, 3:19 PM UTC

uejfiweun wrote: post #17

thijson wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The addiction to these platforms is real in the younger generation. I try to reduce their screen time, they resist it, they claim they need it to relax.

Man, I'm so glad I was born in the era where kids just played video games instead of this crap. I feel my brain is better off for having sunk so many hours into video games... whereas the modern generation is walking away with deep propaganda brainrot and no attention span.

The light propaganda in Call of Duty 15 years ago is probably less to deal with than the heavy propaganda kids deal with today.