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White House Posts Altered Photo Showing Arrested Minnesota Protester Crying

nytimes.com

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Re: White House Posts Altered Photo Showing Arrested Minnesota Protester Crying

#41

Post by shitter »

nomilk wrote: post #17

(very) Important to note this doesn't appear to be an attempt at passing off a digitally altered (/AI generated) image as real, but rather the creation of a digitally altered image with the intent of mocking the individual. When I stumbled across the altered photo I immediately knew it was a joke (i.e. had been created using AI), although I didn't notice it was created by the White House (although that wouldn't have…

Call me a relic of a bygone era of seriousness and decency, but I don't think the White House should be in the business of mocking individuals online, either. But I know we're well past that point.

Re: White House Posts Altered Photo Showing Arrested Minnesota Protester Crying

#43

Post by dinfinity »

JumpCrisscross wrote: post #16
epistasis wrote: post #7

> “Enforcement of the law will continue. The memes will continue.” The Whitehouse thinks digitally altering photos of people it arrests is a "meme"? That's just as perverted an understanding of a "meme" as their understanding of "law". Namely: the law protects but does but bind the in-group, and binds but does not protect those in the out-group. Thus the January 6 insurrectionists get pardons, and the killer of Renee…

> Whitehouse thinks digitally altering photos of people it arrests is a "meme"? It’s made to go viral. They’re signaling intent. This is where algorithmic, ad-fueled social media leads a republic.

> This is where algorithmic, ad-fueled social media leads a republic.

Only if we keep repeating things like this.

People have agency and there are many people who are not led by or actively abusing social media. You don't tell a heroin addict it's not their fault, that the presence and malice of dealers made their fate inevitable.

Re: White House Posts Altered Photo Showing Arrested Minnesota Protester Crying

#44

Post by epistasis »

dinfinity wrote: post #43
JumpCrisscross wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Whitehouse thinks digitally altering photos of people it arrests is a "meme"? It’s made to go viral. They’re signaling intent. This is where algorithmic, ad-fueled social media leads a republic.

> This is where algorithmic, ad-fueled social media leads a republic. Only if we keep repeating things like this. People have agency and there are many people who are not led by or actively abusing social media. You don't tell a heroin addict it's not their fault, that the presence and malice of dealers made their fate inevitable.

We also need to leave platforms with highly manipulated and unclear algorithms. Especially the former Twitter, Facebook, and TikTok.

This is one of the great things about BlueSky, you can make your own feeds. The bad thing about BlueSky is that the default algorithms are pretty bad (except for the simple "following" feed). But choosing your own sets of feeds, each with their own algorithms, is a great way to keep up with highly focused news and also allow discovery of new information, without as much manipulation as you'll get on the past generation of social media.

Re: White House Posts Altered Photo Showing Arrested Minnesota Protester Crying

#46

Post by davkan »

dinfinity wrote: post #43
JumpCrisscross wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Whitehouse thinks digitally altering photos of people it arrests is a "meme"? It’s made to go viral. They’re signaling intent. This is where algorithmic, ad-fueled social media leads a republic.

> This is where algorithmic, ad-fueled social media leads a republic. Only if we keep repeating things like this. People have agency and there are many people who are not led by or actively abusing social media. You don't tell a heroin addict it's not their fault, that the presence and malice of dealers made their fate inevitable.

You’re asking for a hundred million people to personally overcome engineered manipulation rather than addressing the manipulators. What you say is true for the individual but it’s not a solution at scale for our societal issues.

It’s much akin to suggesting that poor people should not blame the system that keeps them poor and instead should focus on their education and getting themselves out of their current situation. Sure it’s accurate for the individual but, it’s not an actual solution to the problem at scale.

Heroin addicts quit aided by the intense and direct efforts and support of the people around them. Whether that’s hospital staff or family. And you often do tell heroin addicts it’s not their fault. You tell them addiction is a disease. That their addiction is not a moral failing.

Re: White House Posts Altered Photo Showing Arrested Minnesota Protester Crying

#47

Post by epistasis »

davkan wrote: post #46
dinfinity wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> This is where algorithmic, ad-fueled social media leads a republic. Only if we keep repeating things like this. People have agency and there are many people who are not led by or actively abusing social media. You don't tell a heroin addict it's not their fault, that the presence and malice of dealers made their fate inevitable.

You’re asking for a hundred million people to personally overcome engineered manipulation rather than addressing the manipulators. What you say is true for the individual but it’s not a solution at scale for our societal issues. It’s much akin to suggesting that poor people should not blame the system that keeps them poor and instead should focus on their education and getting themselves out of their current situatio…

There's room for a yes-and approach, it's not either-or.

Some people can make the change, and since social media is social, that small vanguard causes others to switch as well.

One can blame the system for keeping them poor, while also doing as much as possible to change their own position within the current system, those are not in opposition to each other! In fact, discouraging people from getting educated because of the system is its own form of oppression.

Highlighting people's own agency to make changes for themselves also highlights how the engineered manipulation of social media is not inevitable. These are complimentary things to do.

Re: White House Posts Altered Photo Showing Arrested Minnesota Protester Crying

#48

Post by muwtyhg »

phillipseamore wrote: post #42

Isn't this the admin that fought for the TAKE IT DOWN act?

Feels like everyone completely forgot about this. The White House made a big stink about AI deepfakes in their first couple of months and then proceeds to publish them at blinding speed. No hint of irony or self-awareness.

Re: White House Posts Altered Photo Showing Arrested Minnesota Protester Crying

#49

Post by kjsingh »

touwer wrote: post #34
spwa4 wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

During France's Reign of Terror, the line towards the guillotine is rumored to have been over 4 kilometers long. 30% of Paris died. This done to kill the bourgeoisie, despite that over 90% of those executed didn't hold any titles. It turned into a massacre, and was replicated across France. The son of the king was locked up at age 8, alone, until he died, before his 11th birthday. The youngest person actually guillot…

Bs. I live in Paris. There is no evidence at all of 4 km or your other claims. The total number of executions in France during the Reign of Terror is estimated at around 16,000 to 40,000, with about 2,600 to 3,000 executions in Paris alone. Paris's population at the time was roughly 600,000, so the percentage of Parisians who died by execution was closer to 0.5%, not 30%.

Likely so - when executions expand to 30% of the population, they are no longer fun

Re: White House Posts Altered Photo Showing Arrested Minnesota Protester Crying

#50

Post by davkan »

epistasis wrote: post #47
davkan wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You’re asking for a hundred million people to personally overcome engineered manipulation rather than addressing the manipulators. What you say is true for the individual but it’s not a solution at scale for our societal issues. It’s much akin to suggesting that poor people should not blame the system that keeps them poor and instead should focus on their education and getting themselves out of their current situatio…

There's room for a yes-and approach, it's not either-or. Some people can make the change, and since social media is social, that small vanguard causes others to switch as well. One can blame the system for keeping them poor, while also doing as much as possible to change their own position within the current system, those are not in opposition to each other! In fact, discouraging people from getting educated because…

> In fact, discouraging people from getting educated because of the system is its own form of oppression.

Who is doing this? Did I suggest that addressing the systemic issues with the cycle of poverty precludes individuals pursuing education? No, I said it doesn’t on its own resolve the issue of poverty as a whole.

> Only if we keep repeating things like this.

I still think the answer to this problem will not hinge on individuals choosing to interact with social media less and more intelligently. The vast majority of us know social media is manipulating and dividing the population. We all know we should use it less. We already have these discussions and have been for years and it shows to have very little actual effect on the overall situation we find ourselves in.

You are right in that it can be a yes-and type situation but my worry is that bringing personal responsibility to the forefront of the conversation mostly serves to diminish the responsibility we face as a society to reign in these monstrous (in both ways) companies that are actively destroying our social fabric in pursuit of profits in the most charitable view, or in pursuit of bringing us into a hellscape of a new world order, re Thiel et al.

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