Netflix - The Social Dilemma

HarryVegas

HarryVegas

Well-known member
Apologies if this has already been discussed, couldn't see it. Anyone watch this the other night? Caught up last night. Fascinating but very worrying. Basically, unless we learn as a species how to better handle the highly divisive side-effects of using social media (unlikely) or better regulate it (very difficult), we're bu99ered. The programme interviews the engineers and designers behind the big operators. It doesn't unveil anything brand new, but does put together a cohesive and persuasive argument of how harmful facebook, twitter et al are to the way our society operates, from person to person dealings, right up to states like Russia hijacking elections and deciding which government we get.
 
I read a quote once which I've never been able to find since, went something like....

Brain of a caveman, technology of a superhuman (think there was also something about government in there too).

There is no way back from this, as a society we've collectively and unknowingly accepted it, the powers that be will never release their control of it. Then again, is it any different from how religion operated.
 
I watched it and it’s a bloody good documentary on how people are becoming controlled ( almost willingly ) It’s probably easy for me as Ive no kids but I won’t go near Facebook,Twitter etc .
This forum is the furthest I wain which is quite suitable for me .
im also not one of those people perpetually sitting on my phone either as it’s used only for communication and the odd text .
im probably seen as a bit of a misfit but if so I’d certainly rather be that than a ‘ fit ‘
 
I don't use Facebook much, but it's telling how many people base entire conversations or current affairs on that platform. I was out with three good mates on Saturday and at one point they were talking about stuff people had posted. It wasn't a conversation I could join in! Social Media has definitely changed human society.
 
I'm not on any social media apart from this board. I don't know how to work it.

I guess I'll become leader of the resistance a bit like John Connor o_O
 
Just seems to me the negatives outweigh the positives with social media. Never really had it, nor do I feel like I'm missing out. Different strokes though! Sure there's a lot of people who love it and get benefits out of it. But it has always struck me as kind of strange that so many people are happy to give up so much information about themselves. For free.
 
I haven't seen the documentary yet, but I know how the large social media operators mine information from people and use it to monetise their operations e.g. sell users profiles to advertisers. Many people are giving aware lots of information about themselves (through cookies etc) and this information is traded for thousands of pounds in some cases. Facebooks main product is data about its users and their friends. I was suspicious about it being free to use from day one. If you don't pay for a site and it provides an expansive service, its obvious to me, you are the product. To some extent if people want free internet usage they have to accept some loss of privacy to give revenue to the site providers, however there can be limited transparency i.e. you don't know where your data is going and who it is used by.
 
Thought it was very unnerving how the former employees spoke about the tools that they helped build. They spoke with regret, and if anyone knows how the pros and cons of social media, it's them.

I mentioned this on a previous post about this doc that I deleted Facebook instantly. I didn't use it that much tbh, except for Messenger, but I really haven't missed it. I still indulge on Twitter which I feel is significantly less harmful for myself, but it is easy to fall down a rabbit hole on there.

I remember after the 2019 general election result, coming away thinking of how much of a heavy left-wing bubble I was in following certain people and groups. They had me believe that everyone had the same opinions as myself and there was no way we weren't going to win that election. How wrong I was.
 
TheYorkshireTerrier said:
Thought it was very unnerving how the former employees spoke about the tools that they helped build. They spoke with regret, and if anyone knows how the pros and cons of social media, it's them.

I mentioned this on a previous post about this doc that I deleted Facebook instantly. I didn't use it that much tbh, except for Messenger, but I really haven't missed it. I still indulge on Twitter which I feel is significantly less harmful for myself, but it is easy to fall down a rabbit hole on there.

I remember after the 2019 general election result, coming away thinking of how much of a heavy left-wing bubble I was in following certain people and groups. They had me believe that everyone had the same opinions as myself and there was no way we weren't going to win that election. How wrong I was.
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This is exactly the problem with social media, you inevitably end up in a bubble with views that only re-enforce your own, it's designed to do exactly this. You can see the effect on a fair few posters on here, full of self-righteousness because they can't believe that any sane person would have different views, in their bubble all they hear are their views echoed back.
 
I did enjoy the documentary as I work in the tech sector and I've followed some of these guys for a while.
It was entertaining and holds some truth but there is no solution, Pandora's box is open.

Two main problems I have with it are:-
1) the guys who've made a fortune being self aware and telling us how terrible it is, feels a bit self-aware wolf for me (funny sub Reddit on Reddit r/selfawarewolves).

2) The proposed solution is 'regulation' which comes with blindingly obvious risks as we move into the era of surveillance state. Who watches the watchmen springs to mind.

Essentially as much as I dislike Alex Jones, de-platforming him is a terrible solution and has already led to bad consequences.

It's the same with 'fact-checking orgs' which for the main part are funded by vested interests and are only used to further agenda anyway.

We see it playing out with 'blue tick' Hollywood Twitter accounts getting on the Biden band wagon because in their eyes all we need is for trump to be taken out and then the problem has gone away. No need to even find out what the policy agenda is, this really hit home for me with the 'Gaslands' director voter shaming the green party as republican stooges! 🤣

I guess for me the documentary has plenty of the biasses that the makers themselves coded into their applications, it wouldn't be a huge issue to them if everyone shared their view and agenda.
 
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Majority of decent people dont entertain the ultra right wing hatred thats on social media. Its good that its confronted and it always will be.
 
smogontherhine said:
This is exactly the problem with social media, you inevitably end up in a bubble with views that only re-enforce your own, it's designed to do exactly this. You can see the effect on a fair few posters on here, full of self-righteousness because they can't believe that any sane person would have different views, in their bubble all they hear are their views echoed back.
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Any political views that are not in line with the socialists on this board are jumped on immediately. Usually in a pack.
 
I know I'm in the fb group that falls under the category of 'potentially living in an echo chamber' but I am well aware of other views out there. I know fine well that there is a big, thick seam of people in our country who hate foreigners and who also lack empathy. We all know who these people are, I just choose not to see their views every day. I see fb as a type of pub. If a pub was full of golf club bores or racist thugs, I wouldn't go in, and given the choice, would quietly discourage them from coming in. So such people are barred from my timeline.

There's an argument that as a responsible citizen I should try to reason with them but tbh my life is too short and too full of nice things and nice people to be bothered. I see news sites and I have a twitter account so I use that and the # to gauge the current temperature of the country/world on trending issues.
 
HarryVegas said:
Have you looked at any other sites to see what the culture is like there?
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If you are referring to COB then no I have not been on that board however I gather that there is a right wing majority on that board.

I personally see myself as quite a central on the political spectrum so can often relate with posters who put forward an argument on either side. Smogontherhine hit the nail on the head above. " You can see the effect on a fair few posters on here, full of self-righteousness because they can't believe that any sane person would have different views "

In terms of other social media platforms, I have a mixture of friends of facebook from the Ultra Right Nutjobs to the Sanctimonious Socialists and both annoy me at how ignorant they can be. It is becoming more and more prevalent as time goes on. Instagram was always light hearted but I'm seeing more and more political preaching on that platform as well.
 
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