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HBI's avatar

Most people aren't doing the social things they would do sans COVID. That's what I mean.

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Aug 21, 2021
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HBI's avatar

We had a problem of polarization before COVID, but that's not amenable to being fixed right now. It'll take years. I'd ban social media (for creating echo chambers) but i'm very black and white in my solutions.

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Dave5017's avatar

Amen. IтАЩm pretty much opposed to governments banning anything, but social media is an exception for me. ItтАЩs unique combination of disgusting surveillance capitalism, addiction algorithms, and propaganda dissemination is one of the most unsavory and dangerous things in society today.

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HBI's avatar

I'm not a huge fan of government bans either. In fact, I think this is the first one i've advocated in a long time, 30+ years at least. But it's everything you say and harmful to society in all timeframes.

Wouldn't it be ironic if Trump's (mis)use of Twitter turns out to be instructive (perhaps even helpful) in getting rid of this? One can hope.

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Dave5017's avatar

Trump is a good example of just how toxic social media can be

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HBI's avatar

We shouldn't have needed that example to see the toxicity, but i'm glad he provided it in retrospect. Opened eyes that were otherwise shut.

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Atma's avatar

@HBI

There, I will join you in squeaky-narrow agreement about anything Trump. He had to become such a completely *EGREGIOUS pig, just to feed his ever demanding narcissism, before MOST people would even take note !

The *bulk of the public has to have their *face planted in poop, and then have that energetically rubbed *IN, before they even *start to suspect that, "Gee ! *Something here seems to be *ever so slightly amiss" ! ;-D

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Atma's avatar

@HBI

p.s. to my previous. If this country now FAILS to correct, point-by-point, *every weakness, foible, and potential loophole that Trump led us to discover in our *entire system, we have *no one to blame but ourselves. The man also serves who functions as an *odious "bad example". ;-D

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Dave5017's avatar

Ironic and funny. I really wish we would do that

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Aug 21, 2021
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HBI's avatar

You have to admit that Facebook isn't exactly concentrating on dividing Myanmar/Burma. They're probably just making sure they aren't banned there. The number of people working there (using them as a stand in for the rest of the social media companies) who understand the fault lines of politics in that country are minimal. Not the same for the US.

Imagine the Chinese response if a social media provider tried to divide their populace? You hardly need to imagine, Facebook and Twitter are blocked there. Russia?

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Aug 21, 2021
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HBI's avatar

Sold. They are too powerful anyway.

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