• Flying Squid@lemmy.worldOP
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    22
    arrow-down
    2
    ·
    5 months ago

    The Internet used to show us what we wanted to see. Now it shows us what it thinks we will most engage with even if it is not what we most want to see. So if the algorithm figures out that a person on engages well with right-wing media sources, that’s what it will show them more of. It doesn’t matter what that person’s politics are, all that matters is that the algorithm has figured out what the user will most engage with.

    And that is how reality is being rewritten with fantasy in real time.

    • kakes
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      2
      arrow-down
      18
      ·
      5 months ago

      If someone is engaging in a certain kind of content, I would argue that’s the content they want to see. It might not be what they enjoy seeing, or what’s good for them, but you can’t seek out right wing content and then tell me you don’t want to see right wing content. At some point, there has to be a level of personal liability here.

        • kakes
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          3
          arrow-down
          7
          ·
          5 months ago

          Is that supposed to be some grand statement? Yeah, I enjoy occasionally posting on stuff like this - never said otherwise.

          • Clent@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            5
            arrow-down
            5
            ·
            5 months ago

            No, see they are miserable so you must be miserable.

            They don’t want to not engage with these services that they know manipulate them but choose to do so anyway but deny any responsibility for their own actions because those same algorithms told them they aren’t responsible.

        • kakes
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          3
          arrow-down
          6
          ·
          5 months ago

          If they’re getting inundated with it to the point it’s affecting their actual mental health, then they obviously need to change something. Whether it’s the quantity or the quality of the content they consume. Logging off and going outside is always an option.

          • lone_faerie@lemmy.blahaj.zone
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            4
            ·
            5 months ago

            Well now you’re just contradicting yourself. If someone is getting inundated with certain content that it’s affecting their mental health, then that’s not content they want to see. That’s like saying if someone is being bullied, it’s because they want to be bullied otherwise they’d change.

          • Flying Squid@lemmy.worldOP
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            3
            ·
            5 months ago

            Logging off and going outside is always an option.

            For the rest of their lives?

            And I thought this was what they wanted to see?