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Top-level
 I know that some people still depend on Big Social for their livelihood, and that it takes time to change systems when they’re embedded so much into daily life. But if you don’t depend on Big Social, why are you there? Especially when you know the damage that surveillance capitalism creates? 40 comments
 my question isn't why they don't each leave, but why they don't organize together to do so? Some people say that you shouldn’t shame others for their presence on Big Social. Ah, but there’s nuance to this! If you’re deliberately enabling Big Social’s grift, then you should be shamed. Advertisers should be shamed. So should CEOs and politicians. Any organization with institutional power, shame them! The RESTRICT act in the USA is a case in point. All right, they’re banning TikTok for entirely legitimate reasons. But American politicians should feel shame that Meta and Twitter still exist. There’s no purpose in shaming poor elderly folk whose only contact with family is Facebook. Personally, I believe that situation is tragic. But governments should absolutely be shamed for enabling that dependence. At the risk of offending a lot of people: Why is Joe Biden on Twitter? What’s the President’s excuse? He knows that Twitter is down ranking Ukrainians in the algorithm, and that Musk himself has far right sympathies. Yet the US government persists in using Twitter.  @atomicpoet My take on it is that the government is both unwilling and unable to untangle themselves from big corp. They most likely don't even see it as damaging to the country. A touch off topic, but their view of big corp vs ours is as big a disconnect as the Republican vs Democratic parties are. @atomicpoet I think that applies in terms of Big Social, but not in all the categories of Big Corp. I guarantee that if Fascists manage to destroy democracy, Big Social will be a big reason that happens. And yet, so many of the so-called “good guys” not only continue to use Big Social, they’re doing everything in their power to enable it. American politicians want to get rid of TikTok because it could be used for Communist Party of China propaganda. What about actual Fascist propaganda that’s happening elsewhere? Some of you folks are like, “Oh, there’s nothing governments can do about Big Social because Big Social owns a mass audience.” Nonsense. TikTok is Big Social, and TikTok is soon to be banned. So therefore governments can clearly do something about Big Social. The fact they do nothing about American-owned Big Social is shameful, and politicians who enable Big Social should feel shame.  @atomicpoet As a lawyer from Mexican roots, I never got over the strangely affectless manner of so many attorneys. Shit, just because we're adversaries doesn't mean you have to be an iceberg. People underestimate the threat of Big Social. Big Social has now spent decades following you around the Internet, collecting data about who you are and what you do. Sometimes they know more about you than you know about yourself. Now what happens when actual Fascists gain control of that data? We already know from history, and it’s not pretty. Yes, Nazi Germany is obvious. But we can also look as far recently at Myanmar—and the genocide that Facebook enabled. This is one of the reasons there are no photos of me on the internet, or my family. I also use an Alternative name on all social media. (I only use Mastodon these days). I wish people would read the facts of history, or talk to those that remember. Many would be shocked how much they put out everyday to be harvested for data points. This information can and will be used by bad people. As my Mum always used to say, "It's all good until someone decides YOU are the enemy". If you’re here on the Fediverse, you probably had a “come to Jesus” moment regarding the dangers of Big Social. So let me tell you mine. One morning, I woke up and checked Facebook. Immediately auto played in my feed was a man walking in a mosque and gunning down Muslims in New Zealand. After I saw this, I said, “Never again!” and I deleted my Facebook account. Never again will I allow Big Social to show me a mass murder because they believe it’s “relevant” to me. Every time Big Social enables genocide and mass murder, I hope one more person says, “Never again!” And then deletes their presence on Big Social. Because the only way “Never again!” can happen is if we strip Big Social of power. As for everyone who enables Big Social? Shame on them. @atomicpoet I’m always looking for an excuse to quit Facebook. But quitting Bird Site was so much easier for me.  @atomicpoet I just got curious of what this place was. I abandoned Twitter long ago because of what it is. I have no interest in Facebook/Instagram/Tiktok. I was just curious. @atomicpoet My situation wasn't as dramatic as yours, but my Twitter feed started becoming full of anti-semitic and anti-vax conspiracies, despite me never following people who post that nonsense. The sick part is that big social profits from this propaganda because it promotes engagement. I do not want to be a part of a system that benefits from directing hate at an innocent population.  @atomicpoet I'm here because a lot of people I follow are here and I don't want to miss out on what they talk about, not because I've "seen the light". I don't look at Internet tools in such categories. I'm also still on Twitter because I like being there despite all recent changes and there's still interesting content to read there. I'm even still on Facebook for yet another content (local/politics). I don't feel bad about it. Please don't assume that everyone sees things the same way you do. @atomicpoet the intelligence which orchestrates the events one needs to be aware of is as much at ease within Big Social as it is anywhere else in the cosmos... there's no escaping it, and it's a blessing... when mass murders occur, it is indeed relevant, and it is so to anyone who consider themselves a human being... it's so easy to forget that we're all in this together, that we're all leaves of the same branch... @atomicpoet one important lesson from history is the Netherlands - data on religious affiliation was collected from citizens for perfectly innocuous reasons, such as tax exemptions. In WW2 that data fell into the hands of the invading Nazis, and was used to find and round up the local Jewish population. So even "benign" data collection can end up in the wrong hands. Better not to collect the data in the first place.  @atomicpoet Don't forget the time that Facebook refused to remove the livestream of a murder because "it doesn't violate the company's community standards." https://money.cnn.com/2016/06/17/technology/facebook-live-shooting-death/index.html @atomicpoet "Now what happens when actual Fascists gain control of that data?" NAZI regime could only dream about having the power today's states have over individuals. If facebook was on during the WW2, resistance wouldn't be possible.  @atomicpoet Is it possible that leaving "big social" leaves them a platform to do with as they will, organizing events to do things they couldn't get away with if there are others...not like minded...there to call them out? @atomicpoet Access to and existing large audience and reach will keep Washington on Twitter. But, to your point, there’s nothing stopping the White House from setting up its own instance to be where the ball is going. If ever politicians leave Twitter, journalists will follow. @bretcarmichael And yet, Washington bans TikTok—so it’s not as though they can’t do anything about Big Social. @atomicpoet If it’s right for Washington to be fearful of TikTok, they have just as much reason to fear Twitter under Musk. Twitter is doing what TikTok is accused of doing. Removed verification from the NYT, called it propaganda, labeled NPR as state media, down-ranking Ukraine and LGBTQ topics, manipulating crypto by pumping Dogecoin. And antisemitic post are up 2x. That’s just news that’s broken in the last three weeks. @atomicpoet I suspect as long as it is a viable platform to reach people, he'll have to be on it. Optics and politics. To declare it what it is, musks plaything being used to amplify the alt right and russian propaganda wouldn't fly. He can't be the first to call it out. Once journalists leave it in mass he can. Stupid, but likely. @atomicpoet Possibly the excuse is that if Biden, POTUS and the US Government (three different things) are not on Twitter, they will leave it to Trump, Putin and Xi. But even the possibility that this be relevant is indeed a sign of weakness. @atomicpoet The only part of the government I expect to be using Twitter at this point is the CIA or Secret Service to monitor that dumpster fire. Or the ones responsible for creating chaos in US Politics. Beyond that, all official government staff need to abandon Twitter as it's unfit for usage at this point. Shame on the families of these poor elderly folk, for making FB the only contact. That's worse than any government enabling.  @atomicpoet really it's those that depend on it that need to start moving over, at least duplicate their stuff elsewhere, they make up so much of the content that keep people on the big sites. @atomicpoet because that’s where my friends and family are. I mean. It’s really that simple. And yes I can jump to the fediverse (I am actively doing so with a few accounts!) they are not going to follow me as a whole. These things, as all things, are going to take more time than desired. @atomicpoet I assume facebook counts as "big social". I keep in touch with what's going on with my kids and grandkids there. I will stay as long as they do. |
Gregory's Server
@atomicpoet if you’re a journalist not actively trying alternatives, you’ve already lost