The Scapegoat Called Meta(blog.m5e.de)
blog.m5e.de
The Scapegoat Called Meta
https://blog.m5e.de/post/the-scapegoat-called-meta/
3 comments
That’s roughly what I was going to say. Another factor though is the group of Facebook users and their folkways. For instance the unhealthy body comparison on Instagram is not driven by system prompts but because; (1) there was an existing tendency for people to do that and (2) people see other people doing it on Instagram.
Once an online community has gotten some habits it is very hard to change even if you run it.
I also have the opinion that TikTok is dramatically more harmful, a friend of my son got turned not just into an Incel but an Incel who doesn’t work or go to school but just steals money from his mom so he can buy illegal anabolic steroids. (Oddly he doesn’t even go to the gym)
Once an online community has gotten some habits it is very hard to change even if you run it.
I also have the opinion that TikTok is dramatically more harmful, a friend of my son got turned not just into an Incel but an Incel who doesn’t work or go to school but just steals money from his mom so he can buy illegal anabolic steroids. (Oddly he doesn’t even go to the gym)
The examples mentioned in the article are geared towards exploiting certain innate desires of many humans. IG and Meta are not "static" constructs but continuously updated services that want to maximise the time people spend with them.
I don't think it is an indictment of society if teens, a group of people usually endowed with special legal and societal protection, use IG for highly detrimental social status comparisons. I wonder whether the author considered that there are people out there that are not yet fully aware of all the implications of social media usage.
I don't want to paint these companies as the antichrist either, but they don't get a free pass from me---that is just absurd.
I don't think it is an indictment of society if teens, a group of people usually endowed with special legal and societal protection, use IG for highly detrimental social status comparisons. I wonder whether the author considered that there are people out there that are not yet fully aware of all the implications of social media usage.
I don't want to paint these companies as the antichrist either, but they don't get a free pass from me---that is just absurd.
The "people" who are misusing the tool, as he mentions, are the people who work at Facebook! It's implementation is harmful to society because it amplifies our worst voices -- the ones around hatred, lies, and bigotry. Those also happen to be the topics that attract eyeballs, and FB feeds you more of whatever sick medicine you crave.
FB is awful not because it's been maligned by folks who just don't understand. It's awful by design. I hope it's over soon.