Surely this time around, technological advancements in the name of "national security" won't end up used on its citizens ;)
Genuinely a bit shocked at the naivety on HN on this topic but maybe thats a misunderstanding on my part. Happy to be shown otherwise. Alex Karp, if you're reading this, please don't send your fent laced urine spraying drones after me!
What inspired me to pursue computer related fields was making little badges and forum signatures in Photoshop as a teen. Heartwarming to see this tradition has persisted
I've noticed a lot of content lately that purposely farms engagement through dark patterns. For instance: getting a detail wrong or poor spelling/grammar almost always draws a lot of responses to dunk on the original creator.
When platforms like Twitter and TikTok monetize engagement you realize that these can often be intentional. Once you recognize the patterns it becomes very hard to unsee.
Ask the average American worker if they'd like an extra $2300 a year. And yes I understand thats pre-tax. But even so, thats a non-negligible amount for a lot of people.
In the US it exists but you have to be a bit more aware of body language and such. Not everyone is as open. But generally communities exist all around you in the US, you may just not be aware of them.*
* This is strictly in the cities. Suburban life is where isolation and loneliness thrive.
Your username is hilarious in context of this post. Sure there are a lot of horrible things that it's introduced. Replace social media with any other technology..what good have computers brought? What good has the automobile brought?
It is all perspective and humans will use tools for good and bad. There is plenty of good in the world thanks to social media.
As someone who lives in NYC, there are a lot of "sides" to it. What you're describing definitely exists, but to generalize the whole city as a laundering operation would be akin to generalizing a large tech org based on your experience with one small team.