A better social network?

you are correct, social networks are are tool.
the problem is that the only operators available are deeply flawed human beings.

human beings are sort of in an adolescent period… sort of like the first time a teenager wrecks their parents car. we’re powerful enough to fuck up things way faster than we can fix them.

social networks, while maybe built with the best of intentions… yeah no. its manipulating people, preying on human weakness for advertising dollars.

i’m not the only one who remembers the shit about mark “give me the zucc” zuckerberg shtting on the users of his site?

giving up personal information, semi doxxing themselves just to impress other people?

Again, i would posit that the image held up as an ideal by the people using social networks is originating from big corporations and pushed via the mainstream media.

That’s the root cause, not the fact that people can communicate with each other effectively.

i dont have a problem with people communicating.

giving people a soapbox to stand on and shout to the world though… is sort of a cruel joke.
giving them hope where there is none.

I still don’t think this is the root cause of the problem.

People can do this via a variety of media and have been able to for literally decades at this point (IRC, usenet, blogs, online gaming, forum comments, bulletin boards from the pre internet days, etc.). This is not some new thing with social networks.

Again, social networks are what you make of them. You can either get benefits from them or they can be toxic, that’s up to the end user.

I’d say lack of adequate parenting (parenting by playstation/netflix/etc.), lack of realistic guidance, etc. is far more responsible for the issues than the existence of social networks.

Blaming social networking is just a convenient scapegoat. Just like people blaming columbine on violent video games like Doom.

my inner libertarian is struggling.

yes. People don’t have to be stupid with social media. they don’t have to go full retard. its not facebook/instagrams fault that people think they can get famous and live some lavish lifestyle posting pictures of themselves…because they’re just that amazing

eh… social media could be nice.

but people aint there yet. we’re just gonna do dumb shit with it, and get mad and be disappointed when it aint what we thought it was.

Gambling isnt illegal, probably shouldn’t be illegal, but i can’t help but feel bad for the guy who spends his entire paycheck on scratch off tickets thinking “eventually one of them will pay off big”

People should know better, it should work… but it just feels predatory.

muh feels.

Stupid people will be stupid.

This isn’t a social network problem :slight_smile:

profit