How one tweet can ruin your life | Jon Ronson

Also sadly, some of those same companies seem to be enabling this shaming culture. (Twitter banning random users for just using the LearnToCode hashtag, while not banning journalists who called for the doxxing and harassment of a minor. Also: ▶ this video )

in “Appeal accepted: Google removed my ads-free app for “deceptive ads”” · View on HN

Company towns were a bizarre (and, arguably, pathological) special case in American history. Social media in the late 20-teens were a bizarre (and, arguably, pathological) special case in world history. ▶ this video

in “Facebook to ban white nationalist content” · View on HN

The thing about mechanics like upvotes/downvotes, is that they're ripe for exploitation by evil/sociopathic people. (For virality. Often for outrage-driven virality.) That's okay on a place like reddit, because things are largely pseudonymous, and if things go south, you can go to a different place or just take a break or even get a new username. Your real life network of friends and family isn't so easily abandoned or replaced. Not so sure what the difference is with Twitter, but maybe it's one of granularity. There are no boundaries there, so people have to police things themselves with block lists, or appeal to Twitter itself to get people banned. It's also clearly ripe for exploitation by sociopaths. [link] ▶ this video (What of HN? HN is moderated.)

in “Roger McNamee says the 'like' button was 'beginning of the end'” · View on HN

From the article: Two key identifying marks of dystopia are social regimentation and an inevitable totalitarianism. "Conform or be cast out." --Rush, Subdivisions, Signals, 1982 "Freedom of speech doesn't mean freedom from consequences." From the article: Next, dystopia is marked by dehumanization How one tweet can ruin your life | Jon Ronson -- ▶ this video From the article: The abuse of technology is another characteristic of dystopia. Google. Facebook. From the article: Next, dystopia empowers a new class of rulers and uses propaganda and state terror to maintain the power of the regime...The ultimate result of dystopia can be seen in the tragedy of an individual. Instead of only relying on state terror, there is a new brand of current day authoritarianism which is trying to use non-state power through media, social media, and non-governmental civic groups. The new twist is to erode freedom of speech, but not have it be technically illegal, because the government isn't doing it. The new twist is to erode due process and presumption of innocence, but it's not technically illegal, because trial by public opinion and media isn't a judicial process. The new twist is to disenfranchise people, but not in person, only online and in social media, because it's not "technically illegal." However, all of the above violates various principles of individual rights in spirit. To me, they are all dishonest means of having coercive, authoritarian effects on people at large, without being "tech

in “Dystopia Is What Results from the Attempt to Create Utopia” · View on HN

Historically a strongman is summoned as an excuse to end mob rule (real or imagined) resulting in an authoritarian government. Napoleon, Franco Mussolini are some examples. One also sees people jumping up with a banner in the front of the mob. Lenin and Kim-il Sung, for example. Of course the issues are real and need to be discussed and criticized. But fortunately stories like Evergreen State College are rare But the incidences of tenured professors who are no longer free to say what they actually think anymore are legion. And Twitter storms are not oppression, they are just people being wrong on the internet. Tell that to people whose lives have been ruined. ▶ this video So while events like Evergreen certainly need to be criticized, the more serious threat is that this is being systematically used by cynical parties in a dangerous way to portray a nation plagued by oppressive mobs who need to be put in line. Downtown Portland was tied up by such mobs as well. There have been hundreds of incidences of violence (a number closer to 1000 than zero) including assaults with serious injury. Why did tens of thousands of people surround a bunch of mostly normal, ordinary people, including a number of brown people, claiming they were "white supremacists" in Boston? The Left in general is plagued by the zeitgeist of an authoritarian, angry mob, and wordplay/splitting hairs about what exactly should be classified as "authoritarian" is simply silly when you've been actually mobbed. Thugs goi

in “Dystopia Is What Results from the Attempt to Create Utopia” · View on HN