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[Roxkis_ii]

HoodWinked , its not a good idea to talk about red team and blue stuff on neogaf. No politics.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

Companies should be the ones clamping down on dumb shit. And sometimes they do. But they cant go overboard because then their user base and revenue go down the toilet.

 

[InfiniteCombo]

And then the government becomes the arbiter of truth. That's far worse than where we started.

Seatbelts, building codes and the like are all false equivalencies here.

100% correct on all fronts.

We're seeing it right now with government officials explicitly calling for social media platforms to regulate "misinformation" and "disinformation," which are honestly misunderstood terms that the government can use -- and have used -- to propagate their own point of view.

In the United States, the federal government exists to do what the Constitution says it is allowed to do, and nothing more. End of story.

 

[Vicetrailia]

I don't think there's much that should be done about it now.

Basically right now, its really about not making bad choices. Everyone has a choice in how to interact with information in this current age of information. I think if something truly awful happens, then that can be combated against using utilizing the government.

The covid misinformation reduced efficiency and possibly made it a bigger problem than otherwise, but it wasn't some huge disaster that should encourage the government to step in an fix the problem. That alternative realities that occurred there were a matter of choice. The same is true for election fraud, you go after Trump rather than the idiots who believed him. That situation gets closer to being a government problem, but it's not there yet.

 

[Mistake]

I voted no. My rule is more education, less regulation. There needs to be online literacy classes, but I almost never hear anyone talking about it. Scams, how to read articles, source links, handling private information, etc. I can’t imagine now being handed the internet and told “here, have fun.” The next generation is living in a different kind of world than most of us over 30 did. It’s easy to forget that it’s our responsibility to teach the people who come after us how it works.

 

[Catphish]

Under normal circumstances, I would say no, because I don't like the idea of government involving itself in matters such as these. But given how powerful and pervasive social media has become, how serious its negative effects can be, and its purveyors' obvious disinterest in the mental health of its consumers, I think this time around I say yes.

 

[Zeroing]

Oh USA, it all started with Bill Clinton making a law stating that internet companies were not liable/ not to blame to what the users did while using their services.
1999 nobody understood how the internet would evolve!
And as usual the law was so vague that it got multiple interpretations…

I think the government should at least correct that law to make it more clear and up to date but alas I’m not American!

 

[IDKFA]

Social media was a pandora box moment for humanity. There is no way we can put it back or control it.

Personally, I think it's had a devastating impact on society. Twitter is probably the worst offender. It's just full of far-left and far-right cults that spread lies and misinformation to appease their followers. The impact of this is that we're now more divided than we've ever been, but unfortunately there is no going back.

 

[Kenpachii]

It should be illigal to share private information over social media, like personal pictures, names, addresses etc.

 

[nush]

As I live in China, trust me you don't want this. But on the other hand there's no Facebook, Twitter or Reddit shit to get exposed to.

 

[TheAmazingSpiderMan]

do people really think the government have your best interest???! We are but pawns.

 

[WoJ]

The government can't do anything right so they definitely shouldn't do this. Last thing we need is them as arbiter of truth.

 

[Dreamin]

I'm not American and I'm also not into governments or anyone having so much power BUT if anything needs monitoring it's banks, financial institutions, the people that clearly without dispute have way too much influence over almost every major aspect of people's lives.

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

do people really think the government have your best interest???!

You think big tech has your best interest?

 

[Chronicle]

True or False?

The federal government should increase its efforts to reduce the harms caused by social media.

The video: An hour and twenty minute debate between Jonathan Haidt (for) and Robby Soave (against).

Note: Video is erroneously time stamped to the QA section of the debate.

That's not a true or false statement. It's agree or disagree.

 

[Korranator]

Big Tech just about controls our government. Having the government regulate them would be a clown show. Although, probably highly profitable to politicians as it would just result in more bribes. Kinda like what big phrama does right now with the FDA.

 

[AJUMP23]

The government would make it worse.

 

[Batiman]

That’s a tough question. The main problem comes down to lack of intelligence in the average person. I can’t tell you how many idiots at work believe some of the stupidest shit they see on the internet. I sort of feel sorry for them TBH.

 

[-Minsc-]

I believe there should be some regulation but undecided as to how much.

That’s a tough question. The main problem comes down to lack of intelligence in the average person. I can’t tell you how many idiots at work believe some of the stupidest shit they see on the internet. I sort of feel sorry for them TBH.

I am a very impressionable person and it's very easy to take things at face value. Part of that I believe is due to wanting to join in on the internet fun.

Social media is treated as an instant conversation, but is as permanent as a publication. Which is it? We haven't got to grips with that as a society.

Reflecting, I ignored the old school communication wisdom my parents attempted to teach before the mainstream internet days. Eventually I found my way online and joined the fun. It became a place to express myself. I don't fully comprehend the ramifications of my online postings. What is going to come back to haunt me?

Haidt also brings up the idea that social media didn't have noticeably harmful effects until the like and retweet buttons were added to everything and robust algorithms were created to get people outraged + addicted. Early Twitter was supposedly a very friendly place, which is hard to imagine.

Honestly, I can see the value in removing like/dislike buttons and the notification bell. There's just something about it.

There's also the video comment sections. One thing I do is read through the comments after I watch a video. Why though? What am I really getting from it? 99% of the time I'm just looking for a comment that strokes my ego.

Someone mentioned about how deeply Social Media is engrained in the worklife of many, though I can't seem to find the post to quote. Does it really have to be this way long term and will it be? I know those with in invested interest say it will be. At the end of it all it'll be what the upcoming generation decides. The ones who had social media in their hands since before they learned to walk may very well decide to ditch social media to find new ways of doing things. We are the generations where social media was the shiny new thing.

Are the intelligent people today the ones who don't waste their time on social media?

 

[Unknown?]

But they are. They are actively encouraging its people to be on it so they can easily collect information with their corporate partners.

How the government built Silicon Valley

Silicon Valley has long been seen as the bread basket of commercial technology. But in this episode of our Project 38 podcast, author Margaret O'Mara describes how the federal government helped create that global technology engine and how its role continues today.

washingtontechnology.com

So people that want the government involved to fix a problem the government created.

The 'Stomp Reflex': When governments abuse emergency powers

History shows that during times of crisis, politicians tend to reach for more power. It's happening again now, argues researcher Luke Kemp.

www.bbc.com

Basically you give government emergency powers to regulate the internet then they will create that emergency to regulate the internet.

This right here. It also shows how we don't have capitalism, but interventionist corporatism.

 

[TheInfamousKira]

I dunno. I voted yes, but only in an ideally functioning world. The problem with government intervention in what is largely a social and financial field is that government is comprised of people, same as the big tech that currently runs things. Where there are people organized, there is always a pyramid structure, and shit rolls downhill. On paper, it sounds good. Prevent election influencing via tailor curated posts, prevent the prohibition of ideas and even the playing field for everyone, regardless of political affiliation. But these things, like most things, are cyclical, and with the downfall of privately owned companies monopolizing social media trends, comes the rise of another body of people with just as many loosely veiled aspirations and uses for manipulating things.

Modern internet may feel too Americanized, for lack of a better term, but inviting the government to the helm is veering to close to the Chinese side. I don't want retinal scanners telling me I've been online too long and locking me out of the internet, interrupting my browsing of government approved content.

The internet functioned best during the Wild West of the early to mid 90's.

 

[MrMephistoX]

Generally it’s never a good idea to leave regulation to boomer bureaucrats who don’t understand the subject matter. Facebook is big enough to comply the next garage startup isn’t.

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

Generally it’s never a good idea to leave regulation to boomer bureaucrats who don’t understand the subject matter. Facebook is big enough to comply the next garage startup isn’t.

Should the scientifically illiterate government beaurocrats got involved with the removal of led in paint and gas?

I get being weary of government but shouldn't we also be weary of big business?

 

[zeorhymer]

Censorship is great! Need to the flock in the pasture. Don't want them to freak out and run all over the place.

 

[MrMephistoX]

Should the scientifically illiterate government beaurocrats got involved with the removal of led in paint and gas?

I get being weary of government but shouldn't we also be weary of big business?

Something like that is easy to understand for a layman poison bad and that was handled long ago but complex systems like social media are areas where a government full of boomers who can barely open an excel spreadsheet setting policy can do more harm than good.

Institute term limits and age limits and then it would be more reasonable.

 

[daveonezero]

Should the scientifically illiterate government beaurocrats got involved with the removal of led in paint and gas?

I get being weary of government but shouldn't we also be weary of big business?

They are one in the same

 

[TheAmazingSpiderMan]

You think big tech has your best interest?

Not sure where I implied anything like this? But anyone thinking the governments have peoples interests in mind… lol

 

[Torrent of Pork]

If this were a just government with intentions of social welfare it would excise the cancer of social media on our society.

Before the 2010's we didn't hate each other to the point of shooting conflict. It's coming, as much as I'll fail to hold it back.

 

[Kagey K]

Current laws are about 20 years behind the times


It's like demanding that you clean up after your horse in 2020.

I just don't see how they reasonably understand Social Media and catch up to it anytime soon.

 

[Amiga]

Social media is already being regulated. just not in a transparent way.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

That’s a tough question. The main problem comes down to lack of intelligence in the average person. I can’t tell you how many idiots at work believe some of the stupidest shit they see on the internet. I sort of feel sorry for them TBH.

Agreed.

Think about all the ultra protective laws there are issued by government. Unless it's some hardcore engineering health and safety regulation the average person wouldnt understand or know how to build to proper code, a lot of regulations are common sense. But gov has to issue it because they got to blanket laws to cover everyone because as you said, there's so many morons out there they got to do this.

It's really no different than social assistance. You can have a guy making $1M per year salary, guy loses his job, and believe it or not he still qualifies for some unemployment benefits and gets senior citizen perks when he's 65. That's because it's gov's way of ensuring morons have some kind of safety net even though you'd think a guy making a million dollars per year would be smart enough to build up a rainy day fund on his own for the past 20 years. But there's a chance the guy is broke and blew his money, so the gov has to allow him to still get $500/week benefits.

And tied into that, corporations have to do the same thing to cover their ass from idiots. That's why every company that makes an electrical product says in the manual "don't submerge in water". You'd think someone would be smart enough to not dunk an electrical product in a bathtub or put it in the dishwasher, but the company needs to waste time writing that for liability sake, because if you dont some idiot will do it, get shocked and sue the company for not stating that precaution.

It's like one giant world of babysitting policies.

Here's a good babysitting policy most places probably have issued by the gov: homes need to have properly working smoke alarms. Well golly, you'd think a homeowner would automatically be smart enough to have them installed without nagging them to do it. But if you don't regulate it, you're going to have rebels who dont do it and more homes burning down.

 

[BigBooper]

Heck no. I'd much rather they follow through on the pipe dream of either making them a regulated service or allow them to be sued as a provider, like was the big talking point two years ago.

I don't know if that was even a real possibility at the time, but make new legislation for it if you have to.

For my part, I abandoned Facebook three years ago and don't use any others.

 

[Unk Adams]

The internet was way better when it was just a bunch of social outcasts using it. Normies came in and now it's all social media crap, hatred, division, etc. It was great in the 90's and early 2000's just having fun playing games online and having conversations on chat rooms and forums with chill dorks. Now most of the socialization online is about shallow image, bullying, hating other groups of people that aren't you, etc.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

Heck no. I'd much rather they follow through on the pipe dream of either making them a regulated service or allow them to be sued as a provider, like was the big talking point two years ago.

I don't know if that was even a real possibility at the time, but make new legislation for it if you have to.

For my part, I abandoned Facebook three years ago and don't use any others.

I still got FB for friends and fam and close coworkers. Still use it. It's the best social media for keeping in contact with people.

Got a LinkedIn for coworker contacts and jobs. I skip reading the news feed as it's junk. 99% of it is white knight motivational posts. The only business links you can count on really being about business is the top right corner Linkedin news links. LInkedin really transformed the past 5 or so years. Now you get people posting stuff like: having a baby, someone died in their family, they got married etc.... It's like FB personal lives posts but at maybe 1/4 the amount. It's one big pat on the back site with zero mature debate. If someone posts a link about let's say everyone should get free universal healthcare, 100% of the replies will support it. You'd never see someone say let's debate this and disagree because it makes them look bad as a CRM (career limiting move). Linkedin was never like this at the beginning.

All the other social media stuff, nada. No Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Tik Tok, and any other big service I forgot. I think having a Gmail account automatically makes you get a YT account, but whatever. I never upload videos.

 

[dcll]

As I live in China, trust me you don't want this. But on the other hand there's no Facebook, Twitter or Reddit shit to get exposed to.

-50 social credit score has been recorded citizen

 

[Krappadizzle]

No. Federal government should stay the hell out of it. PARENTS need to see the harm it's causing. My daughter won't touch social media until she's 17. Social media has conditioned kids to believe in this false perception of reality and when children actually have to interact in reality, they don't know what to do. Government intervention is how you'll make things worse. Parents need to be more involved and active with their children.

 

[SiteSeer]

-50 social credit score has been recorded citizen

westerners joke on china for this but here we are issuing de facto social credits to each other. like social media we have no idea where we end up in ten years but the foot is already in the door.

 

[Whitecrow]

Social networks should burn in hell.

 

[mxbison]

Hilarious how people keep saying social media spreads too much fake information. Like government and corporate media doesn't lmao.

 

[DeepEnigma]

Hilarious how people keep saying social media spreads too much fake information. Like government and corporate media doesn't lmao.

What a time to be alive.

Facebook is reversing its ban on posts praising Ukraine's far-right Azov Battalion, report says

Posts praising their role in defending Ukraine or being in Ukraine's National Guard will be allowed, a Meta spokesperson told Insider.

www.businessinsider.com

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

westerners joke on china for this but here we are issuing de facto social credits to each other. like social media we have no idea where we end up in ten years but the foot is already in the door.

 

[DeepBreath87]

There should be age restrictions for sure. You should have to provide some kind of age verification to have access. We don’t let kids do all kinds of shit. They can’t go to strip clubs. They can’t drink or smoke. They can’t get tattoos.

Social media has similar or worse consequences. Children should not be on it. Hell, fucking adults have a tough time checking themselves. You wonder why young people have all this mental health problems? Sure, covid made it worse. But human beings in general are not able to contextualize the stuff they see on social media. And because what you see on it is an idealized fantasy world, it makes your reality seem dull and unfulfilling as a result. This is somewhat true for many people, but it is particularly true of young people.

For this reason I would make sure that everyone under 18 couldn’t sign up for Facebook, instagram, Tic Toc, Twitter, Snapchat. None of it.