I think that social media (which is much broader than most people think) isn’t really the issue. It’s a tool being leveraged by the real danger. As you say, Lemmy hasn’t been bought and sold by special interest groups.

The way social media is leveraged is very harmful, but those groups are also leveraging other media (particularly the news). I would blame our ibcreased social division on the special interest groups that benefit from, and promote, social division.

IMO blaming social media itself for our woes is like blaming the ocean’s plastic on straws. It ultimately let’s the real damage continue while blaming the everyman’s suffering on their own consumption.

Most people vote Conservative because they are afraid, and are drawn to leaders that seem strong, powerful, and promise to destroy or protect them from the things they fear.

They might’ve been dumb enough to be tricked. Now they’re too afraid to admit they were. They’re in too deep, and they’d have to sacrifice standing, community, stability, and their understanding of their place in the world if they were to admit they were wrong.

That’s too scary. Most of them aren’t too dumb to understand, they’re convincing themselves because the alternative is too horrible for them to admit.

How do you reconcile that with how social media platforms like Lemmy allow people to collaborate across groups also? Or to educate?

Like, I do agree that social media plays a hugely pivotal role. But that’s because humans are social creatures with pliable perspectives and are reactive to the views of those we call our peers.

That means special interest groups can tell us what our views should be and sway millions, but it also means that small towns have always been extremely insular and would reject ‘out-group’ people, with or without social media. The ‘liberal redneck’ can only exist now because they can have contact with diverse and nuanced people outside of their local communities through online platforms.

I think humans have stunted relationships with their local communities in favour of fragile online ones, but I believe bad actors are leveraging the power of humanity’s propensity for community groupthink. Social media expands the size of our ‘tribes’, but it’s engagement algorythms that are enforcing echo chambers, to keep us on platforms in profitable ways. That is a property of for profit Capitalism, more than of remote peer-to-peer interaction.

Yes, starting getting this with ublock Lite.

I’ve noticed if you click the button to "make an exception’, and refresh the page, you can watch the video anyway. But it’s possible that their server can record you doing that several times and might eventually suspend you.

[he’s] an extreme germ, a phobia.

I love the new version where now he’s straight up just a singular bacterium with strong opinions, and that’s freaking you out. Pls don’t change it again

But like. Are you stopping him? He’s been doing shady and illegal shit for ages, and yall can point out its illegal and shady, but like. Are any of those critics actually stopping him or nah

Like please, I want some good news, and Moral High Ground does not count

It also gained a ton of market value before the election, when Musk’s relationship with Trump was announced.

It’s ‘nice’ it’s lowering at all, but last I checked it was lowering to pre-announcememt levels, it’s just flattening out the surge. A return to normal of you will.

Haven’t checked for a while so maybe now it actually IS lower than it was in July. But not by ad much as the post-inaugeration stats make it look.

Tesla hasn’t lost that much value… yet.

Thanks.

Holy shit, it’s so many. Days apart, so I’d guess like half my comments in the last few months? I stopped scrolling.

Som of them I can assume why. The discussion might be about gendered experiences and I’d use a word like ‘sexism’, ‘rape’ or ‘bitch’ in intellectual discussion. Bots can’t know the difference and might think it’s harassment (or not ad-friendly).

But so many of them are informative responses to questions in subs like TooAfraidToAsk. Sex, relationships, escaping abuse. Most of them are long comments discussing controversial topics in a nuanced, analytical way. Almost all of them are correcting misinformation, providing empathetic context, or teaching somebody who asked for help.

Shadowbanning comments removes the user’s ability to appeal. Jesus, I hope some of these people still managed to get the help they needed.

Literally the only things I still posted there were supposed to answer people’s questions and instruct. If I can’t warn an 18yr boy that his relationship sounds unhealthy and recommend resources to him, there’s no fucking point me being there.

Thanks for the link. I’ve got stuff to think about.

How do you know? I’m curious to see how my old accounts might be shadpwbanned. Is there a tool that makes it easy to tell or something?