When one says "tech" like in the linked articlez one is really talking about the advertising-supported internet and subscription models. A few nerds might participate in creating that themselves because they work for FANG, but overall nerds are insulated from that because they know how to install uBlock Origin, they often use the terminally unpopular Mastodon, they still use a desktop computer a lot instead of phone apps, etc. No sign that that kind of nerddom is experiencing any kind of increase in social prestige.
Everything is the new tobacco when it comes to hiding their dangers. Tobacco showed that you could spend a relatively small amount of money and make billions for decades while kicking the can down the road.
> New court documents make clearer than ever that Meta has been working hard to control the scientific narrative on their products
...
> The resulting documents reveal:
> Explicit plans by Meta to discredit psychologist Jonathan Haidt, who has been raising alarms about social media and youth mental health.
> Frustration by internal researchers because Meta lawyers were stopping them from researching youth mental health and their platforms. (Why would lawyers stop these studies? Because they risk finding something. The researchers respond by asking "“if the study only included questions about social support/positive outcomes would legal approve?”)
> Explicit plans to work with the National Academies of Sciences on social media and youth mental health with goals to “get credit” for proposing the assessment and “greatly shape the nature of the questions they will explore.”
> Alternative plans to work with another group if they cannot adequately influence NAS research, and “ensure product feature evaluations are excluded” (i.e., their product features that might be causing harm)
> Discussions of which study questions are most likely to yield benefits for the company
You are comparing the sins of corporations that have been around for over 100 years and world wars to one that has been around a couple decades? Give Meta some time, they seem to have aspirations.
I doubt tech right now can be equated with tobacco, its use does not kill.
Now AI ? The day will probably come when AI will kill on purpose without a real person's involvement. I know about the Iran School, but at that time I thought I heard the final decision was made by a person as opposed to AI.
So we really need to learn to push back should AI starts heading down that path, even if it costs you your job.
Does that mean that the cool kids on the schoolyard now use tech while wearing leather jackets to signal rebellion?
Is it finally the time for the nerds to shine?
When one says "tech" like in the linked articlez one is really talking about the advertising-supported internet and subscription models. A few nerds might participate in creating that themselves because they work for FANG, but overall nerds are insulated from that because they know how to install uBlock Origin, they often use the terminally unpopular Mastodon, they still use a desktop computer a lot instead of phone apps, etc. No sign that that kind of nerddom is experiencing any kind of increase in social prestige.
Everything is the new tobacco when it comes to hiding their dangers. Tobacco showed that you could spend a relatively small amount of money and make billions for decades while kicking the can down the road.
> New court documents make clearer than ever that Meta has been working hard to control the scientific narrative on their products
...
> The resulting documents reveal:
Tech = Social media? Maybe to a 5th grader.
Adtech is the part that makes the money. Even OpenAI's best idea to monetize is "put ads in it"
Social media is a subset of tech though.
Big Chemical is the new tobacco and always has been.
What has Meta or Google done in comparison to Dow, Bayer, and DuPont?
You are comparing the sins of corporations that have been around for over 100 years and world wars to one that has been around a couple decades? Give Meta some time, they seem to have aspirations.
Meta helped commit genocide: https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2022/09/myanmar-faceb...
Both are also hyper Zionist and complicit in the genocide of Palestinians.
I doubt tech right now can be equated with tobacco, its use does not kill.
Now AI ? The day will probably come when AI will kill on purpose without a real person's involvement. I know about the Iran School, but at that time I thought I heard the final decision was made by a person as opposed to AI.
So we really need to learn to push back should AI starts heading down that path, even if it costs you your job.
> I doubt tech right now can be equated with tobacco, its use does not kill.
I don't think that's true. Tech kills plenty of people.
Things like e.g. social media don't kill, you're right. They merely eat your soul and leave your body a shambling husk. Much better.
It helped kill a bunch of school children in Iran. AI use has lead to other deaths as well.
It helped that guy commit suicide which OpenAI got sued for
ehh... social media is a net negative on suicide rates (meaning more suicides). It would not be hard to argue social media enables deaths.