• MentalEdge
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      162 days ago

      The thing about giving everyone a megaphone, is that even when some use them to shout insane bullshit, if enough people hear it, there is inevitably a percentage who will think “yea that makes sense”.

      And now, we’ve got selective megaphones. Social media algoritms that curate our feeds for us so that people shouting insane bullshit have their content fed directly to people who believe insane bullshit. Separating the people who lie and their believers, from the people who call them out on it and bring actual logic into the discussion.

      Algoritms discourage thinking because thinking takes effort, and effort tires you out. Tiring you out would eventualmy make you log off and take a break, but algos are trained to maximize screentime, so no thinking it is.

      • Boomer Humor Doomergod
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        72 days ago

        Even if what he’s saying makes sense he sounds and looks like a try-hard dweeb with no skills beyond flapping his gums.

        • MentalEdge
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          72 days ago

          I find it insulting you’d suggest I’d consider any part what that ass has said as even remotely reasonable.

          What I said is that if you say 2+2=5 to enough people, you’ll get some who will just go “ok yeah sounds right”. They’re still wrong. Two people being deluded together doesn’t make it any less delusional.

          • Boomer Humor Doomergod
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            52 days ago

            I don’t think you think that and I apologize for any implication. I just don’t understand why other people think he’s cool because he very much is not.

            • @[email protected]
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              42 days ago

              Think of who you thought was cool as an idiot teenager, or in general before you “knew better”.

              Now apply this to the less educated part of the population, add a lack of actual male role models to compare to and sprinkle it with a bunch of toxic traditional stereotypes how a man should be and behave.

              • Boomer Humor Doomergod
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                2 days ago

                Carl Sagan. Kevin Mitnick. Douglas Adams. Aaron Barrett. Bob Villa. Sid Meier. My chemistry teacher who was nominated for a Webby.

                I was kind of a weird kid

              • @[email protected]
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                22 days ago

                Maybe it’s just a generational difference, but when I was a teenager, who I thought was cool was usually just band members of my favourite bands. Since social media wasn’t a thing, there was nothing they were trying to sell us other than CDs, t-shirts, and concert tickets. Even then, there was usually a mental separation between the person and the art, so when the person turned out to be a trash bag, it had very little influence on fans.

      • @[email protected]
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        2 days ago

        hell, algos seem to be actually pushing insane bullshit.

        its so dumb that they get to develop it in complete secret with how it works.

      • @[email protected]
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        92 days ago

        Andrew Tate, a “manosphere” incel who trafficked women. He gained a large following by calling people cucks, incels, loser feminists, etc. while always being the alpha male with money and women. He’s currently stuck in Romania while human trafficking charges go through the legal system.

        • @toynbee
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          22 days ago

          Ah, gotcha. Thank you for the edification. I’ve seen a few headlines about his crimes and the one today about the president trying to get him leniency, but didn’t know anything else. Your answer is much appreciated!

    • @DragonsInARoom
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      02 days ago

      People see charisma as authority, they could geneside 7 million people, but people would trust them

      • @Dasus
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        2 days ago

        How do you perceive any charisma from that chinless baldy? :D

        (edit not to diss anyone both can be attractive and looks are just looks, but on him, no)