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by executesorder66 835 days ago
Are you aware that nothing is stopping you from only visiting websites made by individuals, and medium-sized businesses? In fact, you can also choose to use cool things like Google Earth, AND choose not to use shit things like Twitter, Facebook, Google Search etc.
2 comments
vouaobrasil 834 days ago
Are you aware that I am not talking about my personal well-being, but the well being of society? I've never had a Facebook, and in fact I visit maybe 3-4 internet sites. I don't engage much personally as I think most of what is on the internet is garbage.

What I mean to imply is that large corporate internet activities are detrimental to society. If all I cared about was myself then I would not even be typing now at all. But I have seen many people negatively affected by corporate internet manipulation and I think it's a bad thing.

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executesorder66 834 days ago
The same applies to everyone else. Nothing was stopping them from using the crap bits of the internet, yet they did it anyway because that's what they chose to do.

The same applies to literally anything: food, exercise, etc. people choose the worse option because that's what they prefer. If you take that option away from them, then they will choose some other, similarly crappy option.

The problem is not that people have options, and some of the options are crap.

The problem is that people are physically and mentally lazy (I include myself in this), and will tend to choose the easier, but crappier option most of the time. How do we fix human nature? I don't know, but taking away people's choice isn't going to help the matter.

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vouaobrasil 834 days ago
That's rather defeatist, isn't it? People choose things in the way you describe because they are playing the prisoner's dilemma.

Actually, taking away people's choice does help: that's called government regulation. You can't open a factory and dump mercury waste in the water in the U.S. because there is regulation. And regulation has existed in much stronger forms in the past in various guises, such as with native societies and the Amish.

So yes, taking away choice helps. We need to take away the choice to pollute, to use AI, and to form large corporations. It will help and make everyone's lives better.

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TomSwirly 834 days ago
> Are you aware

Few sentences that start with this clause are emitted in good faith, and yours is certainly not one of them.

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executesorder66 834 days ago
I am aware.
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