Comments on: Tales from the trenches https://habitablezone.com/2020/09/15/tales-from-the-trenches/ Sat, 25 Apr 2026 01:00:29 -0700 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: podrock https://habitablezone.com/2020/09/15/tales-from-the-trenches/#comment-45415 podrock Wed, 16 Sep 2020 16:27:20 +0000 https://www.habitablezone.com/?p=84037#comment-45415 Facebook was first created to rate college women. It has always been toxic. But now it is weaponized propaganda. Facebook was first created to rate college women.

It has always been toxic. But now it is weaponized propaganda.

]]> By: ER https://habitablezone.com/2020/09/15/tales-from-the-trenches/#comment-45407 ER Wed, 16 Sep 2020 12:11:21 +0000 https://www.habitablezone.com/?p=84037#comment-45407 Its not that either one is intrinsically evil, its that both together allow new opportunities for evil to flourish. It would be nice if we could just identify and eliminate villains, but sometimes its not anyone's fault. Its just the way things have worked out. I've thought about this a lot, and I really can't see a way out of it. And of course, there never seems to be a shortage of villains ready to take advantage of things. Something like this must have happened when other democratizing communications technologies of the past were introduced; the alphabet (as opposed to hieroglyphics), paper, printing from movable type, the spread of public literacy, broadcasting and so on. How was the problem solved then? Was it? Lately I find myself succumbing to despair. Its not that either one is intrinsically evil, its that both together allow new opportunities for evil to flourish. It would be nice if we could just identify and eliminate villains, but sometimes its not anyone’s fault. Its just the way things have worked out. I’ve thought about this a lot, and I really can’t see a way out of it. And of course, there never seems to be a shortage of villains ready to take advantage of things.

Something like this must have happened when other democratizing communications technologies of the past were introduced; the alphabet (as opposed to hieroglyphics), paper, printing from movable type, the spread of public literacy, broadcasting and so on. How was the problem solved then? Was it?

Lately I find myself succumbing to despair.

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