Post AKfNHcNrtgVHnu08eG by horsebatteryhealth@mastodon.online
 (DIR) More posts by horsebatteryhealth@mastodon.online
 (DIR) Post #AKfLyXcbHOKfZrEQBk by tk@bbs.kawa-kun.com
       2022-06-20T02:34:11.300532Z
       
       1 likes, 0 repeats
       
       Is social media really harmful?
       
 (DIR) Post #AKfMgrEVj3sP8v5z9s by yolo@anime.website
       2022-06-20T02:42:11.268218Z
       
       1 likes, 1 repeats
       
       @tk yescheck out "alone together" by sherry turkle it's RMS and swagchen approved
       
 (DIR) Post #AKfNHcNrtgVHnu08eG by horsebatteryhealth@mastodon.online
       2022-06-20T02:47:22Z
       
       1 likes, 1 repeats
       
       @tk Not inherently. The issue is that the most popular forms of social media tend to be designed to abuse the users, since that's in the service's own interest. Combine this with some background anti-social tendencies most people currently have, and social media, as has commonly existed, tends to be harmful. I think harm in social media tends to emerge from current conditions, not from the concept itself.
       
 (DIR) Post #AKfXm3rJJGeVFEvZpY by urusan@fosstodon.org
       2022-06-20T04:46:22Z
       
       1 likes, 0 repeats
       
       @tk We've had social media since at least BBSes in the 1970s, so it's pretty unlikely that it's inherently bad.
       
 (DIR) Post #AKg7ffhpnF7wwrkQb2 by tio@social.trom.tf
       2022-06-20T04:51:01Z
       
       1 likes, 1 repeats
       
       I think it is the society that pushes people into a boring, difficult, competitive, meaningless life, that the social media takes advantage of with their algorithms. No one who has a fulfilling life would be trapped in these silly nonsense things. Same way that alcohol is not addictive, social media is not. If you have a shitty life you'll drink and that will make you feel somewhat good. Same with social media...
       
 (DIR) Post #AKg7hJM3riJkCsLTou by jase@social.x220.co.uk
       2022-06-20T06:51:30.306851Z
       
       1 likes, 1 repeats
       
       @urusan @tk While 'social media' could be said to have its roots in the likes of BBSes, Forums, chatrooms and IRC, each of those tend to attract 'smaller' groups of people mostly with common interests/goals, some good some very not so.For the most part they were/are moderated by members of the communities they represented,  and within them bad actors only had the limited reach of those communities (and flamewars were mostly contained)The prevalence of modern 'social media' is a breading ground for mob mentality and bad behavior at a scale that simply had not  previouly been possible. 'wrong/badthink' concepts that 20-30 years ago would only attract tens or hundreds of people can now attract hundreds,  thousands or even tens of thousands, creating movements in their wake. Mostly without any form of community policing to temper extremesAnd yes this also applies to good concepts/movements too, without comunity moderation there will always be extreme representations of those concepts/movements The nature/structure of many centalised 'social media' platforms removes the community policing elements of the BBSes, Forums, chat, IRC chstrooms by design. There is nobody there to kickban troublemakers or douse the early licks of a flamewar or dangerous commentary.The fediverse adds the potential for this moderation back into the mix.So I guess what I'm trying to surmise is that, Yes 'social media' is inherently bad, but it doesn't have to be.