2022 LC Thread—New Year, New Thread

The natural inclination is to want to restrict these tech companies, but part of the problem is that people prove over and over that they can’t be trusted to make decisions and we really need to consider taking steps to give them less choice.

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Yeah, an example would be regulating tech companies for employing the techniques of drug dealers but backed by billions of dollars of capital shielded from liability. I don’t really see the point in framing that in terms of contempt for consumers, but you do you.

We’re never going to do anything to fix anything. We’re going to keep on keeping on until the environment can’t support us any longer, and then we’re going to die off in massive numbers. Just like any other species.

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Amazon vs social media is a pretty weak comparison. Amazon doesn’t have nearly the same level of Skinner-box engagement manufacturing as the SM companies do. If anything, buying something for delivery in two days is less addictive than the instant gratification of buying something in a physical store (plus endowment effect from trying on clothes and social pressure from salespeople, etc.). Amazon is guilty of plenty of sharp business practices, but dopamine manipulation is not a notable one.

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Strong disagree. There are many articles on online shopping addiction, just Google “Amazon addiction” and you can find them, I don’t need to link them for you. And the whole point of the click and it shows up at your door is to minimize the effort required to get that in-store instant gratification. I think you’re dead wrong on this, but I’m not going to argue with you about it. If you have links to some actual research showing that online shopping addiction is not real or is less significant than brick and mortar shopping addiction I’d be happy to read them.

Google is not turning up much of note on Amazon addiction. But a more basic point is that you have to distinguish between manipulative techniques and a superior product. Amazon shopping is much easier than physical shopping, but that’s not manipulation, it’s the productivity enhancing power of the internet making people’s lives better. It’s very different from FB calculating exactly when to hit you with a “Like” notification to maximize your desire to post again, or curating the exact mix of envy, outrage and genuine social connection that they should put in your feed.

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Do you really believe this? In 2022?

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This has been going on for 100 years.

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They rigged the vote in Alabama.

They manipulate their own safety numbers. For at least a year and a half, I personally witnessed drivers game the safety app by simply turning off their gps.

Their protocols essentially force drivers to deprioritize making deliveries to small businesses.

Amazingly, they had no contingency plan for someone passing away or moving. Understandable since they lack resources.

6 cameras in the front of the vehicles that can detect when you sneeze but don’t care if you tuck the safety belt behind you.

I could go on… However they are manipulating prices is beyond my knowledge but there is zero chance they aren’t doing that when hundreds of thousands of packages are being destroyed per week.

how people think inflation works:

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If they take away your choices it will be in the opposite direction and it will be illegal to not buy crap on Amazon.

Broadcasting that people assume the KKK was founded by the GOP is an interesting way to own the libs.

https://twitter.com/prageru/status/1553522577569730565?t=YFt0MdUyZcVnYsHy_2fasg&s=19

So the buzz on Twitter today is around someone called Ana Mardoll. I have never heard of this person before but they are (apparently) infamous for super-woke judge-y takes and whipping up Twitter mobs against others for moral infractions, liberally blocking anyone who disagrees. Most recently they went viral for tweeting that it’s ableist to say that you have to be able to read to be a good writer. You get the picture.

Anyway today they deleted their account because someone on Twitter exposed them as a Lockheed Martin employee. Always hilarious to me.

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Why is this funny? Because they were exposed and had to delete their account? Like they are a serious real person in some capacity, but a silly internet goofball on the side? Or because they work for Murder Inc.? Because that take about ablism* and working for Murder Inc, doesn’t seem that unusual to me. They are just a liberal.

*not specifically about this exact ableism take, which is just a sensationalist click-baity kind of thing.

Right. I mean it’s schadenfreude I guess, for the usual reasons it’s funny to see a hypocrite do a face plant, but doubly so in this case because I think these kind of people are ruining left-wing politics.

The point (at least to me) is not that they work at Lockheed, people need jobs. The point is this:

https://mobile.twitter.com/SzMarsupial/status/1553840891806318592

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Sounds to me like the point is that they work at Lockheed.

Not everyone has to work for Lockheed, but they should be able to keep their job and say, “Yeah, I have a job that does terrible stuff and that sucks, I wish I worked at a kitten factory, but I need a job and I want to make $150k/yr. Still, quit being ableist. No reason for that.”

Or maybe they were afraid of losing their job at the Murder factory and that’s why they deleted their account?

But, it wouldn’t be all that shocking if their politics were “Lockheed is just fine. It’s not a murder factory. Liberals like me are patriots and defending the country is honorable.” and “If you say people need to read to write, you are cancelled.” and stand behind both things.

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https://twitter.com/BrendonZatirka/status/1553767877026746373

Maybe she’s particularly sensitive to ableism because of her medical issues and isn’t even liberal. She may love Trump. Or maybe she pretty leftist and desperate for health insurance. Doesn’t seem like much to go on (or that interesting to me).