"The Social Dilemma" documentary

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Carolla said:
I read your CBC article @Lastpointe. I think if you ask tech insiders or people who study or teach about tech - no this is not news. Seems to me that most of us understand there is some level of retail type advertising algorithm being employed to pay for the platforms by reaching users & getting them to spend money. That shouldn't be surprising - look at all the ads on TV & some radio stations.

I was more surprised to hear the part about how AI is used to influence other opinions and behaviours - for example by popping up certain info related to your prior choices & 'interests' when you use a search engine. It might be an interesting experiment here for some of us who we know have disparate views on some subjects to enter the same word or phrase into google search & then post the results here - see how similar or different our results are. Not sure what we might search ... will have to ponder that. And I'm not entire sure it's even possible to copy what shows up on that google list - I tried it before & I didn't work for me.
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Interesting idea. You could take a screenshot of your screen - on an iPad or iPhone it's just like taking a photo but it captures what's on the screen and saves it to your photo album. I'm sure it's similar on other devices. We could all do that and post them.
 
Certainly we know that what we read once then influences what things pop up. Everyone has had the issue of googling something, say Bermuda, and then for weeks you get ads for tourism in Bermuda.......
 
Lastpointe said:
Certainly we know that what we read once then influences what things pop up. Everyone has had the issue of googling something, say Bermuda, and then for weeks you get ads for tourism in Bermuda.......
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And with Alphabet integrating YouTube and Google more tightly of late, I get videos being recommended based on Google searches I've done. Had an example this morning but can't find it now. I think I Googled a song or artist for some reason and a video of it came up in my YouTube recommendations.
 
Lastpointe said:
Certainly we know that what we read once then influences what things pop up. Everyone has had the issue of googling something, say Bermuda, and then for weeks you get ads for tourism in Bermuda.......
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Heck, I just have to talk about something without ever having looked it up on the internet or anything related, and suddenly something appears on my computer that I was talking about to someone.
Now, that's weird....
 
Lastpointe said:
Certainly we know that what we read once then influences what things pop up. Everyone has had the issue of googling something, say Bermuda, and then for weeks you get ads for tourism in Bermuda.......
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Exactly. So if you are somebody who has looked up say, for example sake, conspiracy theory re climate change - your news popping up will be skewed in that direction, perhaps creating a different sense of it than somebody who has googled other aspects of climate change. Public opinion starts to skew. One would have to be very purposeful about seeking competing reports in order to form what might be some semblance of an informed opinion - and how many people actually use their time & energy to do so? Or even examining the reported source of such info that pops up. Takes me back to my mom always saying, pre-internet - "consider the source".
 
Carolla said:
Public opinion starts to skew.
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A lot of the information that I have found in the past seems to have disappeared into 'thin air' ... platforms are removed if they do not follow the official narrative ... everything that does not follow the official narrative is deemed fake news disinformation or conspiracy theory so it is getting harder and harder to find alternative viewpoints to what the 'authorities' want you to see and hear. Freedom of Speech is definitely being targeted every which way you look.

Julian Assange, defender of our freedoms, is facing colossal injustice
By Bert Olivier on 26 September 2020

In her ground-breaking book on the effects of technology on our ways of living – Alone Together – Sherry Turkle discusses the fact that young people who cherish the freedom that the internet has given them, don’t seem to be perturbed by their online exposure to state and corporate scrutiny, that is, their lack of privacy. Moreover, they feel impotent and resigned in the face of such power to invade one’s privacy.
thoughtleader.co.za

Julian Assange, defender of our freedoms, is facing colossal injustice - Thought Leader

Should he be extradited to the United States by Britain and sentenced as expected, it will be a blow to all citizens in constitutional democracies
thoughtleader.co.za thoughtleader.co.za
 
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Waterfall said:
Heck, I just have to talk about something without ever having looked it up on the internet or anything related, and suddenly something appears on my computer that I was talking about to someone.
Now, that's weird....
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Your phone will have been in earshot, and I believe that you have to deliberately turn the mic off; default is mic on.
 
Mendalla said:
And with Alphabet integrating YouTube and Google more tightly of late, I get videos being recommended based on Google searches I've done. Had an example this morning but can't find it now. I think I Googled a song or artist for some reason and a video of it came up in my YouTube recommendations.
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It's really noticeable when not signed into YouTube and going to the home option
 
Carolla said:
Exactly. So if you are somebody who has looked up say, for example sake, conspiracy theory re climate change - your news popping up will be skewed in that direction, perhaps creating a different sense of it than somebody who has googled other aspects of climate change. Public opinion starts to skew. One would have to be very purposeful about seeking competing reports in order to form what might be some semblance of an informed opinion - and how many people actually use their time & energy to do so? Or even examining the reported source of such info that pops up. Takes me back to my mom always saying, pre-internet - "consider the source".
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Or use something other than Google.
 
There was one mentioned in the documentary - but it was quick & I didn't catch its name. :cry:
 
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