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0 pointsgrive7y ago0 comments

Centralized services use specially taylored engagement mechanics for people to get addicted to their stimuli.

They do so because there is an economic incentive for them.

Decentralized will not do this, as long as they remain non-profit and strive to stay ethical.

This means that the average user will prefer the unethical and addictive platform. Same thing as with fast-food. Not only do decentralized systems need to be technically competitive and surpass hurdles that centralized systems do not have, but they also need users to be made aware of those issues.

They are necessary but utopic.

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HeadsUpHigh7y ago· 2 in thread

I disagree. The "average" user nowadays knows or at least has heard of the problems with fast food. There have been numerous campaigns about eating healthy and as many people who have done the transformation from an unhealthy full of junk food diet to a healthy one with exercising can attest the benefits are there.

We need similar campaigns for an ethical internet. People need to understand the problems with the current options and be offered alternatives as good as possible. At the end of the day we can't force companies to behave "ethically"( whatever that means depending on your definition) so a decentralized options will be a better one.

lx34596837y ago

> There have been numerous campaigns about eating healthy and as many people who have done the transformation from an unhealthy full of junk food diet to a healthy one with exercising can attest the benefits are there.

And yet america is fatter than ever and getting fatter quicker than ever.

I think it's time we accept that most people are sheep that give in to even the most primitive forms of manipulation, even after being made aware of it.

Or to put it a bit more delicately, our brain is hardwired to optimise for short term reward functions and the vast majority of us are unable to seek longer term rewards even when consciously desiring them.

HeadsUpHigh7y ago

>I think it's time we accept that most people are sheep that give in to even the most primitive forms of manipulation, even after being made aware of it.

So what? That doesn't mean that the campaigns don't work. There has been a decent number of people changing their lives for the better. The fact that there is a tremendous amount of variation on cultural and education levels in the States simply means that certain areas might lag behind in changes. That doesn't mean the changes won't eventually happen.

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