To live another's feed
A little bit of a discussion topic in this one or, something to think about. @mattclarke wrote an article about a simple trick to building a feed for a newbie by going to your own feed and replacing your name with someone else's in the url. By doing this, you now have access to what they see, which is a brilliant transparency feature of Steemit.
I have used this before and the results are sometimes interesting. What I commented was: imagine if Facebook was the same?
Now, it can't be of course as unlike the decentralised and transparent blockchain of Steemit where essentially every transaction is traceable, Facebook is a relative blackbox where users are essentially walled off from each other and can only see what Facebook wants them to see.
There have been numerous instances of manipulation where 'tailored' feeds have been found to be discriminatory in the information they provide to users under the guise of personalisation. This is not new information to us here at steemit I am sure.
I also understand that on Facebook, people are under the impression that their information is only viewable by those they want it to be viewed by, namely family and friends.
But, just like the tailored marketing brochures for big chains, what surrounds the Facebook user is unique to them or, people much like them. The types of adverts and promotions and even which of their friends they see often in their feed is manipulated by algorithms designed to engage and nudge.
This entered into some potentially very nefarious political areas during the last US presidential elections where Facebook were reportedly selling advertising space to encourage some sections of the population to not vote. The efficiency of the campaign is iffy but, the potential is still there for gross misconduct.
But, this aside, I wonder what it would be like to live in another's feed for a time and see what they see, experience the adverts they do and the articles they get pushed. Would it change thinking or understanding, can it change behaviours? I suggest that in all likelihood, yes.
What would happen if an extreme right wing activist was swapped with the feed of the extreme left? Or the rich with the feed of the poor? Would swapping digital lives give perspective on the positions of another? would it build understanding and compassion or, would it further cement the original position?
Do they run these experiments now? Probably. They have likely been running them for years to find new and subtle ways to nudge us to buy more, complain less, listen more, act less. To trust them?
What do you think, how affected are you? Do you realise the manipulations or are the ones you notice created to be noticed, a magicians trick to make you think you are smarter than the average bear?
Manipulation is the name of the game of society and the process itself is not unnatural or cruel but, the objective matters. Like convincing a child to eat her vegetables or convincing her to do the most heinous of things. Both are manipulations of her mind.
I wonder if there we were to see the feeds of our closest friends, would we be surprised by the difference to our own? It is all quite fascinating isn't but pretending it has no effect on us is being blind to our own natures.
What do you think?
Taraz
[ a Steemit original ]
As I was reading the article I tried a few feed swaps with those I know and follow. Honestly, contrary to your prediction, it didn't have any noticeable effect on me. May be my Steeming style is different. I hardly check my feed. I always go directly to the few important profiles that I follow, and read, vote and comment on those.
Thanks for the plug :)
Hacks like this demonstrate the open nature of this platform.
We tend to assess things relative to other, similar things.
Since there's never been anything closely comparable to facebook, we've always just accepted that it is how it is.
Now we have steemit, and we're able to draw the comparison.
This throws the drawbacks of Facebook into contrast; which isn't something you can "unsee".
It's how we'll win :)
No worries.
Yeah, it is the benefit of breaking ground (yes, others did similar before but not at the same level) as you can dictate the vernacular. Are the kids drinking from a 'Fruit box' or a 'Popper' ?
The more people see the Steemit view, the more they see the manipulations of the others.
"I'm going to show them a world without you"
Exactly.
WE are definitely being constantly manipulated, and online it is more specifically targeted than, say, mainstream news, which tries to cater to the lowest common denominator. I try to notice it, but as you say, I'm sure I'm affected at least a little.
I think we all are at least a little. Even those trained to see, normally only see what they have been trained to look for. Perhaps rather than looking for the manipulators, we should look at the changes in our own behaviour instead. Understand that and the manipulations become transparent.
Voltaire observes that to hold a pen is to war. Men have been warring with each other over perceptions and perspectives, since they uttered the first syllable. What are the ten-thousand religions of this world but ideologic warfare engaged in a massive scale? In the modern era, every blogger has the potential to be a faction tyrant peddling their peculiar ideology and warring with other tyrants for the collection of souls.
A sensible man wouldn't know whether to laugh or weep at this tremendous potential being used solely for mercantile purposes in the modern West. When the crusaders slaughtered entire villages, at least it was for something that mattered. Now, all Western efforts are directed towards either increasing their hoard of baubles or in search of trivial entertainment. In a sense, ISIS recruitment efforts using social media at least uses the weapon of manipulation for an ideology, compared with the West fritting away their resources worshipping their golden calf of money and more money.
It is an interesting perspective I think yet perhaps somewhat narrow as the ideology of say, the crusaders or ISIS and what they claim for is likely nothing more than a psychological bauble akin to that of the money of the West. Some like coke, some like fine wine. The drink doesn't matter does it?
Having said that, yeah, we live in a world powered by entertainment and leisure whilst tears in the fundamentals of nature and community continue to widen. As long as we are entertained, no one seems to do much about it, even those claiming to have sense.
Ideologies and cultures, by necessity, are narrow and circumscribed. A fact of reality that the modern West has forgotten in their mad rush towards religious and cultural suicide, in the form of tolerance and multiculturalism. The modern West, in her ideologic bankruptcy, proffers nothing for her subjects other than empty platitudes of freedom and accelerates her social dissolution into ether with political correctness. The inevitable consequence of such suicidal political and societal policies may be the ascendancy of mercantile sensibilities, rise in reactionary organizations, and mass conversion of their people into a foreign religious-social matrix. Man cannot exist in a cultural vacuum despite the current political fad.
It is normal if you tap into someone's feed who is very different than you, you would feel repelled, because people selectevly choose information. Normally people don't like to be challenged, but if you are constatntly outside your comfort zone you expand your comfort zone, becoming more open minded
Nice post
poor comment
I think steem it will be better thean Facebook
What makes you think so?
Such a wonderful post i am simpers:)
keep it up Dude:)
@Upvote
I now retract my statement that I made earlier, vis-a- vis you and good parenting...
😂😂😂😂
Thanks, didn't know this hack and I'll definitely try it out.
I know what you mean, I sometimes sneak a peek while my friends scroll on their Facebook feeds and it really is strange to see the differences.
Manipulation has always been the name of the game - and to trust those in power, namely the people who control Facebook would be very foolish, indeed.