this post was submitted on 18 Oct 2024
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[–] _number8_ 7 points 2 months ago (2 children)

this is insane. why can't we vote for them not to be able to do this? isn't this a democracy?

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 months ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

Whose deepfake influencers do you "trust" more? US, China, russia and a few lesser players are already working to control the information space / spread propaganda (note: not necessarily/always lies, but there is typically a focus or spin) far and wide.

We know people are highly influenced by propaganda (some more than others, but all of us are) and that quantity and repetition plays a role. Since this is now an established battlefield, I'd like our (western) defences to be strong.

It has potential for abuse, certainly. That's par for the course. There is also the potential for it to be used to debunk fake news, shock people out of false beliefs, and help reconnect people to reality. Let's see how this plays out. popcorn time

[–] Draghetta 11 points 2 months ago (1 children)

And the internet keeps getting more, and more dead.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

Hah. I hadn't seen that article / heard of the theory, but as far as crackpot theories/hypotheses go, it's one of the more likely (edit: to come about). I doubt it's anywhere near the majority yet, personally.

It was already obvious that propaganda news articles (on obscure websites) had orchestrated releases and promotion on social media, in a massive circle jerk, and I assumed machine generated/assisted content was involved. Then ChatGPT hit the headlines and we all had the power.

[–] Draghetta 3 points 2 months ago

Of course, the theory is exaggerated.

But to be honest, every time I’m watching a video on yourube with more than a hundred comments and any kind of political relevance, I just assume at least 90% of the comments are bots. Same goes for twitter arguments.

[–] mangaskahn 3 points 2 months ago (1 children)

The US is, as a matter of fact, and never has been, a democracy. It has always been a representative republic. Direct democracy as your comment envisions it is very difficult to implement and results in mob rule. If this is something you strongly believe should be stopped, get in touch with your federal senator and congressional representative to make your views known. Call, email, write paper letters, and encourage others to do the same. Make it clear that they won't be reelected if they allow this to continue. We don't have lobbying money, but it's hard to keep taking bribes if they no longer have a position with which to provide a return on that investment.

[–] _number8_ 3 points 1 month ago

contacting my representatives is exactly as useful as writing a letter to santa