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mikkupikkuyesterday at 6:33 PM2 repliesview on HN

American tech corps act like cigarette companies but we're still at the point where banning them for kids is considered weird, fringe and even dangerous. Crazy.


Replies

AnthonyMouseyesterday at 7:33 PM

The general problem is that nobody actually needs cigarettes but communication is fundamental to the human experience. How do you even propose to define "social media" in a way that can distinguish between it and any other public forum for discussion?

The actual problem is not that kids are using group communications technology, it's that the network effect in public interaction has been captured by private companies with a perverse incentive to maximize engagement.

That's just as much of a problem for adults as for teenagers and the solution doesn't look anything like "ban people from using this category of thing" and instead looks something like "require interoperability/federation" so there isn't a central middle man sitting on the chokepoint who makes more money the more time people waste using the service.

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dylan604yesterday at 7:34 PM

At least they are not running commercials saying 9 out of 10 doctors agree social media is good for you. That's the best thing I can say about them.

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