So... could you run Facebook better than Zuckerberg? Also, I can't believe this is the last episode of Attention Wars!! 👀😢Whether you've watched one episode or all six, I *really* hope you've gained some insight to how technology influences your everyday choices (and life!) and that, hopefully, you've thought about the relationship that you have with technology. And if you haven't seen all six episodes lol plz watch sometime
Vanessa, I want to really THANK YOU for giving us all that knowledge about how facebook influences us and addicts us and ruins our society. Now I have deleted my Facebook and I feel SO MUCH BETTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 Thank you!! (Edit): I am 14 years old and live in Bulgaria.
OMG, what on earth? If the company is publicly traded then they are legally required to maximize profits for shareholders. The executives couldn't do much good, without breaking the law. Why did you not discuss the real problem? That our laws require profits over doing the right thing.
BrainCraft you can’t run Facebook better than Zuckerberg. He deliberately manipulates users to an extreme. The amount of ads in Facebook game is ridiculous. 99% of the things on Facebook is total waste of time. You just need to be quite cold-hearted to be the ceo of Facebook
TheTechiemoses, companies are in business to make profits. If you disagree with how Facebook conducts its business, stop using their products and/ or change the laws to stop the practices you disagree with. Parent your children to act accordingly with said technology.
If I was the CEO of Facebook, I'd earn myself a bunch of money and quit immediately afterwards. Facebook is a publicly traded company. The CEO of Facebook *cannot* do anything to make Facebook less addictive, because it'll be less profitable. His shareholders won't allow anything he could possibly try to make Facebook more ethical. The best way to understand why if you were the CEO of Facebook, you'd be unable to make it more ethical, is by watching CGP Grey's Rules for Rulers. This does not mean that there aren't any ways to improve Facebook. There are. They're available to governments though, not the CEO of Facebook.
This was the same response as Makenna (the teenager in the middle, with glasses). Then she said, "Wait, then the stock price would go down and that would be bad for all of the workers there so I guess I would have to leave quietly"
@@braincraft Sure, what I meant to say with my comment isn't that I don't want to improve Facebook. It's that politicians in a republic are the people that can improve Facebook. Not the CEO. Their power comes directly from voters. If enough people will vote for you based on your actions regarding Facebook, you could actually try and change it. You'd have the power.
My water and power lines don't come with targeted political ads. Sometimes my phone does, but I'm not happy about it. I like this public utility angle, it really clarifies how much skullduggery we put up with just using basic tools.
@@gurjodhsingh6216 It's like any tool, the human needs to understand how to use it and not have the tool use them. As Shakespeare said 'Nothing is, but thinking makes it so.'
Thanks Vanessa, I'm not off social media but I definitely don't spend nearly as much time on there as I use to. Can't wait to see the next series you work on
One of the scariest things about this is the personal information bubble, but not in the way that most people think. The thing about large powerful corporations or large governments is their disconnection from the public as a whole, so they don’t really have their finger on the pulse of culture even though, now, they can be deceived into thinking so, which is insanely ironic. You can extrapolate this to the dismissal of the public to your own end, as in, corporations and governments not realizing they actually NEED us to operate. They have a vested interest in the mental health of the public, and although I would think this would be obvious, I’m not sure people in those bubbles realize the extent and context of it. Those kids are smart though, and they give me hope, as do the people deleting their accounts, which I have also done. If this perspective gains traction we actually wouldn’t need the regulation.
Best thing I have ever done is to unfollow everyone, so I get a blank news feed. This allows me to still have messenger but not fall into the black hole when I log on.
do more and more and more plz never stop. i decresed my time on social media after this serie. now i realized was too much, and im doing things that contribute to myself quality knowledge
The last thing we need is government control, that would be infinitely worse. But we do need regulations to stop them vertically integrating and using their power to stop existing smaller and new potential competitors. The legacy tech companies are colluding together to protect their current status, this needs to stop.
All the tech companies are actively developing software for China as is, to meet the CCP's surveillance, censorship, and propaganda requirements. Government "regulations" will just mean those same software will be used on us.
Watched the whole series. Episode 1 and 5 were eye-openers. This series and the earlier 'Mutant Menu' documentary are by far your best works so far. The production quality is amazing and the amount of research into the topic is massive. I'm just worried about the amount of views these episodes are getting despite your high subscriber count (& even after splitting the documentary into 6 episodes). I hope this channel survives long enough so that we can see more of these great documentaries.
So more government policies? I wouldn't trust Zuckerburg to hold my place in line, let alone my personal information, but shouldn't we trust our own willpower over politicians?
If you were a zillionaire who controlled the government, would you rather control a weak government with little control over your industry or a strong government that you can use against your competition?
Yes, for the reason you just avoided rebutting. But I'm sure you'll continue fighting the Walmarts and McDonalds of the world by pricing their competition out of the market.
Nick Campbell It’s fine if it’s a monopoly imo as long as it serves us and isn’t just exploitative. I think it should be broken down into smaller manageable pieces AND made into some kind of public service. That way you won’t need ads and the goal would be to serve, rather than profit..
Thank you, Vanessa. I have been paying attention. And I saw that commercial you stuck in this video. To paraphrase: "the world is bad so watch my channel and it will be better" (from 9:20 to 9:35). It would have been nice if you had someone in a gorilla suit walk by while we were reading those notes in that rooftop garden.
It's absolutely amazing to watch the lengths people would go to avoid taking responsibility for their own actions. Like trying to compare a private company to a public utility like electricity...
this is exactly what i hope to do. i live in palo alto california i just graduated from stanford last year and i am working on an app. my app will be the next facebook-integral to society in much the same way-but i will be on the side of the people i will never forget my roots, i am a social scientist not a techy. i want to help i want to be a part of the change for a better future. thank you so much for this video-those youths give me so much hope!!-and this whole series, it is very important information
I find it interesting that some people can't leave their phones off. As to FOMO, put your bloody phone away and go out and do the stuff you feel like you are missing out on.
I think this series really opened my eyes and made me realise how manipulative these things can be, and also how many people around me still use it without thinking about the patterns or realise what it’s actually doingto us. I want to thank you for that, and now that this series is finished, I will share it with my friends and hopefully enlighten them. :)
Thank you for making this amazing series! There's definitely been a ton of food for thought and excellent points made about our attention and how tech companies are interacting with it! I do hope tech companies keep in mind that as a business their jobs are to meet some unmet needs rather than throw ads our way. After all I wonder how many people left facebook since every other post you see on it is now an ad, rather than due to the encroachments on privacy? Anyways thanks again for the great series! Will there be a season 2?
I actively use Facebook and TH-cam as a way to connect with people, since my profession (Over The Road truck driver) keeps me isolated for months at a time.
The biggest dilemma is the issue of monopoly. Being a monopoly is by far the most important feature that a social network can offer to the general public. We're not on Facebook because it provides a satisfying user experience (its operation is usually quite frustrating, notwithstanding the content), but because everyone is using it. That's why the superior Google+ failed, for example. Maybe the solution is for the humanity to become the shareholders, funders and the board of its social network.
Nice article in your newspaper "TH-camr creates online content encouraging offline habits". On a serious note: Do you think to a certain extent you are trying to aim for your own professional obsolescence? Or can there be a healthy balance - even in a world where YTs algos work for watch time maximization across all channels?
Right now there's no appetite in the U.S. Congress for the kinds of changes we need to see in terms of regulation. But there really should be. The reason most watchers give, is because the public outcry, while loud in and of itself, isn't widespread enough, i.e., geographically as well as age demographically. To me, this signals a need for much greater awareness, e.g., BrainCraft, and also civil activism like calling Congress, emails, in person interviews, etc. That includes at the state level. There are the beginnings of legislation aimed at it. But, for reasons both endemic to the stumbling blocks of the legislative system/process, read as 'the nature of the beast', as well as specific to factors like basic ideological precepts, commercial interests, and many influential members' generational ignorance of the tech itself, it will be slow in coming. I fear that when it does, it might already need a legislative day 1 patch.
I saw this Facebook manipulation a while ago. Facebook forced me to auto-update its apps with no opt-out option. I rarely used the app so it bugged me with notifications 24/7. That's when I decided to delete the app and say goodbye to my relationship with Facebook.
That is mainly a security issue. You need to update, to stop former security holes, and to ensure compatibility across all user. BUT, facebook are still using manipulation. One instance is getting notifications telling you to install the messenger app, because you have unread messages , but when you install it, there's nothing there. That is absolutely disgusting. It's using people's fear of missing out (FOMO), to get them to download their app.
A company's sole responsibility is to make money for the people who work at said company. The only right way to take power away from one of these companies is to make it easier to create competing companies.
I can't plug off fron Facebook entirely, I have friends there, well, maybe even MOST of my friends is there, coz I don't havr much IRL. However, I got distracted a lot by it that I became extremely unproductive.
I've been off most social media platforms because they are proprietary (so a different reason than the one here) and it's always a painful sacrifice to cut ties with people on a platform and ask them to join you on different spaces. I'd toot you my latest python joke, but you're not on masterdon for example. Facebook is the worst though, so I'd work on that first if you're thinking of moving.
I tried to use Facebook when I was younger, but its interface seemed weird, and so I abandoned it. Now, with Attention Wars series always speaking exclusively about FB, I thought "maybe it actually has something interesting in there, should I give it another try?..." Turns out FB blocked my account long ago. And I'm kinda lazy enough not to create another one)
I have never felt much social connection via facebook. The most I used it was in high school. Otherwise I have used facebook intermittently/rarely and I might as well not have an account. It does not help me connect with old friends. Maybe my true friends feel the same way, because I never see them posting there either.
There is nothing we can do, once a company becomes public, it becomes nothing but "the money". It stop caring about it's users, employees, community, etc. Everything is just money, money, money, once a company becomes public, and it goes to great extents to get more money. There is only one part of this whole series that I totally disagree, WE ARE RESPONSIBLE. Don't blame others, ever, for what happens in your life, Facebook doesn't force you to lose your time on the platform at point gun, and even if they did, the choice is still yours, nothing and nobody can take that power away from you. When you say, "if you can" when you are addicted, you made the decision that made you addicted in the first place. Social media has only the power we give them, and the platforms are not to blame but us, only each one of us.
Breaking up Facebook would just create more echo chambers. All we need is more direct access to the algorithms. I shouldn't have to train my algorithm because ultimately the feedback loops will over shoot.
I'm a self-responsibility absolutist and I believe people are looking externally for solutions when their problems are internal, we should change ourselves not the technology although misuse of of our information and other factors that are out of our control should be mitigated anything involving our engagement should be our responsibility. Tech companies are taking advantage of an evolutionary trait within us as are all companies but they're very good at it we can not dampen their progress and infantilise ourselves simply because of our lack of self control its preposterous it's a bandaid on a problem that will continue to resurface. Another point here is that we're being selective outraged, the number one cause of death in western countries is heart disease but I don't see anyone saying McDonald should be broken up or Coca Cola should be stopped even though their impact is greater and more detrimental. The problem here is innate it's like telling women to stop sexually advertising because men can't control themselves which is nonesense.
So glad to see a comment like this. I agree, there is this widespread willingness to outsource what should fall under the purview of our own personal responsibility onto others, especially big companies. It's a demand-side issue.
I have to disagree with that kind of stance because it forces everyone to be extremely skilled at self control. If you think about it, there a lots of things we *can* do, in theory, but don't because they would take more time and effort to learn how to do than we think is worth it. Shaming people who are bad at something like this rather than making it easier is not only unhelpful, but harmful, since it leaves us with less in the way of mental resources for other things.
I don't get why would you be opposed to improving Facebook? Regardless of who you think is responsible, a more ethical Facebook would be easier for more people to avoid getting addicted to. There is nothing bad (unless you're a shareholder of Facebook) that can happen as a result of a more ethical Facebook. It'll only bring us closer to our shared goal, regardless of whether it's the right way to do it or not.
@@liranpiade4499 I'm not opposed to improving Facebook, though I am opposed to attempting to do it by government fiat. But I'm any case, my point wasn't about improving Facebook, it was about where the responsibility lies. Some people seem to want to put all that responsibility outside of themselves. That's what I am criticizing.
Doesn't absolute self-responsibility dehumanise us rather than infantilise us. Perfectly consistent robotic like reactions to stimulus with infinite patience and will is the kind of position that denied the nature of humans as both deeply social and systematically bound to their man-made environment. I wish it was as easy as victim blaming.
Thank you for the wonderful series. What would an ideal running of Facebook be? What if machine learning was used to seek out only the good of those using it, how would it balance the issues instead of a human source?
This is a tough question, since I'm not using facebook and I can't relate to the issues there... but I would probably start a campaign, try to lecture people in topics like: how to identify addictive elements and stay in control with time management and/or a strong will! I would also definitely spend more money on funding charities and scientific experiments (but only those that could have a huge benefit for us all)... hope that's enough to become Mr. TH-cam 2019 :D
Just one little thing... 2:10 "never in our history have we encountered companies as large as facebook..." VOC or Dutch East India company had a net worth of more than Google, Microsoft, Facebook and apple combined...
First, my sympathy and ❤️🐈 for suggesting we socialize the likes. An approach outside the box were to change economy, not rewarding maximizing monetary gain, but rewarding how much sth. reduces stress and improves human condition generally. Obviously we'd need a translation layer for improvement to whatever form of reward.
I panic when I receive notifications, so apps that try to stop me from turning notifications off, is an instant delete for me. Facebook is one of them.
In the US there is a law that prevents government interference whit tech companies. Originally it was made to prevent these Social Media companies from being held lieble for what was posted on them to ensure freedom of speech, except now the companies censor them-self and act as a publisher without having any of the responsibilities. An argument is made because of privat enterprises, however in the US all internet platforms are only possible because of government funded and build infrastructure and the law protects them so they can monopolize to the point where competitors can't arise because their results in google-search are obscured and hosts won't carry their websites. The latest example is Patreon, who banned a person inspite of their terms of service as they were then, not being broken. Then coincidentally when people began to complain and leave towards SubscribeStar , Paypal banned the platform from using it's Services, hindering their in participation in the free market.
4:44 She's spot on but I believe for the wrong reason. Kids don't want to be seen on the same platforms as their parents (first-hand experience tells me this). So they will be a slow generational roll. Which, of course, is why Facebook bought Instagram to try and solve that problem :)
I have a question: How could this be possible for an international or global company to be transformed into a local/ national public service? It sounds very complicated and a very bureaucratic process... I am not sure if this is the right path to follow. Nevertheless I don't have the revolutionary answer to this issue...anyway...Merry Xmas!
An ad-free, secure, and well-balanced social media platform, perhaps on subscription basis, would be an excellent replacement for FB. I'd pay $10 per month to ensure data security, quality content, and especially freedom from the incredibly sophisticated algorithms designed to keep me mindlessly scrolling, insulating me in an ideological echo-chamber from competing points of view, polarizing the electorate I rely on for sound political decisions. However, a fee would be a barrier to entry for many around the world that cannot afford to pay $10 per month for social media. This would a real problem because far from a being place of benign entertainment, social media is a venue for commerce, education, diplomacy, friendship, public outreach, and even health care. Those unable to join due to financial constraints would be severely disadvantaged. With such board applications in many aspects of modern life, perhaps this digital venue would be more ethically and equitably operated under a socialized regime, rather than the reigning capitalist system. . But idk, government-operated social media sounds like an express train to Orwell's 1984. Idk what the answer is, but somethings gotta change.
Ads are not bad. I believe if privacy concerns are addressed, ads are the best way to provide and consume services. Think about it. Do you hate ads or do you hate the ads that don't care about your privacy? Most of us convert our privacy concerns into a hatred for ads. But really, if it was *you* who chose the ads, will you be concerned of privacy? If you had total control of the ads you will see, will you oppose ads? If you ask me, that's great. You support creators as well as can enjoy their services for free. And if that's the case, what better economy can we have? You also don't need an algorithm that will 'track' user activities and figure out their interests. Recommendation systems can still be used, but not for advertising as the topics are solely based on user choice. Recently, Google has come up with features that allow you to select the topics you are okay with seeing the ads about, just like you select your topics of interest in reddit. I don't trust personalization because to me it's like their detective algorithm is following me and noting down every single reaction I have and predicting my next move. I disapprove that. But instead, if I tell them what ads I am okay watching and they only show me those category ads, it is great for me. I recommend everyone to check out your Google settings and choose what ads you would approve. Sensitive ads are disabled by default. It's only getting better and I believe Google has taken great steps to address privacy concerns. Why can't we have an attention economy where the engagement is not forced or addictive, but based on *positive* influence of content?
Well, like I agree with your point of view, that perhaps we have gone too far in one direction. And you suggest making social media a service managed by the state, but that’s whats happening in China and it just increases citizen suppression. We need to find the balance between this two extremes. Web 3.0, we are waiting for you.
I would turn my business to help everyone improving their intelligence and mental health! Create better human beings! Make social media really "social"
i never saw the appeal of facebook and all the other social media sites. beyond the purpose of communication and sharing of useful/interesting information, there is nothing they offer that is, well, useful or interesting to me.
Facebook and Alphabet need to be broken up or turned into a public utility. I'd rather the latter - competition is good for society - but either one would be fine.
I watch a lot of TH-cam but very little TV, but the last few days have been busy so it's taken me 3 days to get around to this video, and it's one of my favourite series at the moment. I could never be the CEO of Faecebook because I actually have morals. Zuck will continue to pay the fines, apologise and keep doing what he does regardless. I've already given my views on this, and how I handle their agendas. I'm highly cynical, and get more so with age :)
obviously there is always things that can be improved, but i see so many people acting like this is something that is easy to fix and just because of the ceos greed etc. - that kid talking about how facebook is making so much profit it doesnt need ads... - global tech companies being controlled by governments - some things could probably be regulated (eg gdpr in europe), but the main problem imo is which government? most of the big stories that have drawn attention to this are various (russia/usa/uk) governments abusing facebook. even if there was some government that could be trusted there are none who understand technology - imo the problem is people, if people stopped going on facebook, advertisers would stop paying for ads and facebook would no longer make money.
So... could you run Facebook better than Zuckerberg?
Also, I can't believe this is the last episode of Attention Wars!! 👀😢Whether you've watched one episode or all six, I *really* hope you've gained some insight to how technology influences your everyday choices (and life!) and that, hopefully, you've thought about the relationship that you have with technology.
And if you haven't seen all six episodes lol plz watch sometime
Vanessa,
I want to really THANK YOU for giving us all that knowledge about how facebook influences us and addicts us and ruins our society. Now I have deleted my Facebook and I feel SO MUCH BETTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 Thank you!!
(Edit): I am 14 years old and live in Bulgaria.
To meet people with the intent to build make help change effect.
OMG, what on earth? If the company is publicly traded then they are legally required to maximize profits for shareholders.
The executives couldn't do much good, without breaking the law. Why did you not discuss the real problem? That our laws require profits over doing the right thing.
BrainCraft you can’t run Facebook better than Zuckerberg. He deliberately manipulates users to an extreme. The amount of ads in Facebook game is ridiculous. 99% of the things on Facebook is total waste of time. You just need to be quite cold-hearted to be the ceo of Facebook
TheTechiemoses, companies are in business to make profits. If you disagree with how Facebook conducts its business, stop using their products and/ or change the laws to stop the practices you disagree with. Parent your children to act accordingly with said technology.
"When i'm not actively doing something to try not to be online, by default, i'm online."
This kid is going places, wow, best quote of 2018
All of them are absolutely marvelous.
@@liranpiade4499 of course
Sounds like every kid I know
@@halodavid8 awesome
He's right about the default mode network though. It changes the way yyou think
If I was the CEO of Facebook, I'd earn myself a bunch of money and quit immediately afterwards.
Facebook is a publicly traded company. The CEO of Facebook *cannot* do anything to make Facebook less addictive, because it'll be less profitable. His shareholders won't allow anything he could possibly try to make Facebook more ethical. The best way to understand why if you were the CEO of Facebook, you'd be unable to make it more ethical, is by watching CGP Grey's Rules for Rulers.
This does not mean that there aren't any ways to improve Facebook. There are. They're available to governments though, not the CEO of Facebook.
This was the same response as Makenna (the teenager in the middle, with glasses). Then she said, "Wait, then the stock price would go down and that would be bad for all of the workers there so I guess I would have to leave quietly"
@@braincraft Sure, what I meant to say with my comment isn't that I don't want to improve Facebook. It's that politicians in a republic are the people that can improve Facebook. Not the CEO. Their power comes directly from voters. If enough people will vote for you based on your actions regarding Facebook, you could actually try and change it. You'd have the power.
Do these three kids have a youtube channel or something? They're more articulate than half the adults I know
Chad Mojito I agree.
Not related but... Oh my! The lord of the mischief appeared on a BrainCraft comment section! Big hugs to the little rats.
@@aldo_mores 😊
Wow, that 13 yo girl! “I’m 13 years old, it shouldn’t be my responsibility wholeheartedly.” Bam!
Thank you Vanessa for attention wars series, enjoyed each one of them!
My water and power lines don't come with targeted political ads. Sometimes my phone does, but I'm not happy about it. I like this public utility angle, it really clarifies how much skullduggery we put up with just using basic tools.
Those are some self aware kids!
ikr that girl is so eloquent
This series is mind opening ...but i dont get why the views are so less (maybe TH-cam is not recommending it bcz u know ....) Anyways ..great work !
I have not used fb for 1.8 years and it feels great.
I once saw a picture that read, "The happiest person in the world is probably NOT on Facebook".
gurjodh singh I’ve never used Facebook never will
@@r.m2192 I'm always glad to hear of someone else who isn't Facehooked! There are very few of us out there
Sean Mccann it’s the tool of doom .
@@gurjodhsingh6216 It's like any tool, the human needs to understand how to use it and not have the tool use them. As Shakespeare said 'Nothing is, but thinking makes it so.'
Thanks Vanessa, I'm not off social media but I definitely don't spend nearly as much time on there as I use to. Can't wait to see the next series you work on
One of the scariest things about this is the personal information bubble, but not in the way that most people think.
The thing about large powerful corporations or large governments is their disconnection from the public as a whole, so they don’t really have their finger on the pulse of culture even though, now, they can be deceived into thinking so, which is insanely ironic. You can extrapolate this to the dismissal of the public to your own end, as in, corporations and governments not realizing they actually NEED us to operate. They have a vested interest in the mental health of the public, and although I would think this would be obvious, I’m not sure people in those bubbles realize the extent and context of it.
Those kids are smart though, and they give me hope, as do the people deleting their accounts, which I have also done. If this perspective gains traction we actually wouldn’t need the regulation.
This series was fantastic, Vanessa!
Best thing I have ever done is to unfollow everyone, so I get a blank news feed. This allows me to still have messenger but not fall into the black hole when I log on.
do more and more and more plz never stop. i decresed my time on social media after this serie. now i realized was too much, and im doing things that contribute to myself quality knowledge
Publically controlled social media. So like China then?
Jokes aside, some competition in the market would be nice.
The last thing we need is government control, that would be infinitely worse. But we do need regulations to stop them vertically integrating and using their power to stop existing smaller and new potential competitors. The legacy tech companies are colluding together to protect their current status, this needs to stop.
All the tech companies are actively developing software for China as is, to meet the CCP's surveillance, censorship, and propaganda requirements.
Government "regulations" will just mean those same software will be used on us.
Watched the whole series. Episode 1 and 5 were eye-openers. This series and the earlier 'Mutant Menu' documentary are by far your best works so far. The production quality is amazing and the amount of research into the topic is massive. I'm just worried about the amount of views these episodes are getting despite your high subscriber count (& even after splitting the documentary into 6 episodes). I hope this channel survives long enough so that we can see more of these great documentaries.
So more government policies? I wouldn't trust Zuckerburg to hold my place in line, let alone my personal information, but shouldn't we trust our own willpower over politicians?
The government is only alienated from the people because billionaires like Zuckerberg control it.
If you were a zillionaire who controlled the government, would you rather control a weak government with little control over your industry or a strong government that you can use against your competition?
Are you really trying to argue that industry regulation leads to monopolies? That's completely ass backwards.
Yes, for the reason you just avoided rebutting. But I'm sure you'll continue fighting the Walmarts and McDonalds of the world by pricing their competition out of the market.
Nick Campbell
It’s fine if it’s a monopoly imo as long as it serves us and isn’t just exploitative. I think it should be broken down into smaller manageable pieces AND made into some kind of public service. That way you won’t need ads and the goal would be to serve, rather than profit..
Seeing these kids gives me some faith In humanity.Hope they stay that way.
Thank you, Vanessa. I have been paying attention. And I saw that commercial you stuck in this video. To paraphrase: "the world is bad so watch my channel and it will be better" (from 9:20 to 9:35). It would have been nice if you had someone in a gorilla suit walk by while we were reading those notes in that rooftop garden.
This series deserves millions of views. People should be aware of these issues.
It's absolutely amazing to watch the lengths people would go to avoid taking responsibility for their own actions. Like trying to compare a private company to a public utility like electricity...
The problem is that I use social media to give me motivation to generate many works and also work out xD
this is exactly what i hope to do. i live in palo alto california i just graduated from stanford last year and i am working on an app. my app will be the next facebook-integral to society in much the same way-but i will be on the side of the people i will never forget my roots, i am a social scientist not a techy. i want to help i want to be a part of the change for a better future. thank you so much for this video-those youths give me so much hope!!-and this whole series, it is very important information
I find it interesting that some people can't leave their phones off. As to FOMO, put your bloody phone away and go out and do the stuff you feel like you are missing out on.
I think this series really opened my eyes and made me realise how manipulative these things can be, and also how many people around me still use it without thinking about the patterns or realise what it’s actually doingto us. I want to thank you for that, and now that this series is finished, I will share it with my friends and hopefully enlighten them. :)
Thank you for making this amazing series! There's definitely been a ton of food for thought and excellent points made about our attention and how tech companies are interacting with it! I do hope tech companies keep in mind that as a business their jobs are to meet some unmet needs rather than throw ads our way. After all I wonder how many people left facebook since every other post you see on it is now an ad, rather than due to the encroachments on privacy?
Anyways thanks again for the great series! Will there be a season 2?
I actively use Facebook and TH-cam as a way to connect with people, since my profession (Over The Road truck driver) keeps me isolated for months at a time.
The series was great! Really great. And happy holidays to the BrainCraft team.
The biggest dilemma is the issue of monopoly. Being a monopoly is by far the most important feature that a social network can offer to the general public. We're not on Facebook because it provides a satisfying user experience (its operation is usually quite frustrating, notwithstanding the content), but because everyone is using it. That's why the superior Google+ failed, for example. Maybe the solution is for the humanity to become the shareholders, funders and the board of its social network.
Now I have to watch the rest of this series. Awesome stuff!
Top marks! I seem to recall a soupçon of Mutant Menu on the Colbert show.
the kids are great!
PBS: thanks for making this series, I enjoyed it enormously, I am very looking forward for Crash Course Web Browsing. Mr. Rogers would be proud!
Nice article in your newspaper "TH-camr creates online content encouraging offline habits". On a serious note: Do you think to a certain extent you are trying to aim for your own professional obsolescence? Or can there be a healthy balance - even in a world where YTs algos work for watch time maximization across all channels?
Right now there's no appetite in the U.S. Congress for the kinds of changes we need to see in terms of regulation. But there really should be. The reason most watchers give, is because the public outcry, while loud in and of itself, isn't widespread enough, i.e., geographically as well as age demographically. To me, this signals a need for much greater awareness, e.g., BrainCraft, and also civil activism like calling Congress, emails, in person interviews, etc. That includes at the state level.
There are the beginnings of legislation aimed at it. But, for reasons both endemic to the stumbling blocks of the legislative system/process, read as 'the nature of the beast', as well as specific to factors like basic ideological precepts, commercial interests, and many influential members' generational ignorance of the tech itself, it will be slow in coming. I fear that when it does, it might already need a legislative day 1 patch.
I saw this Facebook manipulation a while ago. Facebook forced me to auto-update its apps with no opt-out option. I rarely used the app so it bugged me with notifications 24/7. That's when I decided to delete the app and say goodbye to my relationship with Facebook.
That is mainly a security issue. You need to update, to stop former security holes, and to ensure compatibility across all user.
BUT, facebook are still using manipulation. One instance is getting notifications telling you to install the messenger app, because you have unread messages , but when you install it, there's nothing there. That is absolutely disgusting. It's using people's fear of missing out (FOMO), to get them to download their app.
Wow! I think this is one of the best videos you've put out. Thank you.
Kudos. This series was amazing. I can't stop watching it.
A company's sole responsibility is to make money for the people who work at said company. The only right way to take power away from one of these companies is to make it easier to create competing companies.
I don’t understand how you could “break up” Facebook like a traditional monopoly. How would one go about doing that?
We live in an era of blamelessness and a lack of responsibility on a personal level. In the immortal words of Eric Kartman: you rack self-disahprin.
Like that the one guy has a The Thing action figure to his left on the desk.
I can't plug off fron Facebook entirely, I have friends there, well, maybe even MOST of my friends is there, coz I don't havr much IRL. However, I got distracted a lot by it that I became extremely unproductive.
I've been off most social media platforms because they are proprietary (so a different reason than the one here) and it's always a painful sacrifice to cut ties with people on a platform and ask them to join you on different spaces. I'd toot you my latest python joke, but you're not on masterdon for example. Facebook is the worst though, so I'd work on that first if you're thinking of moving.
Martin Owens Facebook is pretty much my main social media coz I don't really use any others and yeah, their grasp is sooo tight.
I tried to use Facebook when I was younger, but its interface seemed weird, and so I abandoned it.
Now, with Attention Wars series always speaking exclusively about FB, I thought "maybe it actually has something interesting in there, should I give it another try?..."
Turns out FB blocked my account long ago. And I'm kinda lazy enough not to create another one)
Moments of wisdom from middle school kids
You have very informative videos and they all are very interesting . Keep up the good work and merry Christmas to you and everyone.
Thanks! Happy holidays to you too 🙌
Hello. I love your videos!!
Hi! Thank you!
A stranger cannot use someone else to get attention or monetization.
That’s invasion of privacy. All four torts
Thanks for this awesome series!
I would shut down Facebook and laugh maniacly as people have to actually talk to each other in real life
2:07 activated my Google Home assistant
I have never felt much social connection via facebook. The most I used it was in high school. Otherwise I have used facebook intermittently/rarely and I might as well not have an account. It does not help me connect with old friends. Maybe my true friends feel the same way, because I never see them posting there either.
Loving this series. Thanks!
Thanks Roberto! Means a lot!
There is nothing we can do, once a company becomes public, it becomes nothing but "the money". It stop caring about it's users, employees, community, etc. Everything is just money, money, money, once a company becomes public, and it goes to great extents to get more money.
There is only one part of this whole series that I totally disagree, WE ARE RESPONSIBLE. Don't blame others, ever, for what happens in your life, Facebook doesn't force you to lose your time on the platform at point gun, and even if they did, the choice is still yours, nothing and nobody can take that power away from you. When you say, "if you can" when you are addicted, you made the decision that made you addicted in the first place.
Social media has only the power we give them, and the platforms are not to blame but us, only each one of us.
Breaking up Facebook would just create more echo chambers. All we need is more direct access to the algorithms. I shouldn't have to train my algorithm because ultimately the feedback loops will over shoot.
So wait are you Australian in San Francisco right now for this project (that’s SF at the end isn’t it?) or you’ve just moved completely?
excellent series! thank you!
Good series. Facebook has been dezactivated for 1 month now. Not going back.
I'm a self-responsibility absolutist and I believe people are looking externally for solutions when their problems are internal, we should change ourselves not the technology although misuse of of our information and other factors that are out of our control should be mitigated anything involving our engagement should be our responsibility. Tech companies are taking advantage of an evolutionary trait within us as are all companies but they're very good at it we can not dampen their progress and infantilise ourselves simply because of our lack of self control its preposterous it's a bandaid on a problem that will continue to resurface. Another point here is that we're being selective outraged, the number one cause of death in western countries is heart disease but I don't see anyone saying McDonald should be broken up or Coca Cola should be stopped even though their impact is greater and more detrimental. The problem here is innate it's like telling women to stop sexually advertising because men can't control themselves which is nonesense.
So glad to see a comment like this. I agree, there is this widespread willingness to outsource what should fall under the purview of our own personal responsibility onto others, especially big companies. It's a demand-side issue.
I have to disagree with that kind of stance because it forces everyone to be extremely skilled at self control. If you think about it, there a lots of things we *can* do, in theory, but don't because they would take more time and effort to learn how to do than we think is worth it. Shaming people who are bad at something like this rather than making it easier is not only unhelpful, but harmful, since it leaves us with less in the way of mental resources for other things.
I don't get why would you be opposed to improving Facebook? Regardless of who you think is responsible, a more ethical Facebook would be easier for more people to avoid getting addicted to.
There is nothing bad (unless you're a shareholder of Facebook) that can happen as a result of a more ethical Facebook. It'll only bring us closer to our shared goal, regardless of whether it's the right way to do it or not.
@@liranpiade4499 I'm not opposed to improving Facebook, though I am opposed to attempting to do it by government fiat. But I'm any case, my point wasn't about improving Facebook, it was about where the responsibility lies. Some people seem to want to put all that responsibility outside of themselves. That's what I am criticizing.
Doesn't absolute self-responsibility dehumanise us rather than infantilise us. Perfectly consistent robotic like reactions to stimulus with infinite patience and will is the kind of position that denied the nature of humans as both deeply social and systematically bound to their man-made environment. I wish it was as easy as victim blaming.
yeah... I made all the way through. Was a little worried I would drop off, luckily the youtube recommended algo had my back ;)
9:40 So, maybe we need to find a solution for mass bystander effect?
Thank you for the wonderful series.
What would an ideal running of Facebook be? What if machine learning was used to seek out only the good of those using it, how would it balance the issues instead of a human source?
This is a tough question, since I'm not using facebook and I can't relate to the issues there... but I would probably start a campaign, try to lecture people in topics like: how to identify addictive elements and stay in control with time management and/or a strong will! I would also definitely spend more money on funding charities and scientific experiments (but only those that could have a huge benefit for us all)... hope that's enough to become Mr. TH-cam 2019 :D
Just one little thing...
2:10 "never in our history have we encountered companies as large as facebook..."
VOC or Dutch East India company had a net worth of more than Google, Microsoft, Facebook and apple combined...
They owned entire countries
Is it just me that thinks you are responsible of how you spend your time. No one if forcing you to go on Facebook, but it can be very tempting.
Thank you for this video!
What do I want Silicone Valley to look like in 10 years time??? A big HOLE IN THE GROUND.
First, my sympathy and ❤️🐈 for suggesting we socialize the likes. An approach outside the box were to change economy, not rewarding maximizing monetary gain, but rewarding how much sth. reduces stress and improves human condition generally. Obviously we'd need a translation layer for improvement to whatever form of reward.
Great video, great points.
I panic when I receive notifications, so apps that try to stop me from turning notifications off, is an instant delete for me. Facebook is one of them.
In the US there is a law that prevents government interference whit tech companies. Originally it was made to prevent these Social Media companies from being held lieble for what was posted on them to ensure freedom of speech, except now the companies censor them-self and act as a publisher without having any of the responsibilities. An argument is made because of privat enterprises, however in the US all internet platforms are only possible because of government funded and build infrastructure and the law protects them so they can monopolize to the point where competitors can't arise because their results in google-search are obscured and hosts won't carry their websites. The latest example is Patreon, who banned a person inspite of their terms of service as they were then, not being broken. Then coincidentally when people began to complain and leave towards SubscribeStar
, Paypal banned the platform from using it's Services, hindering their in participation in the free market.
Vanessa! You're awesome!
4:44 She's spot on but I believe for the wrong reason. Kids don't want to be seen on the same platforms as their parents (first-hand experience tells me this). So they will be a slow generational roll. Which, of course, is why Facebook bought Instagram to try and solve that problem :)
I remember life w/o internet... I only use fb for groups so for me it's more like a forum...
I have a question: How could this be possible for an international or global company to be transformed into a local/ national public service? It sounds very complicated and a very bureaucratic process... I am not sure if this is the right path to follow. Nevertheless I don't have the revolutionary answer to this issue...anyway...Merry Xmas!
If I was in charge of Facebook I would sell it and finish developing Oculus Dash. Also remember how we split up AT&T?
I mostly go on Facebook to wish happy birthday, and barely use FB messenger because I don't trust it, but that's where everybody is, so...
An ad-free, secure, and well-balanced social media platform, perhaps on subscription basis, would be an excellent replacement for FB.
I'd pay $10 per month to ensure data security, quality content, and especially freedom from the incredibly sophisticated algorithms designed to keep me mindlessly scrolling, insulating me in an ideological echo-chamber from competing points of view, polarizing the electorate I rely on for sound political decisions.
However, a fee would be a barrier to entry for many around the world that cannot afford to pay $10 per month for social media. This would a real problem because far from a being place of benign entertainment, social media is a venue for commerce, education, diplomacy, friendship, public outreach, and even health care. Those unable to join due to financial constraints would be severely disadvantaged.
With such board applications in many aspects of modern life, perhaps this digital venue would be more ethically and equitably operated under a socialized regime, rather than the reigning capitalist system.
.
But idk, government-operated social media sounds like an express train to Orwell's 1984. Idk what the answer is, but somethings gotta change.
Ads are not bad. I believe if privacy concerns are addressed, ads are the best way to provide and consume services.
Think about it. Do you hate ads or do you hate the ads that don't care about your privacy? Most of us convert our privacy concerns into a hatred for ads. But really, if it was *you* who chose the ads, will you be concerned of privacy? If you had total control of the ads you will see, will you oppose ads? If you ask me, that's great. You support creators as well as can enjoy their services for free. And if that's the case, what better economy can we have? You also don't need an algorithm that will 'track' user activities and figure out their interests. Recommendation systems can still be used, but not for advertising as the topics are solely based on user choice.
Recently, Google has come up with features that allow you to select the topics you are okay with seeing the ads about, just like you select your topics of interest in reddit. I don't trust personalization because to me it's like their detective algorithm is following me and noting down every single reaction I have and predicting my next move. I disapprove that. But instead, if I tell them what ads I am okay watching and they only show me those category ads, it is great for me. I recommend everyone to check out your Google settings and choose what ads you would approve. Sensitive ads are disabled by default. It's only getting better and I believe Google has taken great steps to address privacy concerns.
Why can't we have an attention economy where the engagement is not forced or addictive, but based on *positive* influence of content?
Take away protections for lenders of high risk loans. You'd be amazed at the domino effect it would have.
Well, like I agree with your point of view, that perhaps we have gone too far in one direction. And you suggest making social media a service managed by the state, but that’s whats happening in China and it just increases citizen suppression. We need to find the balance between this two extremes. Web 3.0, we are waiting for you.
Fantastic video.
Some times think that is it twenty first century way of colonization.
I tend to agree with that thought.
A great series :)
I would turn my business to help everyone improving their intelligence and mental health! Create better human beings! Make social media really "social"
i never saw the appeal of facebook and all the other social media sites. beyond the purpose of communication and sharing of useful/interesting information, there is nothing they offer that is, well, useful or interesting to me.
Pretty spot on about Facebook 🤔
Facebook and Alphabet need to be broken up or turned into a public utility. I'd rather the latter - competition is good for society - but either one would be fine.
I'd like to see most silicon valley tech companies go out of business or at least loose some power because more people used libre software.
Also those kids are so intelligent and well-spoken.. I was a total idiot at their age.
I think I support the utility model a regulated monopoly for Amazon, Google and Facebook.
I still can't find InstaHam in the play store. :(
Notification squad and merry Christmas to who ever is reads this comment.
🦑🎄
Who uses the internet without an adblocker?
I watch a lot of TH-cam but very little TV, but the last few days have been busy so it's taken me 3 days to get around to this video, and it's one of my favourite series at the moment.
I could never be the CEO of Faecebook because I actually have morals. Zuck will continue to pay the fines, apologise and keep doing what he does regardless.
I've already given my views on this, and how I handle their agendas. I'm highly cynical, and get more so with age :)
Figure out how to run social media on a distributed ledger system
Can we get a link to the interview with those teens? I want to hear what else that have to say.
Oh cool, I’m not the only one who left Facebook
obviously there is always things that can be improved, but i see so many people acting like this is something that is easy to fix and just because of the ceos greed etc.
- that kid talking about how facebook is making so much profit it doesnt need ads...
- global tech companies being controlled by governments - some things could probably be regulated (eg gdpr in europe), but the main problem imo is which government? most of the big stories that have drawn attention to this are various (russia/usa/uk) governments abusing facebook. even if there was some government that could be trusted there are none who understand technology
- imo the problem is people, if people stopped going on facebook, advertisers would stop paying for ads and facebook would no longer make money.