6 ms·

> It's sort of a shame because we end up with these tools that are designed to inhibit and take away user agency rather than extend and advance it. "Behold, we

by RunSet 2y ago

> It's sort of a shame because we end up with these tools that are designed to inhibit and take away user agency rather than extend and advance it. "Behold, we have improved the hammer by integrating an intelligent advertisement selection algorithm. Hence, to someone equipped with only this tool, the solution to all problems will seem to be money."

marginalia_nu 2y ago
There's some Saphir-Whorf-adjacent things to be said here. If all you're able to express with clarity is purchase intent, how can you be anything other than a consumer?
- roenxi 2y ago
  That seems to be a rhetorical question, but I'm going to pretend I didn't notice. You can purchase future income streams or a share of the revenue of an enterprise. Then you'd be an investor.
  - pineaux 2y ago
    "consumer" is sometimes used as codespeak left leaning circles meaning: someone who implicitly agrees with capitalism and uses it without much real criticism. So an "investor" of your type is just someone who is more of a consumer. As they consume not only food or housing for example, but they also consume investment opportunities.
    - beepbooptheory 2y ago
      I dont know who you are hanging out with but I really don't think people use "consumer" like that. You would end up removing like 90% of the most forceful critique of capitalism in general if "consumer" was something voluntary rather than coerced. It really wouldn't make any sense! That line of thinking sounds much more neoliberal than anything else, with the emphasis on the individual and their right/wrong behavior in the market.
moffkalast 2y ago
To be fair, the solution to most problems is indeed money.
- fragmede 2y ago
  Unfortunately, that also seems to be the cause of a couple of problems as well.
  - moffkalast 2y ago
    Just throw even more money at those problems too.
- coldtea 2y ago
  How has that been working out of you?
  - mrguyorama 2y ago
    As someone born poor, who was lucky enough to have a brain that made computer jobs a solid option: It's great. Going from 20 years of constant stress and scarcity mindset to knowing I could lose my job tomorrow and still sign a new lease without using up all my savings is wonderful. Financial security truly puts perspective on nearly all problems. Minor argument? Who the fuck cares I have a roof over my head. Someone's a jerk? So what, I can get services from someone else, I can afford it. My apartment explodes tomorrow? Oh well, I can put my family up in a hotel until we figure something out. Long term disability? Sucks but we have sufficient runway to figure out how to handle it. Like, I'm so sick and tired of privileged people pandering, just acting like people suffering needlessly should just be more satisfied with the scraps we leave them. The vast majority of humans experience all kinds of problems that would literally NOT EXIST with a little more money.

by RunSet 2y ago

marginalia_nu 2y ago

There's some Saphir-Whorf-adjacent things to be said here. If all you're able to express with clarity is purchase intent, how can you be anything other than a consumer?

roenxi 2y ago
That seems to be a rhetorical question, but I'm going to pretend I didn't notice. You can purchase future income streams or a share of the revenue of an enterprise. Then you'd be an investor.
- pineaux 2y ago
  "consumer" is sometimes used as codespeak left leaning circles meaning: someone who implicitly agrees with capitalism and uses it without much real criticism. So an "investor" of your type is just someone who is more of a consumer. As they consume not only food or housing for example, but they also consume investment opportunities.
  - beepbooptheory 2y ago
    I dont know who you are hanging out with but I really don't think people use "consumer" like that. You would end up removing like 90% of the most forceful critique of capitalism in general if "consumer" was something voluntary rather than coerced. It really wouldn't make any sense! That line of thinking sounds much more neoliberal than anything else, with the emphasis on the individual and their right/wrong behavior in the market.

moffkalast 2y ago

To be fair, the solution to most problems is indeed money.

fragmede 2y ago
Unfortunately, that also seems to be the cause of a couple of problems as well.
- moffkalast 2y ago
  Just throw even more money at those problems too.
coldtea 2y ago
How has that been working out of you?
- mrguyorama 2y ago
  As someone born poor, who was lucky enough to have a brain that made computer jobs a solid option: It's great. Going from 20 years of constant stress and scarcity mindset to knowing I could lose my job tomorrow and still sign a new lease without using up all my savings is wonderful. Financial security truly puts perspective on nearly all problems. Minor argument? Who the fuck cares I have a roof over my head. Someone's a jerk? So what, I can get services from someone else, I can afford it. My apartment explodes tomorrow? Oh well, I can put my family up in a hotel until we figure something out. Long term disability? Sucks but we have sufficient runway to figure out how to handle it. Like, I'm so sick and tired of privileged people pandering, just acting like people suffering needlessly should just be more satisfied with the scraps we leave them. The vast majority of humans experience all kinds of problems that would literally NOT EXIST with a little more money.