shepherdless
JoinedPosts by shepherdless
-
1
New Doorbell Available
by frozen2018 inhttps://babylonbee.com/news/new-smart-doorbell-will-argue-with-jehovahs-witnesses-for-you?utm_content=buffer99875&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer.
-
-
-
5
The Netflix Documentary on Social Media
by smiddy3 ini`m not sure this is the right subject for this topic?.
has anybody watched this program ?
are you concerned by the content ?
-
-
shepherdless
Thanks Smiddy.
Recently, my wife sat the kids and me down and we all watched the documentary “The Social Dilemma” together. Ironically, within half hour afterwards we were all back staring down at our devices.
I definitely recommend watching it, and particularly getting kids to watch it, so at least they understand how they are being manipulated.
-
5
The Netflix Documentary on Social Media
by smiddy3 ini`m not sure this is the right subject for this topic?.
has anybody watched this program ?
are you concerned by the content ?
-
-
shepherdless
I think you are referring to a Netflix documentary called “The Social Dilemma”, where ex-Facebook and Ex-Google employees talk about the “monster” they created.
A quick synopsis, from memory: When you do an internet search, the results are not uniform; they are tailored to your preferences, based on what is known about you. These companies have algorithms that try to predict what you want to read in order to get as much of your attention as possible (because more attention = more advertising revenue). They deliberately design their websites so as to make the material more addictive. They even slowly change your behaviour and views over time. An unexpected by-product of that is that various crack-pot conspiracy theories thrive (perhaps because the truth is boring) and people’s political views become more and more divided. The reason people’s political views become divided is that the info pushed to any individual will inevitably support that person’s political views, and so pretty quickly those at either end of the political spectrum live in alternative realities, and think the other side must be stupid or evil (because why else would their views be so contrary to the “facts” as they see them). The documentary particularly concentrates on the harm this is doing to children and teenagers.
Another similar documentary on Netflix from about 8 months ago is “The Great Hack”. Very informative, but it could have got to the point sooner. The documentary concentrated on Cambridge Analytica. Essentially, Cambridge Analytica data mined Facebook for huge amounts of personal details of individuals. It did this partly using surveys. It didn’t matter if a “user” didn’t respond to the survey, because the algorithms gathered data on all the “friends” of the “user”. Ie, if you had a Facebook “friend” who completed a survey, Cambridge Analytica knew a lot about you as well.
Cambridge Analytica then used the data to influence the outcome of elections. They had a spectacular success in a Caribbean country, and claimed success in a number of other countries. According to the documentary, the Trump team used Cambridge Analytica in 2016. Tactics were different for different countries, but for USA, they looked for what they termed, “persuadables”. These were a minority of the population why had the right level of fear etc that they though they could manipulate them by bombarding them with certain tailor-made stories and info. CA had so much data, that they knew which electorate each “persuadable” lived in. Hence obviously they concentrated on “persuadables” in swing states.
-
12
I noticed that a lot if not all JWs I watch on FB now have private Freinds and photos
by mickbobcat insome have done it for a while but in the last couple of years most all of the jws from my old congregation and others i know have privatized the fb and other social pages.
i wonder if its just happenstance or if its come down from on high to shut this off to further keep them isolated from the apostates?.
-
-
shepherdless
I think it’s perhaps a wider trend on Facebook. In fact, is Facebook in general going out of fashion? I think there are growing signs it’s past its peak.
What I have noticed anecdotally is that kids don’t seem to use Facebook as much. It seems to be becoming an older person’s platform. I think kids use others, such as Instagram etc.
Often there are semi official WhatsApp groups maintained by group elders for spreading official instructions and information. (Such as meeting times, and basic health news of members)
I personally don’t know of JWs using Whatsapp, but it would not surprise me. For some reason, Whatsapp doesn’t seem to be as popular in Australia as in other countries (although I personally think Whatsapp is a fantastic app). I think it is seen a bit as an encrypted communication app that drug dealers would use.
-
20
You know you're really dim-witted when? (You actually think a defeated President can successfully REFUSE to step down)
by Terry inwhen you're easily convinced about a total impossibility.. such as what?.
such as a defeated president actually being able to refuse.
to step down from office.
-
-
shepherdless
You know you're really dim-witted when? (You actually think a defeated President can successfully REFUSE to step down)
Well it has happened plenty of times in the past; particularly in Africa. And that was despite constitutions that were (on paper) better drafted than the US Constitution. -
193
My Prediction: Trump Wins Big
by minimus ina month ago it might have been questionable.
not now.
after bader’s death and biden’s inability, this shouldn’t be close.
-
-
shepherdless
If you watch only ABC CBS etc. you will only know what you have been fed.
Yes, that is true. But the same is also applies if you just watch Fox News.
-
193
My Prediction: Trump Wins Big
by minimus ina month ago it might have been questionable.
not now.
after bader’s death and biden’s inability, this shouldn’t be close.
-
-
shepherdless
Pale Emperor, I think it is primarily down to Fox News, and such news services. Outside USA, few people see Fox News and the international media just plays all the crazy stuff he says and does. Hence outside of the USA, he seems to have very few fans.
However, If you watch Fox News (you can get it on live stream), it is like “stepping through stargaze”. Everything is viewed in a very different way. (I could say more but I don’t really want to get into politics.) I go to the Fox News website occasionally, just so I can try to understand how some people think, because, I can’t understand it otherwise.
-
6
Koreans Becoming Disillusioned with christianity
by fulltimestudent inat the start of sydney's lockdown, family gossip told me that a relative who is a pastor, was telling his church members, "you cant catch the coronavirus in church.
"i've hear nothing since, but its interesting that in south korea, a major outbreak was traced to a south korean church that had organised a series of recruiting campaigns in china's wuhan city.. .
now, the hongkong based newspaper, the south china morning post (one of the best informed news outlets in asia) says that south koreans are getting pissed off withe the jesus mob.
-
-
shepherdless
A couple of years ago, I saw some data (similar to the Pew report) that indicated that South Koreans were giving up religion at the rate of around 1% of the population, per annum. (And obviously that is before cv19.)
I suspect this COVID-19 is very bad for the organised religion industry, and is probably accelerating the decline, everywhere, including South Korea.
-
35
So...what do you think about The United States of America?
by minimus ini know the usa is not perfect.
there have always been social issues and differences.
politics has been for many people divisive.
-
-
shepherdless
From Australia, mostly positive, with firm criticisms on a small number of discrete issues. My guess is that if you took an opinion poll, most Australians would have a generally positive view of USA.
On the other hand, I think few Australians would be interested in emigrating to USA; visiting, yes; living there, no. That is not a reflection on USA, though.
-
42
Flu Vaccine Now REQUIRED For All Students Going To School In Massachusetts
by minimus inthis is a requirement now in massachusetts.
children must get a flu shot by december 31. some allowances are made for religious reasons and health reasons.. personally, i don’t agree with the government making this mandatory.. what is your opinion?
?.
-
-
shepherdless
Well Matt, you probably won’t want to peer out under your tin-foil hat to read this, but DDT was not around when, just before WW2, polio swept through and infected the kids in a country town in Australia.
My dad was one of the kids, and was the only one of those kids that survived. He actually never fully recovered; certain muscles around his waist has withered and stayed that way. You should do a little cross checking before you circulate other people’s crackpot conspiracy theories, and not take them at face value.