Media becoming increasingly vile?

[starlight]

Hi everyone,

As an avid Facebook user (among many other social media platforms) I have noticed a sudden dramatic increase in the vile content that is showing up on my newsfeed. It seems as each day passes I am subjected to more and more news articles covering unpleasant topics such as child rape/abuse, obscene violence, animal torture, murders... the list goes on and on. (These posts are not just a mere report on an incident but rather a full detailed article that makes your stomach churn and heart shatter)

As a 20 year old girl who is just starting to lift the veil and see the world as it truly is, I would appreciate some advice from my elders on how I can continue to stay in a peaceful, loving state of mind when the media is constantly putting these toxic thoughts and images into my head.

Trying my best to stay positive here... :flower:

[DNA]

I would drop facebook
Me and my wife have both erased our accounts
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How to permanently delete your Facebook account - The Telegraph (http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwj-u-Hk2b_TAhXrsVQKHZTMD2gQFgglMAE&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraph.co.uk%2Ftechnology%2F0%2Fpermanently-delete-facebook-account%2F&usg=AFQjCNFDy2-NcQ3la94tWdjRJX7xi9zGEQ&sig2=eT6qTQSGl6JH9NcRPgGTsA)
How to deactivate your account


Click the downward arrow at the top right of any Facebook page.
Select "Settings"
Click "Security" in the left column.
Choose "Deactivate your account", then follow the steps to confirm.

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I also have chosen to no longer participate in the main stream media newsfeed
I get my news from
zerohedge.com and ignore your antivirus alert, sites like this are under attack from the deep state because they don't want you informed
breitbart.com
disobedientmedia.com
drudgereport.com
infowars.com

[Noelle]

I dropped off of FB too and am done with mainstream media. I am still on LinkedIn though I rarely go in there. While not as bad as FB, there is vileness on LinkedIn.

[Desire]

Hi Starlight
You are right about the increase and it is by design. When an article appears that has an evil title don't open it up, eliminate it at once and clear all cookies after. Wishing you well
Desire.

[Did You See Them]

Deactivated account and have not been back for at least 2 years - maybe more.
Only had it to keep in touch with son ( and other family members ) - now I'll call to chat on phone and ask them what they had for dinner instead.

[Ciaran]

Hi Starlight, i understand that some of the information you receive is disturbing and can be totally horrifying at times believe me i know, but unfortunately this is a reality and these twisted, morally bankrupt psychopaths exist and are praying on the most vulnerable and because more people are waking up to this fact because of brave souls risking everything to make us aware of the situation the more you are going to see and hear, regardless of getting rid of facebook, this subject or Pedogate as some are calling it is going nowhere but expanding, this is the elites biggest secret the one they fear the most getting out, and they do fear us and once the masses wake up and realize that regardless of all our differences and belief systems none of our children are safe from these vile creatures, their days will be numbered, they have hid in the shadows for far to long, time to shine the light on these scumbags, your attitude and emotions will change, i went through them all shock, disgust, horror, fear,despair,sadness but then that passes and it all gets swept aside by anger, righteous anger from the knowledge of knowing what they are doing and getting away with it, but more and more people are speaking out and sharing the information now, which is why it seems that it's everywhere on every platform and rightly so, i think we all have a duty to educate ourselves and share that knowledge with our brothers and sisters that is the least we can do, what these kids are enduring is sicking and must end...

[Mark (Star Mariner)]

Everything said so far.

If you are hooked up to a drip which is feeding you poison, the obvious course of action, to save yourself, is to disconnect from that drip. We don't need this social-media dripfeed in order to be informed, or stay in touch with our friends. It sounds like you're already awake, because you know what you need, and what you don't need/want (the fear and disharmony of this fear laden dripfeed!), so take the next step and disconnect!

It will set you free. :clapping:

[Rhah]

Hi Starlight,

I completely echo your thoughts and feelings regarding the content that is currently being shown on Facebook. For this reason I have, as have many others on here, stopped using Facebook for the most part. As that was the only truly effective solution in my eyes.

There were so many videos of gore, mutilation and murder, as well as a crapload of useless clickbait posts on there, that I really didn't see the point of using it anymore. Having to wade through all the crap to find the occasional fun video just wasn't worth my time.
And time actually was another huge factor for me. Because I noticed that literally every single time I quickly wanted to look something up on Facebook, as soon as I opened the website my mind kind of went blank and I just automatically started scrolling down my newsfeed untill half an hour later I realized that not only had I just been looking at nonsensical posts for the past 30 minutes, I hadn't even done what I came to do in the first place.

Which honestly scared me quite a bit, because it felt like everytime I visited that website some form of mind control took over or something. Now I know this terms gets thrown about a lot, but I honestly cannot explain how every single time I visited Facebook I happened to forget my initial intentions and just mindlessly started browsing through their poisonous content when I wasn't even planning on doing so.

(I am interested to hear if others are experiencing this too.)

That's why I started by first deleting the app off my phone, which, admittedly, was how I spent most of my time on Facebook because everytime I was bored at work or in public transport I was instantly drawn to open up the app and browse through all the nonsense again for sometimes up to an hour at a time. Total waste of time.
Whereas now I generally just open up the IMDb app and read about movies (I am interested in cinema) instead. Which doesn't take nearly as much time because it doesn't have an endless stream of nonsense, and because I generally know what I'm looking for. Which leaves some time to actually look up from my phone and be aware of my surroundings and those around me.

Now, after a significant period of time of hardly any Facebook use, I notice that I just don't care for it anymore. I don't miss it at all. Nor do any of my friends complain about it, or have even noticed it. (I know peer pressure can be hard for people of our generation, and it was one of the reasons why I remained attached to Facebook for a long time.)

So that's really the only advice I can give you, Starlight. Simply stop using it. As I think we can be sure that the content isn't going to change for the better anytime soon. In fact, it'll most likely just keep getting worse and worse, and more braindead. Maybe don't stop altogether right away, but perhaps try what I did; remove it from your phone first, and maybe only visit the website occasionally when you're at home on your pc or laptop. I'm sure you'll notice that after you're starting to use it less and less you will eventually stop caring for it. And the best part: you won't even miss it, and will enjoy the fact that you now have time to spend on much more useful things.

Good luck! :)

(As a little side note, I wanted to share a thought I had recently. During my lunch break at work the other week I was reading one of Joseph P. Farrell's blogs on his website https://gizadeathstar.com/ - another website I now regularly visit instead of Facebook - when one of my coworkers who was sitting next to me, and who was browsing through his Facebook feed at that moment, noticed the big block of text on my phone and commented, in a surprised and mocking tone, "What the f... are you doing, reading a book?". "A blog", I replied. He then, in such a way that it sounded like he just couldn't believe why I would ever do such a thing, said "Jesus... quite a lot of text you got there", to which I replied, "What should I do then? Look at pictures?", at which he gave a somewhat confused smirk and went back to his Facebook feed.
This brief conversation stuck in my head for a while, and later I had a thought that I thought was kind of interesting:
What is the main difference between a children's book and a book for adults? The pictures. A children's book is made up of page-size pictures accompanied with a little bit of text, whereas a book for adults is made up of pages full of text. Aren't Facebook and Instragram, therefore, just digital equivalents of never-ending children's books? We're all constantly browsing through a digital 'book', or feed, that is filled with nothing but pictures and videos that instantly draw our attention, but that have no, or at least very little, real substance to them. Like a child that flicks through their favorite book while fascinatingly looking at all the pictures. All the while more and more people don't have the attention span to actually read a text for even five minutes, or find it boring and a waste of time to read books.
That's how I have come to view social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram now: children's books for adults that are - or should I say were - an entertaining waste of time, but that neither require nor provide any intellectual capacity whatsoever. Seems like an effective way to dumb us down even further.)

[Helene West]

Starlight

What's the best way to become immune to the effects of something?
Constant exposure to it. I think that is what the powers that be are doing in this case. They want us apathetic to the suffering of others so we don't do anything about it. So they are exposing us to extremes over and over so it becomes like reading the weather report.

It's the same thing with vulgarity. the new cable provider i'm trying is offering an HBO promo so I went to check out some series people told me were soooo funny. I watched about 8 episodes and it's true the writer/star is very funny but the show is full of vulgarity and depersonalized sex scenes also supposed to be funny. Humor is the Trojan Horse that the price of the humor we get accustomed to low class characters and vulgarity as normal. We even grow to like low class characters.
So watch for the Trojan Horses the powers-that-be present us with to diminish our character and our culture.

btw, I've never had Facebook and I'm alive to tell the tale. I have Twitter and recently I've unfollowed several good people because, though they are smart and good and fighting the good fight the content they deal with I have been forced to 'fess up to myself - upsets me. I have to respect my emotional life to balance out 'being informed'.
Thx for sharing with us.

[AutumnW]

I think learning about the world, both the good and the bad, is a good thing. But at some point, after you have a basic knowledge about how the world works and how to make it a better place, you have to pull away from the incessant horror of the more morbid tragic things -- particularly those things we can't change.

[TargeT]

I would appreciate some advice from my elders on how I can continue to stay in a peaceful, loving state of mind when the media is constantly putting these toxic thoughts and images into my head.

Trying my best to stay positive here... :flower:


Also, be aware that while extreme focus is put on these negative aspects, almost NONE is put on the positive... you have to go find that stuff.

This hyper focus on the negative makes it seem much much more prevalent than it is.


I COULD be terrified by the fact that I live in one of the highest murder rates areas (per capita) in the WORLD... Or face the reality that I've lived here for 5 years and never felt that my life was in danger.

a lot of times you have to ground your self by reaching outside of the "spoon fed media" and look at what the situation REALLY is (and put it in perspective).


This world is a pretty awesome place, but for some reason you have to earn the knowledge for that, the bad stuff is freely advertised.

I've never had a FB, but I do know it causes depression (https://www.forbes.com/sites/amitchowdhry/2016/04/30/study-links-heavy-facebook-and-social-media-usage-to-depression/) :) it's often vapid pointless attention seeking from social peers who social validation is being sought from.

but empty likes and view counts and all that while temporarily exciting, ultimately are shallow and un-fullfilling.

it saps your energy for true social interaction.... I'm not a fan ;)

[norman]

The Facebook news feed will intensify the more you click on the stuff that comes up. That's more or less how the algorithm works. It's what they would probably call "providing you with what you are interested in". In reality, it's a silly algorithm that pushes each one of us into a cyber ghetto isolating us from the wider world we need, to be well informed.

I occasionally get to glimpse other people's computer screens. The environmental furniture on their screens always looks very different and certainly extremely different from my own screen furniture.

edit to add:

If you ever get a sneak peek at the column of recommended videos on the right hand side of a youtube page on someone else's computer, it will tell you more about that person than you could learn in an hour of questioning.

[starlight]

Wow! I received way more responses than I anticipated. Y'all rock!

I've been sitting here contemplating WHY haven't I deleted Facebook sooner? I think the resistance I feel with completely disconnecting from a social media platform is that I feel I will be less connected. How sad is that? As a young girl I have been conditioned to believe that in order to stay relevant, you must stay active on social media. Where is the logic in that? This false belief has been drilled into our heads and it is truly laughable how well it worked. The love for the people I cherish in my life flourishes with every face to face conversation, laughter, tears, hugs. It is ironic that technology has now somewhat replaced many of those physical connections.

And Rhah, I completely resonate with what you're preaching here! It really is a mind control. You get drawn in and forget about reality for a little bit. "Just 5 minutes" turns into an hour and before you know it you wasted time that could have been better spent elsewhere... they know just how to keep you going back!

I have decided to disconnect from the source. What good is it to complain about something that you obviously have control over? It's the same as cyber bullying-- walk away from the screen. I guess what makes it a tad difficult is that I have grown up using social media. You all are so right- I have matured enough to see the bigger picture, therefore it is time to disconnect. I've seen all I needed to see. Besides, someones gotta look out for the health of our own minds!

Thank you to everyone who gave their input. Sometimes I feel alone in my sense of awakening at such a young age. This place makes me feel at home- plus I have many great mentors!!! :Party:

[Noelle]

Hi Starlight,

I completely echo your thoughts and feelings regarding the content that is currently being shown on Facebook. For this reason I have, as have many others on here, stopped using Facebook for the most part. As that was the only truly effective solution in my eyes.

There were so many videos of gore, mutilation and murder, as well as a crapload of useless clickbait posts on there, that I really didn't see the point of using it anymore. Having to wade through all the crap to find the occasional fun video just wasn't worth my time.
And time actually was another huge factor for me. Because I noticed that literally every single time I quickly wanted to look something up on Facebook, as soon as I opened the website my mind kind of went blank and I just automatically started scrolling down my newsfeed untill half an hour later I realized that not only had I just been looking at nonsensical posts for the past 30 minutes, I hadn't even done what I came to do in the first place.

Which honestly scared me quite a bit, because it felt like everytime I visited that website some form of mind control took over or something. Now I know this terms gets thrown about a lot, but I honestly cannot explain how every single time I visited Facebook I happened to forget my initial intentions and just mindlessly started browsing through their poisonous content when I wasn't even planning on doing so.

(I am interested to hear if others are experiencing this too.)

That's why I started by first deleting the app off my phone, which, admittedly, was how I spent most of my time on Facebook because everytime I was bored at work or in public transport I was instantly drawn to open up the app and browse through all the nonsense again for sometimes up to an hour at a time. Total waste of time.
Whereas now I generally just open up the IMDb app and read about movies (I am interested in cinema) instead. Which doesn't take nearly as much time because it doesn't have an endless stream of nonsense, and because I generally know what I'm looking for. Which leaves some time to actually look up from my phone and be aware of my surroundings and those around me.

Now, after a significant period of time of hardly any Facebook use, I notice that I just don't care for it anymore. I don't miss it at all. Nor do any of my friends complain about it, or have even noticed it. (I know peer pressure can be hard for people of our generation, and it was one of the reasons why I remained attached to Facebook for a long time.)

So that's really the only advice I can give you, Starlight. Simply stop using it. As I think we can be sure that the content isn't going to change for the better anytime soon. In fact, it'll most likely just keep getting worse and worse, and more braindead. Maybe don't stop altogether right away, but perhaps try what I did; remove it from your phone first, and maybe only visit the website occasionally when you're at home on your pc or laptop. I'm sure you'll notice that after you're starting to use it less and less you will eventually stop caring for it. And the best part: you won't even miss it, and will enjoy the fact that you now have time to spend on much more useful things.

Good luck! :)

(As a little side note, I wanted to share a thought I had recently. During my lunch break at work the other week I was reading one of Joseph P. Farrell's blogs on his website https://gizadeathstar.com/ - another website I now regularly visit instead of Facebook - when one of my coworkers who was sitting next to me, and who was browsing through his Facebook feed at that moment, noticed the big block of text on my phone and commented, in a surprised and mocking tone, "What the f... are you doing, reading a book?". "A blog", I replied. He then, in such a way that it sounded like he just couldn't believe why I would ever do such a thing, said "Jesus... quite a lot of text you got there", to which I replied, "What should I do then? Look at pictures?", at which he gave a somewhat confused smirk and went back to his Facebook feed.
This brief conversation stuck in my head for a while, and later I had a thought that I thought was kind of interesting:
What is the main difference between a children's book and a book for adults? The pictures. A children's book is made up of page-size pictures accompanied with a little bit of text, whereas a book for adults is made up of pages full of text. Aren't Facebook and Instragram, therefore, just digital equivalents of never-ending children's books? We're all constantly browsing through a digital 'book', or feed, that is filled with nothing but pictures and videos that instantly draw our attention, but that have no, or at least very little, real substance to them. Like a child that flicks through their favorite book while fascinatingly looking at all the pictures. All the while more and more people don't have the attention span to actually read a text for even five minutes, or find it boring and a waste of time to read books.
That's how I have come to view social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram now: children's books for adults that are - or should I say were - an entertaining waste of time, but that neither require nor provide any intellectual capacity whatsoever. Seems like an effective way to dumb us down even further.)

Too many don't read the text, that is so true. And when we talk about the press or whoever is disseminating information, images can be just as rhetorical as words.

[DebJoy]

I'd delete Facebook too. I've periodically taken a break from Facebook and really don't want to go back. But instead of simply deleting or deactivating per the directions above, I'd suggest deleting your photos, deleting info in your profile (or at least changing it to something very fictional), and deleting as many posts as you can. Then SIGN OUT. There's a permanent record saved by Facebook, so try to thwart that. Also, when you deactivate, also deinstall or remove Facebook from your computer, Kindle, phone, etc. as even when you're not using Facebook, it is using your info. I don't know all the steps to do wipe your systems clean, but I'm sure googling on it will help. Basically you want to remove all the insidious hooks that Facebook planted there, with your permission of course. Or they will still be monitoring all that's going on with you. (And yes, perhaps something other than google would be good - the other insidious monster).

[norman]

I created a fictitious FB account so I could be invited to be one of my daughter's friends and so be able to see her photos and keep up with her life on FB. I show up in her friends list as a female ( I'm male ) with a made up name. I even used a temporary email account that no longer exists for the account creation process.

I suppose I shouldn't have been, but I was shocked when after a few weeks FB knew my exact date of birth ( which I had not provided).

My guess is that the "big data" system identified me with my IP address and matched it with some other account somewhere else and extracted a date of birth that I must have provided there.

Creepy !

[TargeT]

I've been sitting here contemplating WHY haven't I deleted Facebook sooner? I think the resistance I feel with completely disconnecting from a social media platform is that I feel I will be less connected. How sad is that? As a young girl I have been conditioned to believe that in order to stay relevant, you must stay active on social media.

The more you research and observe social phenomenon like this, the more you come to an understanding that "someone/thing" out there has a DEEP psychological understanding of humanity and builds a lot of these "perfect traps" for the unaware (facebook is one, but there are many). At least, that's my current conclusion after a few years of observation.


images can be just as rhetorical as words.

I would disagree, images are FAR more powerful for rhetoric...

the "meme" is today's social weapon, Look at the density of information and how quickly it can be integrated.... looking at this image for 15 seconds will give you a complex geo-political criticism with conspiratorial overtones:

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/f8/d4/e9/f8d4e9a2e2394fe9fca4477d10ac0550.jpg

[Noelle]

I've been sitting here contemplating WHY haven't I deleted Facebook sooner? I think the resistance I feel with completely disconnecting from a social media platform is that I feel I will be less connected. How sad is that? As a young girl I have been conditioned to believe that in order to stay relevant, you must stay active on social media.

The more you research and observe social phenomenon like this, the more you come to an understanding that "someone/thing" out there has a DEEP psychological understanding of humanity and builds a lot of these "perfect traps" for the unaware (facebook is one, but there are many). At least, that's my current conclusion after a few years of observation.


images can be just as rhetorical as words.

I would disagree, images are FAR more powerful for rhetoric...

the "meme" is today's social weapon, Look at the density of information and how quickly it can be integrated.... looking at this image for 15 seconds will give you a complex geo-political criticism with conspiratorial overtones:

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/f8/d4/e9/f8d4e9a2e2394fe9fca4477d10ac0550.jpg

I think you could be right with some images, though many images circulating do have words on them. I was thinking about an article with an image, a caption, a headline and then the body of the article.

[Bubu]

facebook deleted my account because I was spreading lies and dont subscribe to their nonsense. worse for them some people are starting to follow me.

glad to know that a twenty year old is aware.
Facebook is no different than school. Its a place designed where you can connect with peers and be brainwash. That's why I cant get my children out of school it would be terribly lonely for them. reality is while we are lucky to be aware of society norm and able to position ourselves to avoid the toxic effect of normality we become an outcast. That is why we are here on Avalon. here we have a sense of belonging to like minded and loving people. :heart: or maybe its just me. ..... simply not interested in what people do and talk nowadays.

I always remind my children to use technology (social media included) for their advantage and not allow themselves to be use by it. Thats the essence of the first line of this post.

young people like you have remarkable ability to adopt. so do it now. find like minded peers and show em that real hugs are far better likes than button hugs. but for now I can do only a button hug :bearhug: thats the wonder of tech you can hug someone thousand of kilometers away but just as mentioned dont be trick that it can take the place of the real ones.

PS dont delete facebook but dont open anything in it just spread lies and facebook will delete it for you

[Michelle Marie]

Hi everyone,

As an avid Facebook user (among many other social media platforms) I have noticed a sudden dramatic increase in the vile content that is showing up on my newsfeed. It seems as each day passes I am subjected to more and more news articles covering unpleasant topics such as child rape/abuse, obscene violence, animal torture, murders... the list goes on and on. (These posts are not just a mere report on an incident but rather a full detailed article that makes your stomach churn and heart shatter)

As a 20 year old girl who is just starting to lift the veil and see the world as it truly is, I would appreciate some advice from my elders on how I can continue to stay in a peaceful, loving state of mind when the media is constantly putting these toxic thoughts and images into my head.

Trying my best to stay positive here... :flower:

Maybe try from "avid" Facebook to "avoid" Facebook. Where you place your attention determines your vibration and your mind set.

FREE your mind!

This can be done with a "media diet". A friend told me they got off Facebook for awhile when there was too much politically- inspired hate. Another friend got her attention absorbed in the news and she became full of anxiety and turned her attention away from it.

One time when I was meditating, I realized how to feel joy -- regardless of outside circumstances. I reached the inner depths and what I saw was a black hole. The connecting center of Infinity... But I came out full of joy, regardless of my extremely challenging circumstances at the time.

Also, by putting our attention on intentional solutions, holding the image in our minds while we play in it to develop the feelings associated with the physical reality of it, then LETTING GO...dropping any ego attachments to outcome (perfect surrender) CREATES the essence of the intention.

Ask yourself some questions: who am I, what are my gifts and talents, what is my service, or contribution to humanity.

We need you! You have an inner strength that can rise above ANYTHING! Listen to your heart and believe in yourself.

And thanks for reaching out.

I'm on my own media diet and this is the first time in a week that I've been on the Internet. I stay in nature without a cell phone or Internet and enjoy the pure energy of nature. I feel more calm.

Now mind you, I previously was exposed to the sort of information you are referring to, and it shook me to my soul for months. But my vibration has been resurrected, probably through prayer, meditation, and nature.

This is when it is time to not only discover yourself, but to love yourself -- with definite acts of kindness, comfort, and compassion.

I sure hope this helps. I'm sending heartfelt love and the precious light of truth.
God Bless you!
Michelle Marie

[prc]

I would suggest to unfollow the main stream media inside Facebook, follow just your friends and subjects that you are interested. Uninstall Facebook from your mobile phone because it is very invasive. By a Kindle or install kindle app on your phone and read books on subjects that you like. I took this measures and it works fine for me. I just access Facebook from my computer and not very often.

[ghostrider]

The world we are shown which I call the matrix, is strictly designed to spread fear, and control ... see it for what it is, you can live above it... perspective is everything... nothing they do surprises me, nowdays they intentionally target the younger generation... dont ever let them win, live in peace, harmony and freedom, its a state of mind...

[Sérénité]

Hi Starlight :wave:
I often debate disconnecting from Facebook. It has its plus and negative points for sure. I love to be able to keep in touch with close friends, old friends and family that I would struggle to do so easily if it wasn't for that platform. Its also a great source of information from a work/creative perspective and also for alternate news updates.
But agree the negative posts do sometimes lower your energy and I guess that's intentional, as is the daily news and papers in general.

I have several connections on there who constantly post negative status updates or links to stuff that really shouldn't be re-posted. So anyone like that, I keep friends to stay in touch but just unfollow their feed and posts. I make sure I follow or like pages that are up beat and positive, that offer positive affirmations or helpful stuff. I rarely post anything myself unless I have fun or positive stuff to share with genuine friends and family. After a while your feed becomes positive and uplifting. I never 'like' or comment on any posts that are public or on a page that people I don't know can see.

I think you have to treat it like real life. Be mindful what you share, like and follow. Don't get dragged into anything that isn't a positive to your life. Focus on the good aspects, ignore the bad. Its amazing how quickly the negative stuff dissipates when you refuse to give it any thought time.

Totally agree with Norman, the algorithms definitely track what you click on, like, comment or rise too :)

[TargeT]

I think you have to treat it like real life. Be mindful what you share, like and follow. Don't get dragged into anything that isn't a positive to your life. Focus on the good aspects, ignore the bad. Its amazing how quickly the negative stuff dissipates when you refuse to give it any thought time.

I think that's a tempting way to look at it....

however..


Facebook is the scorpion ;)
RShPuimSA-0


LOTS of scorpions around these days...
dThMYXGNAc0

[Ewan]

Both articles from June 2014 but are actually referring to events of 2 years earlier, almost 5 years ago now.

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/jun/30/facebook-emotion-study-another-reason-distrust


Larry Page, Google's chief executive, expressed his frustration last week with people's lack of trust in "big data" companies such as his own. "We get so worried about [data privacy] that we don't get the benefits," he said, arguing that if Google were to let companies mine our health data 100,000 lives a year could be saved.

Page and others at Google might therefore be unhappy at how Facebook has behaved. During a January week in 2012, around 700,000 English-speaking Facebook users were chosen, without their knowledge or consent, to be emotional lab rats. The researchers found that if you tweak what people see in their Facebook news feed – the scrolling information on your page –to suppress or heighten certain emotive words, readers' emotions will shift to match.

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/jun/30/facebook-emotion-study-breached-ethical-guidelines-researchers-say


Researchers have roundly condemned Facebook's experiment in which it manipulated nearly 700,000 users' news feeds to see whether it would affect their emotions, saying it breaches ethical guidelines for "informed consent".

James Grimmelmann, professor of law at the University of Maryland, points in an extensive blog post that "Facebook didn't give users informed consent" to allow them to decide whether to take part in the study, under US human subjects research.

"The study harmed participants," because it changed their mood, Grimmelmann comments, adding "This is bad, even for Facebook."

But one of the researchers, Adam Kramer, posted a lengthy defence on Facebook, saying it was carried out "because we care about the emotional impact of Facebook and the people that use our product." He said that he and his colleagues "felt that it was important to investigate the common worry that seeing friends post positive content leads to people feeling negative or left out."

The experiment hid certain elements from 689,003 peoples' news feed – about 0.04% of users, or 1 in 2,500 – over the course of one week in 2012. The experiment hid "a small percentage" of emotional words from peoples' news feeds, without their knowledge, to test what effect that had on the statuses or "Likes" that they then posted or reacted to.

The results found that, contrary to expectation, peoples' emotions were reinforced by what they saw - what the researchers called "emotional contagion".

More reading at each link.

I had a FB account briefly, but I noticed within weeks that displayed ads were reflecting recent searches. Initially I just thought that was a bit creepy but within days I had decided it was far more insidious than that and the potential for abuse was nearly astronomical considering corporate mentality. I departed FB, have not missed it.

These days I am in the habit of not directly clicking links on pages, even here on Avalon. I copy link location and open a new browser tab, pasting the link into address bar. The browser is also tailored with scripts and protections to prevent tracking and identification in so far as I am able, which is probably not very far for the likes of an expert but it gives me a little peace of mind.

Video links copy/pasted that way still won't play until I tell NoScript, (a Firefox extension), to temporarily allow the page to load whatever script is needed. That reload is confined to the open page and does not reload all windows. So I enable YouTube but the video still won't play unless I also enable Google Video. I'm rabidly anti Google but fortunatley still don't have to employ their script. With the use of a download helper ext I can save the video and close the page, watching at my leisure.

If you haveuBlock Origin installed as an extension you will see the amount of blocked trackers rising exponentially the longer you watch a video on YT. It is quite scary to think what the majority of ordinary internet users are sharing with each click and the potential data gathering going on.

[Sérénité]

I think you have to treat it like real life. Be mindful what you share, like and follow. Don't get dragged into anything that isn't a positive to your life. Focus on the good aspects, ignore the bad. Its amazing how quickly the negative stuff dissipates when you refuse to give it any thought time.

I think that's a tempting way to look at it....

however..


Facebook is the scorpion ;)
RShPuimSA-0


LOTS of scorpions around these days...
dThMYXGNAc0

Its ok, i'm safe in my bubble...nobody can touch me here. Not even Facebook... :spy: ;)