#tiktok isn’t doing that. they think the joke is the fake movie itself. but the fake movie isn't really the point.

[joycrispy]

Zepotha will never be Goncharov because when it comes down to it, tumblr culture is collaborative, while tiktok culture is merely iterative, and those are not the same thing.

#also because tumblr has a very specific way that it interacts with the media it loves #like make no mistake; when we made Goncharov we were a little bit making fun of ourselves #and the way we project high emotion and significance onto even the smallest details #(also the way we want everything to be gay) #tiktok isn’t doing that. they think the joke is the fake movie itself. but the fake movie isn't really the point. #the point is the fake FANDOM #goncharov

[designs-by-kayla]

Big data and algorithms like social media can be such powerful and amazing tools if used right. They can help reunite lost family members, find organ donors, make meaningful systemic changes, inspire people, and spread positivity. There is always a dark side to everything so what’s the catch to all of this? There is a link between mental health and self-esteem issues with social media, there is fake news and cyber attacks, and data stealing, data mining, data tracking, and people are now addicted to their phones. One interesting quote from the movie was “There are only two industries that call their customers “user” illegal drugs and social media.” Social media algorithms now track (monitors and records) what you look at, and how long you look at it. It knows what mood people are in, photo history, if you’re introverted or extroverted, what neuroses you have, and what your personality type is like. These algorithms have three goals

1. Engagement goal (what drives up uses and keeps you scrolling)

2. Growth goal (what keeps you coming back and inviting friends)

3. Advertising goal ( how much money can they make off of you)

Another interesting quote is “Advertisers are the customer; we are the thing being sold.” And that’s just a simplification of it cause really “it’s the gradual slight imperceptible change in your own behavior and perception that is the product.” Changing what you do, how you think, who you are (the product).  It’s a perfect world for business and advertising, it’s a guarantee that if it places an ad it will be successful (they sell certainty) in order to be successful you have to have great predictions that begins with one imperative (lots of data).

Tech people are taught “How can you use everything you know about the psychology of what persuades people and build that into technology.” Social media isn’t a tool just waiting to be used anymore, it has its own goals and it has its own means of pursuing them by using your own psychology against you.

What needs to be used is Ethical design in social media (humane technology) The point we need to what for is when tech exceeds and overwhelms human weaknesses, crossing this point is at the root of addiction, polarization, radicalization, outrage-ification, overpowering human nature, and checkmate on humanity. The algorithm has a mind of its own, we build a machine that can change itself, we as humans have almost lost control over these systems, these systems are controlling us more than we control them.

These problems are very confusing, they can be great, they can be scary, and horrible. I personally don’t use a ton of social media, I am barely on Facebook, or Instagram. I do use Snapchat daily, but I don’t have a Twitter or a TikTok account. I always joke about how my parents have TikTok but I don’t. I think these issues are a huge undertaking and even if we dismantle the whole system these building blocks have already been built so it’s not like we would restart with a better design in mind. It all starts with ourselves taking a step back and examining it all, and lowering our usage.

#social media #ethical design #technology