this post was submitted on 17 Aug 2025
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Mildly Interesting

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This is for strictly mildly interesting material. If it's too interesting, it doesn't belong. If it's not interesting, it doesn't belong.

This is obviously an objective criteria, so the mods are always right. Or maybe mildly right? Ahh.. what do we know?

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A growing number of americans don't read newspapers. They get their news from online influencers. The right dominates the online ecosystem. (lemmy.world)
submitted 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) by Davriellelouna@lemmy.world to c/mildlyinteresting@lemmy.world
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[–] Karyoplasma@discuss.tchncs.de 70 points 1 week ago (6 children)

Social media was a mistake.

[–] Zorque@lemmy.world 10 points 1 week ago

Social media is a tool that could just as easily be used for the betterment of humankind.

Sadly, that doesn't make a few people lots and lots of money, so it doesn't happen.

[–] Quill7513@slrpnk.net 1 points 1 week ago

every technology has had positive and negative. some get weaponized by the powers that be more effectively before the people can ensure safeguards. even the wheel has been a tool of the oppressor while making our lives too comfortable. of late, the powers that be have gained more through technological advancement than the people. i want to see a world where we can invert some of this power stream. after all, it's us, the people, who discovered these advancements, built these wonders, and now find ourselves increasingly imprisoned and controlled by violence

[–] Daft_ish@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 1 week ago

And its here to stay. The way kids are stuck on YouTube is like how old people are stuck on fox news.

I've thought about this a lot. There's no end. If its not Facebook, YouTube, cable, etc. It will be something else. If only our daily lives where interesting in and of themselves. Escapism will always detach us from each other and we will flail on the wind forever.

[–] Angry_Autist@lemmy.world 1 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Social media isn't the problem Friendster used to exist and it was fine

The problem is putting the internet on a smartphone, because that meant that any idiot could get online now

And now the internet is 99.99% idiots

[–] Karyoplasma@discuss.tchncs.de 7 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (1 children)

I honestly blame corporations rather than the availability to idiots.

Back in the Wild West internet days, things existed simply because people thought they were funny or hilarious, now things only exist if they garner some clout or can generate ad revenue. I don't know how much of that is an inherently human trait, but I feel like society wasn't so super-focused on personal success and self-image/confidence as it has been the past maybe 8 years. Or it was and I never noticed until then.

Edit: thinking more about it, availability might be a contributing factor to this, so you're probably not wrong.

[–] Zorque@lemmy.world 1 points 6 days ago

It's availability mixed with profitability. It's never just one single factor. If it was just availability that changed, it wouldn't be as significant an issue as it is.