Why saidit being small is kinda good

submitted by [deleted] from self.whatever

I had to stop and think how to explain my thought process so I'll start with something that happened today on reddit, something that happened many times before: A fake expert.

It's easy for people to make up stuff, pretend to be something they're not, specially if they're not likely to meet the same people again. Even if they're likely to meet someone again, people will begin start becoming aware of the shenanigans and won't take them seriously and fall for it.

That's why Reddit, Facebook and so on are bad, too often someone comes up pretending to know more then they actually do, it's easy to create a new account, or use multiple others to boost your signal. Due to there being so many people it's hard to keep track of who's giving reliable information and who's spreading misinformation.

On Saidit, I find it often easier to see who's new or hasn't been posting, or what's the usual pattern of behavior. So, in a way, what has kept Saidit relatively a decent place is that it isn't that big.

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[–]magnora7 8 insightful - 1 fun8 insightful - 0 fun9 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Yeah the accountability of such a small community is very nice. If someone is causing problems, they stick out like a sore thumb most of the time.

[–][deleted] 6 insightful - 1 fun6 insightful - 0 fun7 insightful - 1 fun -  (7 children)

Very few people actually take the internet seriously, imo. But we are real people (except for the bots :P), and words have weight. To me it's real karma: my actions and words have momentum, and anything I say online will have an effect. So I try to think about how my words might have affected somebody. My mind will usually run on auto until I've mapped out enough possible scenarios, like a tongue worrying a sore. In fact, simply posting online is an exhausting affair.

It's all fun and games until it's not. I think people have been indoctrinated to believe their words and actions have little weight, but the truth is that we all share the same noosphere. We are in an enclosed system.

edit: went a bit too far ot.

[–][deleted] 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

If I can argue and be antithetical here, I would conjecture that we are tiny and irrelevant to the general operation of things. All the things we say here may go beyond a filter or two but true categorization will file it as irrelevant in the long run. Like everything in life, things can get blown out of proportion or misinterpreted to be such until equilibrium returns inevitably. My perspective on internet posting, is that it should have humor or levity along with creativity for community stress relief, so if that means coloring outside the lines; then you may just have the freedom to do so. But violence or vitriol should be contained and minimized over a period of time.

Basically, a lot of posters will be attention seekers and do different things to try and get everyone's attention for politics and giggles. Don't take it all so seriously if possible.

[–][deleted] 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

What fun would life be if everyone agreed? ;)

I would conjecture that we are tiny and irrelevant to the general operation of things

I agree in part, but I'm also a believer in the butterfly effect in which wildly different results can be obtained by the slightest of nudges. I feel this is especially true when it comes to human cognition: some tiny thing can be a precipitating factor that leads a person's mental health to decline. If this happens to enough people, then you start having larger-scale events that make it to the news.

Like everything in life, things can get blown out of proportion or misinterpreted to be such until equilibrium returns inevitably.

I guess I sometimes have the bad habit of only looking at first-order effects, not how a system returns to baseline over time.

My perspective on internet posting, is that it should have humor or levity

Wait... do I know you? :) I agree with this in theory, but I all too easily fall into a poor outlook at the merest provocation. But humor is a better... carrier wave than the alternatives.

[–][deleted] 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Yep! Nature tends to up-churn some volatility from time to time before settling down for the better. Just ask those guys at Pompeii!

But to elaborate my point on humor better with an example. is how reddit fostered this quirky-geek culture with cats and commenting, before hostilities became the "up-voted" form of conversation and then getting censored/ban heavy. So after reddit sank, other sites followed suit and became predominantly hostile in favor of that hostile politics due to the mad Geo-political take over agenda. But perhaps humor was the base-line that things need to return back to, that equilibrium? It is what made the site so popular to begin with even though you do have to be a little careful with humor in keeping jokes somewhat intellectual, impartial or goofy.

But overall, the winds will change and so will how things blow.

Just remember... pompeii!

[–]FormosaOolong 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

Not OT at all! What you are speaking of touches a subject that strikes the heart of communication/humanity: we actually have a choice of how to use our minds. Speech and body as well, but it really all stems from the mind, and how (or in most cases, if) we commit to using it well. Using my mind for the benefit of all is, in my opinion, the most radical, generous, powerful choice I can make for my lifestream.

[–][deleted] 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Using my mind for the benefit of all is, in my opinion, the most radical, generous, powerful choice I can make for my lifestream.

Agreed, but it sure can be difficult at times.

[–][deleted] 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Very few people actually take the internet seriously, imo.

...or maybe they take it seriously for the wrong reasons...

[–]magnora7 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Beautiful and true. So often people dis-empower themselves because they buy in to the propaganda that what they believe and do doesn't matter. But it does matter!

If everyone gave up, then the masses would be easy for narcissists to conquer. I imagine that's what it feels like to live in North Korea. Surrounded by millions of people who have simply given up any hope of building a better tomorrow. It happens here too. It's no wonder so many people are depressed when real opinions and values are constantly minimized by the mainstream media, and being replaced with conclusions of consumerism and obedience. We don't have to buy in to this! It's our choice.

[–]RuckFeddit 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

The more reddit normies that bleed in, the more emotional, passive aggressive and "oh I actually meant x not y so I'm still right" the discussion becomes. It's already happening in some parts, 1 sentence posters adding nothing but ad-hominem garbage to the discussion.

[–][deleted] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

"Well excuse me! All I am trying to do is contribute around here and you dumb posters keep calling me dumb so everyone just sucks!"

:( ROFLCOPTR

[–]RuckFeddit 2 insightful - 2 fun2 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 2 fun -  (0 children)

MUH FEELINGS!

[–]Martin_BE 1 insightful - 3 fun1 insightful - 2 fun2 insightful - 3 fun -  (2 children)

Dear Friend.. i will tell you that in the next two years SAIDIT.net will grow exponentially and in 5 years it will be huge..

My name is Martin Smets from belgium and i bet you 5 bitcoins for this !! You in ?

[–]Martin_BE 5 insightful - 3 fun5 insightful - 2 fun6 insightful - 3 fun -  (1 child)

Seriously There is allot of old coming back online and seeing what a bunch of commercial/political crap it all has become.. we old farts need a home a place to help people ..And to have lolz and spew bullshit offcourse... And saidit has the right owners and profiles to become this. See i'm from Europe and i found my way here !! So i'm telling u saidit will grow soon..

[–][deleted] 1 insightful - 2 fun1 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 2 fun -  (0 children)

really i doubt it I'm surprised a thing like reddit is pretty popular nowadays let alone saidit. Something with text, no avatar pics. I know on reddit the mot popular subs are showing pics, memes, pics of people to get attention. Why not just use instagram or some other app for that, which most do as reddit loses poeple. FB is mostly older boomers now which is funny as it started as college kids only. As these users get older, eventually they die and whatever new is what remains. Eventually instagram will be just gen zers, the new boomers lol. You're from belgium which may be different.

[–]AbeFroman 0 insightful - 3 fun0 insightful - 2 fun1 insightful - 3 fun -  (0 children)

As a doctor and the world's foremost expert in human affairs and socialogy, I agree with your opinion.