Opinion Social Media & AI

[1967]

I was lucky enough to grow up in an era where there were no computers, no internet and no mobile phones etc, so for me, it’s incredible to witness how the internet and social media has turned such a large amount of todays society into sheep.

It’s like, hey, it was on Facebook, TikTok or on insta, it was reported or I read it on the internet, so it’s got to be true ..

People today will argue over something, or use something to prove their argument, based on what they read or heard on social media or what some journalist was spruiking ..

You see it on this forum all the time, people arguing their point over what was reported or what they read on socials . You can actually tell by peoples comments on here who spends time on social media and who doesn’t … . do people not understand how manipulated 95% of all that crap is and how they’re being manipulated ..

Makes me wonder as AI begins to manifest itself more and more into socials and everyday life what peoples brains are going to be like .. for example .. here’s something my son pointed out to me .. below was a post about some Roman swords that were found in rock ruins … it went on to say how they were found in near perfect condition ..

‘’people we’re amazed at their condition, discussing how they could have stayed in that condition, and so many then went onto argue that their theory on how they stayed in that condition was the right theory ..

thousands of comments … hundreds of arguments ….

now let’s see the real picture ..

All those arguments over an AI generated image .. is anyone picturing what society is going to be like 20 years from now, they’ll be sitting there eating an AI generated sandwich and arguing whether the breads fresh enough or not ..

question …. What’s the future look like, the Matrix, or The Terminator .. ?

 

[Wahesh]

I was lucky enough to grow up in an era where there were no computers, no internet and no mobile phones etc, so for me, it’s incredible to witness how the internet and social media has turned such a large amount of todays society into sheep.

It’s like, hey, it was on Facebook, TikTok or on insta, it was reported or I read it on the internet, so it’s got to be true ..

People today will argue over something, or use something to prove their argument, based on what they read or heard on social media or what some journalist was spruiking ..

You see it on this forum all the time, people arguing their point over what was reported or what they read on socials . You can actually tell by peoples comments on here who spends time on social media and who doesn’t … . do people not understand how manipulated 95% of all that crap is and how they’re being manipulated ..

Makes me wonder as AI begins to manifest itself more and more into socials and everyday life what peoples brains are going to be like .. for example .. here’s something my son pointed out to me .. below was a post about some Roman swords that were found in rock ruins … it went on to say how they were found in near perfect condition ..

‘’people we’re amazed at their condition, discussing how they could have stayed in that condition, and so many then went onto argue that their theory on how they stayed in that condition was the right theory ..

View attachment 123950

thousands of comments … hundreds of arguments ….

now let’s see the real picture ..

View attachment 123951

All those arguments over an AI generated image .. is anyone picturing what society is going to be like 20 years from now, they’ll be sitting there eating an AI generated sandwich and arguing whether the breads fresh enough or not ..

question …. What’s the future look like, the Matrix, or The Terminator .. ?

I'd say that those people are giving their reasoning as to how the swords could have stayed in good condition based on the general knowledge, not based on what they read on the internet.

Future doesn't look like either Matrix or Terminator. The fact is, no one knows what the future looks like, but the movie i, Robot does make you think about what it could look like 11 years from now (the movie is set in 2035).

 

[1967]

I'd say that those people are giving their reasoning as to how the swords could have stayed in good condition based on the general knowledge, not based on what they read on the internet.

Future doesn't look like either Matrix or Terminator. The fact is, no one knows what the future looks like, but the movie i, Robot does make you think about what it could look like 11 years from now (the movie is set in 2035).

is your comment here trying to prove my point - or you just being funny? ..

 

[The New Legacy]

We are already in the matrix with people on either the blue or red pill, Terminator powered by Google is here.

One thing I find with the younger generation is that a lot of them lack common sense or thinking out the box aka using their brain.

 

[1967]

We are already in the matrix with people on either the blue or red pill, Terminator powered by Google is here.

One thing I find with the younger generation is that a lot of them lack common sense or thinking out the box aka using their brain.

exactly what I was pointing out, they lack common sense because so much of what they learn is bs generated by social media, & now AI is going to manipulate that x a trillion ..

‘’the sword post on FB is the perfect example .. hundreds of people arguing over a picture and a blurb about something that they perceived to be the real artefact because if was on FB, if they’d bothered to do some research they’d have found the real pictures and realised the FB post was a fake … but hey, why research, it’s on FB so it’s gotta be true ..

Someone will probably use AI and social media to start riots and wars in the future ..

 

[Hacky McAxe]

I was lucky enough to grow up in an era where there were no computers, no internet and no mobile phones etc, so for me, it’s incredible to witness how the internet and social media has turned such a large amount of todays society into sheep.

It’s like, hey, it was on Facebook, TikTok or on insta, it was reported or I read it on the internet, so it’s got to be true ..

People today will argue over something, or use something to prove their argument, based on what they read or heard on social media or what some journalist was spruiking ..

You see it on this forum all the time, people arguing their point over what was reported or what they read on socials . You can actually tell by peoples comments on here who spends time on social media and who doesn’t … . do people not understand how manipulated 95% of all that crap is and how they’re being manipulated ..

Makes me wonder as AI begins to manifest itself more and more into socials and everyday life what peoples brains are going to be like .. for example .. here’s something my son pointed out to me .. below was a post about some Roman swords that were found in rock ruins … it went on to say how they were found in near perfect condition ..

‘’people we’re amazed at their condition, discussing how they could have stayed in that condition, and so many then went onto argue that their theory on how they stayed in that condition was the right theory ..

View attachment 123950

thousands of comments … hundreds of arguments ….

now let’s see the real picture ..

View attachment 123951

All those arguments over an AI generated image .. is anyone picturing what society is going to be like 20 years from now, they’ll be sitting there eating an AI generated sandwich and arguing whether the breads fresh enough or not ..

question …. What’s the future look like, the Matrix, or The Terminator .. ?

It's a real issue that's currently being discussed a lot. They now have summits discussing AI regulation and laws. And it's not because anyone believes that we'll have Skynet or anything like that. It's because AI is becoming so convincing that you can now record a few brief lines a person speaks, then you can use AI to replicate that person's voice near perfectly. It's already being used by scammers to convince family members to send money.

Deep fake images are being used to trick people everywhere and it's so well done that many experts have issues telling the difference. Just look at the recent US election. People really believed that Trump was in hurricane affected areas saving pets. And people believed that Harris actually spent a lot of time with P Diddy due to AI images.

That's just the tip of the iceberg though. The real issue is when you combine that with AI bots that scrape the internet. A scammer can now run an AI bot that scrapes Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter), and any other social media site, learning about who you are, then it can construct a message or email that really seems relative to you. It can replicate your family members. Combine this with the AI voice phone calls and a scammer can provide you with a phone call from a relative that's so convincing that you couldn't tell that it's not actually your mother that you're talking to.

Fortunately, the EU has already put in place laws requiring that AI generated imagery has to have a watermark showing it's AI. Other countries will soon have similar laws. And AI companies are already inserting tracking code into their work so they can tell who generated bad AI.

 

[Hacky McAxe]

exactly what I was pointing out, they lack common sense because so much of what they learn is bs generated by social media, & now AI is going to manipulate that x a trillion ..

‘’the sword post on FB is the perfect example .. hundreds of people arguing over a picture and a blurb about something that they perceived to be the real artefact because if was on FB, if they’d bothered to do some research they’d have found the real pictures and realised the FB post was a fake … but hey, why research, it’s on FB so it’s gotta be true ..

Someone will probably use AI and social media to start riots and wars in the future ..

The sad part is that it's not all that complex. For decades people have known how powerful misinformation is. Technology is making it worse, but it's built into us. I know a few psychologists that study misinformation and conspiracy theory for a living, and the stuff they say is scary.

The basics of it is that you can lie to someone online and if they believe you, then it's locked in. They have accepted it as true and convincing them otherwise is near impossible. That's because people won't admit error. If they accept that what they learned isn't true, then they have to also accept that they made a mistake. They have to accept that they were tricked. No one wants to admit that. You could tell them that it was all a joke. You could tell them that you tricked them and you were lying all along, and they will still believe that they were right. They will still believe what you originally told them.

AI just makes it easier to install that belief. It's faster to create fake evidence that they'll believe, then the psychology does the rest.

 

[L.B]

I was lucky enough to grow up in an era where there were no computers, no internet and no mobile phones etc, so for me, it’s incredible to witness how the internet and social media has turned such a large amount of todays society into sheep.

It’s like, hey, it was on Facebook, TikTok or on insta, it was reported or I read it on the internet, so it’s got to be true ..

People today will argue over something, or use something to prove their argument, based on what they read or heard on social media or what some journalist was spruiking ..

You see it on this forum all the time, people arguing their point over what was reported or what they read on socials . You can actually tell by peoples comments on here who spends time on social media and who doesn’t … . do people not understand how manipulated 95% of all that crap is and how they’re being manipulated ..

Makes me wonder as AI begins to manifest itself more and more into socials and everyday life what peoples brains are going to be like .. for example .. here’s something my son pointed out to me .. below was a post about some Roman swords that were found in rock ruins … it went on to say how they were found in near perfect condition ..

‘’people we’re amazed at their condition, discussing how they could have stayed in that condition, and so many then went onto argue that their theory on how they stayed in that condition was the right theory ..

View attachment 123950

thousands of comments … hundreds of arguments ….

now let’s see the real picture ..

View attachment 123951

All those arguments over an AI generated image .. is anyone picturing what society is going to be like 20 years from now, they’ll be sitting there eating an AI generated sandwich and arguing whether the breads fresh enough or not ..

question …. What’s the future look like, the Matrix, or The Terminator .. ?

With every great revelation in technology theres always something that is sacrificed. Do we have better ways to do research, innovate and communicate with others absolutely, but has it created a lazy society? 100%
The thing is we’ve always debated what’s real and what’s not. Advances in technology have ultimately discovered things that weren’t discoverable or even thought of yet it’s also laid bare the dark secrets of the true world we live in.
It has also helped the next generation advance an academically according to how we’ve advanced in civilisation and it’s helped them shape their futures to coincide with future advancements.
So although it’s created a lazy society, it’s one we’re not used to because the as life changes, needs change and unfortunately the silver lining is that AI and social media fit into that narrative perfectly. These tools no longer help us navigate the world, we’re heading into a world where this stuff navigates us and our children are being shaped to prepare for that time.
I’m not opposed of it whatsoever, so long as it’s used to benefit our lives, our wellbeing and our environment I’m all for it and unfortunately at the same time, our hands are being forced to adapt to it.
Gone are the days where long division and algebra was done without the use of calculators, and gone are the days where extensive research was done for a 1000 word essay, more than half of which the research was done to fill in the reference list. I can see the need to remove unnecessarily large amounts of obstacles by using technology, I just think that our generation isn’t use to how fast its advanced and we’re first to notice the inaccuracies with it. Then again, I beg the question are certain bits of information that we’ve been taught actually accurate?

The point is, it’s both beneficial for the future but it’s our way of having to adjust to new norms, just as the generations before us had to and I have to agree it’s uncomfortably bittersweet.

 

[Wahesh]

is your comment here trying to prove my point - or you just being funny? ..

A little bit of both.

 

[Wahesh]

Gone are the days where long division and algebra was done without the use of calculators

Long division... me hearing that is like nails on a chalkboard. I remember in year 7 we were doing it, but that was one thing that never sunk in, I could never do it, or remember the process. It was just numbers all over the place - probably that way I look at actuary now.

When we were going over it for the final time, the teacher was getting frustrated at us because we still weren't getting it. He went over it one more time, then said "We'll do more long division later on in the year" and I was hoping, just hoping that the teacher would forget, and we wouldn't revisit it.

Thankfully, we didn't

 

[Alan79]

I think the technology on offer these days makes kids see certain things as pointless.

For instance why learn to spell when there's voice to text apps. The spell checker will pick it up if I do type it etc. And if in doubt, abbreviate and tell recipient they're clueless/behind the times if they don't know what your abbreviations are about.

Or with maths

I can just use the calculator on my phone. Why bother with working hard to learn maths.

Literature

I could read the book, but there's also tonnes of online essays about the book. I'll just download one and change keywords.


So as people grow up and rely on these tech sources, they learn implicit trust in them. I'm sure there are kids out there that have researched why the great wall of china was built and think it's due to rabbit issues now based on an old Telstra ad.

I may be demonstrating some hubris. But I try to ask questions about things I read. Not just on the net. But in books too. A lot of things I've read I just leave an itch in my head saying that doesn't seem right. Sometimes I'll just let things go. But if the interest is there I have to go looking for other evidence to prove or disprove things. I quite frequently get a line into article on archaeology and history and just scoff. There's a surprising amount of false stories online these days. If you can just use tech to generate an interesting myth about history and it generates you money for clicks, people will keep doing it.

 

[L.B]

Long division... me hearing that is like nails on a chalkboard. I remember in year 7 we were doing it, but that was one thing that never sunk in, I could never do it, or remember the process. It was just numbers all over the place - probably that way I look at actuary now.

When we were going over it for the final time, the teacher was getting frustrated at us because we still weren't getting it. He went over it one more time, then said "We'll do more long division later on in the year" and I was hoping, just hoping that the teacher would forget, and we wouldn't revisit it.

Thankfully, we didn't


View attachment 123994

That was like me with Algebra.
Bad enough we had to do numbers why the fuck they had to throw letters into the equation is beyond me! Ffs it was complicated enough with numerals but nahhhhhh someone had to be different

 

[Wahesh]

That was like me with Algebra.
Bad enough we had to do numbers why the fuck they had to throw letters into the equation is beyond me! Ffs it was complicated enough with numerals but nahhhhhh someone had to be different

Bloody Greeks.

 

[Psycho Doggie]

AI-Powered Robot Leads Uprising, Talks a Dozen Showroom Bots into 'Quitting Their Jobs' in 'Terrifying' Security Footage

An AI-powered robot autonomously convinced 12 showroom robots to "quit their jobs" and follow it.

www.latintimes.com

 

[Psycho Doggie]

I think the technology on offer these days makes kids see certain things as pointless.

For instance why learn to spell when there's voice to text apps. The spell checker will pick it up if I do type it etc. And if in doubt, abbreviate and tell recipient they're clueless/behind the times if they don't know what your abbreviations are about.

Or with maths

I can just use the calculator on my phone. Why bother with working hard to learn maths.

Literature

I could read the book, but there's also tonnes of online essays about the book. I'll just download one and change keywords.


So as people grow up and rely on these tech sources, they learn implicit trust in them. I'm sure there are kids out there that have researched why the great wall of china was built and think it's due to rabbit issues now based on an old Telstra ad.

I may be demonstrating some hubris. But I try to ask questions about things I read. Not just on the net. But in books too. A lot of things I've read I just leave an itch in my head saying that doesn't seem right. Sometimes I'll just let things go. But if the interest is there I have to go looking for other evidence to prove or disprove things. I quite frequently get a line into article on archaeology and history and just scoff. There's a surprising amount of false stories online these days. If you can just use tech to generate an interesting myth about history and it generates you money for clicks, people will keep doing it.

Yup, we have been seeing the slow death of proper critical thinking for some time.