EEVblog TikTok

[SiliconWizard]

I don't get the point of YT shorts. (Well, I do, but I wish I didn't.)

People can view them quickly on their shoe phone. 1 minute chunks of dopamine.

Yes I get that. I just think it promotes the quick consumption of "disposable" content, which is a wasteful behavior and contributes to degrading the attention span of people, which is already down to an alarmingly low level.
 

TikTok didn't create wasteful behavior.

No, of course not.
Only racists want to ban TikTok anyway.

[EEVblog]

So someone please do explain it to me. I'll listen.

Agreed.  Induction theory.  If it is true and working as stated, there would not be such a hearing and therefore this thread.  So the button is either not working, or has a serious flaw in the algo.
Same thing can be said to any platform, including eevblog, to be asked to prove all impossibilities.

 

[RoGeorge]

For those who find dissonance in EEVblog on TikTok, remember the Math Tutor guy:
https://www.vice.com/en/article/dyp8wa/math-tutor-video-lessons-pornhub-changhsu
 

[magic]

They can literally flip western elections and influence western opinion as a result.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/emilybaker-white/2023/01/20/tiktoks-secret-heating-button-can-make-anyone-go-viral/?sh=2852a47e6bfd

Meh, last year Russia was doing the same with Wikileaks

If you think that people are too dumb to make informed decisions and can be swayed by 30 seconds of propaganda, why even bother with democracy in the first place?

[SiliconWizard]

If you think that people are too dumb to make informed decisions and can be swayed by 30 seconds of propaganda, why even bother with democracy in the first place?

That's a question that has been around for at least 200 years. The answer to this has been representative democracy almost everywhere democracy has been installed, which is indirect democracy, and some would argue, is not really democracy anyway.

As to the ease with which people's opinions can be influenced, we have known that for thousands of years. This is nothing new.
And the pitfalls of most voting systems have been known for at least as long. Read Condorcet. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Condorcet_method

One key "benefit" of democracy - even if it's just apparent democracy - is that it lowers the risk of revolutions to an absolute minimum, allowing more long-term stability. The reality of a democratic power (power by the people) in modern democracies is at best questionable.

[magic]

The natural answer to democracy is oligarchy. Magnates fund newspapers, TV stations, universities, think tanks, social media, whatever applies in given era, which inform the masses what's "hot" and what "trends" and whom to elect to make the world hotter still. There is no problem with that and nobody ever complained, until foreign magnates or - God forbid governments - manage to capture a sizable audience, then it suddenly becomes a problem and an immediate threat to our democracy.

(BTW, the alleged direct CCP involvement is some tinfoil hat stuff, any evidence so far? Of course, there is undeniable indirect influence - things the CCP doesn't like simply wouldn't fly in China in the first place).

[Sredni]

Yes I get that. I just think it promotes the quick consumption of "disposable" content, which is a wasteful behavior and contributes to degrading the attention span of people, which is already down to an alarmingly low level.

Yes, huge problem, and enough reason to ban it.
The REAL problem with TikTok though is that is the CCP have direct persuasion control of hundreds of millions of western users. They literally have a "heat" button they can press to make anything trend, or hide things they don't want people to see.
They can literally flip western elections and influence western opinion as a result.

What is the difference with Facebook?
Who pushes the button?

To be clear, I would ban both.

[BravoV]

Why bother the troubles to explain this and that for silly reasoning  , just say it ... its just plain sinophobe.   

[magic]

Yes, huge problem, and enough reason to ban it.
The REAL problem with TikTok though is that is the CCP have direct persuasion control of hundreds of millions of western users. They literally have a "heat" button they can press to make anything trend, or hide things they don't want people to see.
They can literally flip western elections and influence western opinion as a result.

What is the difference with Facebook?
Who pushes the button?

To be clear, I would ban both.

Fun fact is that American media companies and even web search engines have been blatantly and openly manipulating American elections for yearsdecades.
Meanwhile TikTok is problematic because they could possibly do it, although the actual complaints so far are that they are promoting things they believe may bring them more revenue.

Maybe this is the difference between Capitalism operating under People's Democracy and a flat out Capitalists' Democracy

[BravoV]

Meanwhile TikTok is problematic because ...

Well, the campaign is now global, every kind of fault (kitchen sink included) that you could think of will be thrown to blame TikTok, smart eh ? 

Yes, it becomes so stupid and silly, like the weather balloon fiasco. 

Here at the Western battle's front at UK (Financial Times). 

[EEVblog]

Yes I get that. I just think it promotes the quick consumption of "disposable" content, which is a wasteful behavior and contributes to degrading the attention span of people, which is already down to an alarmingly low level.

Yes, huge problem, and enough reason to ban it.
The REAL problem with TikTok though is that is the CCP have direct persuasion control of hundreds of millions of western users. They literally have a "heat" button they can press to make anything trend, or hide things they don't want people to see.
They can literally flip western elections and influence western opinion as a result.

What is the difference with Facebook?

Err, one is owned and directly controlled by the CCP, the other isn't.

[magic]

Yes, because obscure oligarchy behind a democratic facade is better than a uniparty dictatorship, somehow.

Le Roi est mort, vive le Roi


Americans would have a point if they actually stood for freedom of speech and equality themselves, but that's not what they do.
They just can't take what they have been aggressively dishing out to the whole world for years.
Openly acting against their own Cold War propaganda was a particularly egregious error.

I was one of those who told those stupid nerds that this will happen to them sooner or later.

Obligatory "death to America" because I think I haven't posted it this week yet.

[BravoV]

The true reason behind this TikTok as escape goat ...

[EEVblog]

The true reason behind this TikTok as escape goat ...

Never let a good crisis go to waste.
They should pass a bill that every future bill needs to be one page maximum. Impossible to slip stuff in.

[Ed.Kloonk]

The true reason behind this TikTok as escape goat ...

Never let a good crisis go to waste.
They should pass a bill that every future bill needs to be one page maximum. Impossible to slip stuff in.

Pass the bill. We'll look what's in it later.

[Sredni]

Yes I get that. I just think it promotes the quick consumption of "disposable" content, which is a wasteful behavior and contributes to degrading the attention span of people, which is already down to an alarmingly low level.

Yes, huge problem, and enough reason to ban it.
The REAL problem with TikTok though is that is the CCP have direct persuasion control of hundreds of millions of western users. They literally have a "heat" button they can press to make anything trend, or hide things they don't want people to see.
They can literally flip western elections and influence western opinion as a result.

What is the difference with Facebook?

Err, one is owned and directly controlled by the CCP, the other isn't.

So, the only problem is who pushes the button.
Having direct persuasion control of hundreds of millions of users. Having a "heat" [algorithm] that can be tailored to make anything trend, or to hide things they don't want people to see. Having the potentiality to literally flip elections and influence opinion as a result... is not a problem if it's in the hands of some tycoon or some board of billionaires.

I could understand this position if Facebook and Twitter were under direct government control (in which case, by the same logic, all other countries should ban or demand them to be sold to their governments), but to me the problem is that these platform are controlled by unelected subjects that have the potentiality to do all of the above.

[Sredni]

The true reason behind this TikTok as escape goat ...

I cannot really take seriously anything that has the word "true" and Tucker Carlson in it.
The best definition of that individual is "a millionaire who shills for billionaires", which brings us back again at the billionaire behind the curtain who is pushing the buttons (from down under, no less).

All I see in this video is a long winded excuse for him to be the mouthpiece of a foreign leader. Or should I say foreign "adversary"?
But who knows? Maybe some day we will get to read mails or messages where he admits he 'hates passionately' this other guy too...

[magic]

So, the only problem is who pushes the button.
Having direct persuasion control of hundreds of millions of users. Having a "heat" [algorithm] that can be tailored to make anything trend, or to hide things they don't want people to see. Having the potentiality to literally flip elections and influence opinion as a result... is not a problem if it's in the hands of some tycoon or some board of billionaires.

Yeah, a bunch of button-pushers fighting each other and we are supposed to get excited and take sides.

In Poland there is a rule banning public discussion of elections/referenda when voting takes place and a day before, under penalty of a fine.

I think there is some merit to it, but it approaches the problem from the wrong side. Propaganda is a fact of life, and it will come from abroad even if you ban it domestically, but nobody is obliged to consume it. Everyone caught logging into social media for a week prior should be banned from voting, simple as that. All the terminally online social junkies, activists, SJWs, neonazis, you name it, they just couldn't resist. So many problems killed with one stone.

[SiliconWizard]

The true reason behind this TikTok as escape goat ...

Never let a good crisis go to waste.
They should pass a bill that every future bill needs to be one page maximum. Impossible to slip stuff in.

Should this one bill be one page maximum as well?

[BravoV]

The true reason behind this TikTok as escape goat ...

All I see in this video is a long winded excuse for him to be the mouthpiece of a foreign leader. Or should I say foreign "adversary"?

Well, for sure the proposed ban law for Tiktok includes ... its anti-circumvention clauses do seem to imply that offering or using a VPN or other means of attempting to circumvent a restriction on use of a restricted app or service could get you in the slammer for up to 20 years, or fined up to $1,000,000. 

There you go, enjoy your new law that will be tons better than the "authoritarian" China, or even better beats North Korea or Taliban. 

[John B]

Supporting techno-fascism to own the right wingers.

[eTobey]

Thinking about maybe doing more Youtube shorts.

DONT do this! Those videos are buggy to watch, and dont have much controls. Its only suitable for stupid videos. ALSO you get on the dark side, watching other stupid shorts, as those follow below.

Yes some of them are funny, or interesting, but in the end its a waste of time, and also quite addictive.

[Sredni]

The true reason behind this TikTok as escape goat ...

All I see in this video is a long winded excuse for him to be the mouthpiece of a foreign leader. Or should I say foreign "adversary"?

Well, for sure the proposed ban law for Tiktok includes ... its anti-circumvention clauses do seem to imply that offering or using a VPN or other means of attempting to circumvent a restriction on use of a restricted app or service could get you in the slammer for up to 20 years, or fined up to $1,000,000. 

There you go, enjoy your new law that will be tons better than the "authoritarian" China, or even better beats North Korea or Taliban. 

Is this restriction applied to ALL apps, or only to apps that are deemed a national security risk?
Because "SEEMS TO imply" is what a mouthpiece like T.C. would say to push his lies.

[magic]

ALL apps are a threat to national security unless regulated by the federal government and owned by the owners of the federal government, or at least their good buddies from friendly states

[SiliconWizard]

Of course, not everyone may have the same idea of what national security really is. Not even within the government itself.