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Joined 1 year ago
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Cake day: July 7th, 2023

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  • Completely agree. Not only is it disturbing how little people care, but there’s a far bigger picture.

    Right now it’s celebrities shilling products. What happens when it’s political figures? What happens when the messages spread misinformation or violence?

    It doesn’t matter whether or not you fall for it as an individual. It will impact society. Full stop.

    People need to be more understanding and compassionate. If you know so much and are so great at identifying these things and so technologically savvy, help educate those around you. Vote in every election, including local elections, to vote into power people who understand these issues and will act on the best interest of the people.


  • I get what you’re saying, but I’m not sure you realize just how much that would hurt people. Europe is much more densely concentrated and has far better public transit options. Many parts of the US are extremely rural. My nearest grocery store is a 30 minute drive away. There are no stores in walking distance at all. There are no sidewalks. There are no busses, trains, or cabs in my area, and that is not wildly uncommon.

    If costs of gas doubled, at least without viable alternatives, it would absolutely bankrupt people. And it would disproportionately impact poor people in rural areas where it’s very common to commute to work 30-60 minutes of driving is a common commute. While it varies by state, US federal minimum wage in the US is $7.25/hour. Many people commute for work, and an hour drive one way is also not uncommon.

    Let’s take 7.25 an hour x 40 hours = $290 before taxes.

    We’ll keep it simple and say a person uses only 1 gallon of gas per day to get to and from work which, at $8 a gallon x 5 days a week = $40. Just that travel to and from work and no other travel at all (or maintenance on the vehicle) would be 14% of pre-tax income.

    So many things need to change so I understand the perspective, but I think it’s really important to consider the widespread impact. Obviously the US has a lot of issues contributing to this situation.



  • Honestly, I’m constantly asking this question regarding most social media platforms. What will it take for people to stop using platforms they don’t like? It’s not just the support, it’s the actual monetary value of their interactions with those platforms – you’re handing those companies money by utilizing their “free” platforms. I teach online undergrad courses in mass communication, visual literacy, etc. Students talk about their use of social media platforms and many complain that they don’t even like them or don’t like their policies. When I ask them why they continue to use these platforms they don’t like, they say it’s easier to keep in contact with grandma, or military member, or someone overseas (or similar response).

    Is call, text, and email not covering those individual communications? Are there not other formats that could be used instead of platforms that you don’t like? It’s much deeper than just that “simple” question. For many, it questions their idea of how culture and society. Especially younger people, who grew up with social media all of their lives, it’s difficult to picture an existence without it, to live with the “FOMO” (fear of missing out), etc.

    It’s honestly a really interesting topic, and it will be necessary to question our idea of culture and what’s “normal” when it comes to social media usage.