Coronavirus

[hypochondriac]

9 minutes ago, saint1977 said:

This is probably fair assumption - lots of great info online (for practical tasks especially and for research and for advocating freedoms eg Arab Spring which couldn’t have happened without it) but can be conversely used for spreading extremist material, leading to radicalisation, terrorism and deliberate misinformation. Of course, the traditional media could be used historically to make claims to large audiences but there was more chance of genuine inaccurate claims being challenged by better journalists or experts in the field.
 

People vulnerable to joining outlying movements have always been there - Mansons, Jones, Waco, QAnon is an online version of a cult. I think what many people are now turned off social media by is the fact you can see all of the circular and most partisan of online squabbling within echo chambers and across Twitter. My own use of platforms is strictly professional - I don’t use it for personal things full stop. 

There's a lot of truth in that too. I'm not sure that's classified as ignorance though, if anything the danger is information overload where it becomes difficult to discern facts from fiction. 

I also see that there are calls for social media companies to ban anti vax stuff. Personally I think that's a really bad idea. Banning thing will just fuel a justified sense of grievance and won't eradicate these views. They need robust rebuttals not censorship. 

Edited 15 November, 2020 by hypochondriac

[The Cat]

Banning anti-vax stuff from social media is wrong. If people don't want to have it then let them crack on and face the possible consequences later down the line if they catch whatever they haven't been vaccinated for. It's the ones who don't vaccinate their kids that wind me up, couldn't care less if they don't want a Covid vaccine. 

Most people on social media are shouting into a big black hole anyway. 

[whelk]

42 minutes ago, hypochondriac said:

Not sure why mobile phones limit intelligence. If anything it has expanded knowledge as long as you are aware of the pitfalls of an echo chamber and use a range of sources. I think you'd find that general ignorance was probably a fair bit higher about certain matters a few decades ago. 

I’m sure vast majority of people aren’t reading in-depth articles to broaden their knowledge. Looking for likes or banging balls against walls to gain coins. Of course not all bad in terms of finding information.

As far as being aware of pitfalls. I’m sure you are aware of the sophisticated algorithms used by Facebook to monetise individuals. These inevitably ensure views become entrenched. 

[whelk]

2 minutes ago, The Cat said:

Banning anti-vax stuff from social media is wrong. If people don't want to have it then let them crack on and face the possible consequences later down the line if they catch whatever they haven't been vaccinated for. It's the ones who don't vaccinate their kids that wind me up, couldn't care less if they don't want a Covid vaccine. 

Most people on social media are shouting into a big black hole anyway. 

So if someone posts that the vaccine causes cancer with absolutely no evidence and that starts spreading on Facebook  you think Facebook should do nothing?

[hypochondriac]

2 minutes ago, whelk said:

So if someone posts that the vaccine causes cancer with absolutely no evidence and that starts spreading on Facebook  you think Facebook should do nothing?

I think posting something factually inaccurate and as egregious asnyourbexamplenshould either be challenged or possibly deleted. There's a whole load of content around anti vaccinations and a blanket ban on all of it without discussion would be wrong. People who are anti vaccine are generally quite hard of thinking though. 

[hypochondriac]

8 minutes ago, The Cat said:

Banning anti-vax stuff from social media is wrong. If people don't want to have it then let them crack on and face the possible consequences later down the line if they catch whatever they haven't been vaccinated for. It's the ones who don't vaccinate their kids that wind me up, couldn't care less if they don't want a Covid vaccine. 

Most people on social media are shouting into a big black hole anyway. 

Think the problem though is that if enough people have that mindset then it's going to cause real problems for cancer sufferers, people with immune diseases, newborns etc who can't get vaccinated even if they wanted to. 

[The Cat]

1 minute ago, whelk said:

So if someone posts that the vaccine causes cancer with absolutely no evidence and that starts spreading on Facebook  you think Facebook should do nothing?

Facebook is the cancer.

If Dave from Basildon posts that I'd imagine 99.9% of the people who see it will think Dave's being a bit of a twat and get on with their day.

[The Cat]

3 minutes ago, hypochondriac said:

Think the problem though is that if enough people have that mindset then it's going to cause real problems for cancer sufferers, people with immune diseases, newborns etc who can't get vaccinated even if they wanted to. 

Fair point. 

Have they released any data about what age people can get a Covid vaccine? Although I guess healthy kids will be at the back of the queue for the first 20 million.

[egg]

18 minutes ago, The Cat said:

Banning anti-vax stuff from social media is wrong. If people don't want to have it then let them crack on and face the possible consequences later down the line if they catch whatever they haven't been vaccinated for. It's the ones who don't vaccinate their kids that wind me up, couldn't care less if they don't want a Covid vaccine. 

Most people on social media are shouting into a big black hole anyway. 

The problem with the anti vax crowd is that they argue against it on their principles, but often support it with false beliefs. 

If someone does not want a vaccine, that's up to them, but don't be forcing your views on others and relying on false beliefs in support. Doing so is irresponsible and dangerous. 

Because of that I'm in support of a ban. 

[hypochondriac]

12 minutes ago, The Cat said:

Fair point. 

Have they released any data about what age people can get a Covid vaccine? Although I guess healthy kids will be at the back of the queue for the first 20 million.

From what I've read, how many people are offered the vaccine is going to depend on how much immunity it gives you. If its a one and done type deal then that's going to be different from if you need regular top ups. 

[whelk]

18 minutes ago, The Cat said:

Facebook is the cancer.

If Dave from Basildon posts that I'd imagine 99.9% of the people who see it will think Dave's being a bit of a twat and get on with their day.

No personal experience of Facebook and wish you were right. Obviously loads of sensible people will ignore rubbish but naive to think that spreading false information has no impact. How else can you explain this sort of thing?

https://www.forbes.com/sites/tommybeer/2020/09/02/majority-of-republicans-believe-the-qanon-conspiracy-theory-is-partly-or-mostly-true-survey-finds/?sh=40a84eee5231

[hypochondriac]

9 minutes ago, egg said:

The problem with the anti vax crowd is that they argue against it on their principles, but often support it with false beliefs. 

If someone does not want a vaccine, that's up to them, but don't be forcing your views on others and relying on false beliefs in support. Doing so is irresponsible and dangerous. 

Because of that I'm in support of a ban. 

Who decides what's worthy of a ban and what's allowed to stay up? Is any criticism of a vaccine or vaccine process no matter how mild worthy of a ban? 

[Crab Lungs]

On 10/11/2020 at 19:33, badgerx16 said:

Trust me, it isn't asympthomatic, but whilst I feel like a very heavy flu is hammering me, I haven't lost my sense of smell or taste, nor strangely do I have a particularly high temperature. 😷

Best wishes to you.

I had neither a cough or no loss of smell, but all the flu symptoms culminating in a solid three weeks of breathing problems... then, the post viral fatigue followed by... Bell’s palsy.

all in all, I lost about 4 months of my life but in the grand scheme of things, at least I didn’t lose my life - though this was the first and only time in my life I sailed a little close to the wind and it was terrifying.

on the plus side, I’ve changed my lifestyle and diet completely and thankfully, I have no residual affects to speak of since July. 
 

it was the strangest illness I’ve ever encountered and it lasted so long. Mentally, it was just as tough as I never thought I was going to get better. 
 

honestly, good luck and best wishes on you and your families recovery.

[hypochondriac]

Just now, whelk said:

No personal experience of Facebook and wish you were right. Obviously loads of sensible people will ignore rubbish but naive to think that spreading false information has no impact. How else can you explain this sort of thing?

https://www.forbes.com/sites/tommybeer/2020/09/02/majority-of-republicans-believe-the-qanon-conspiracy-theory-is-partly-or-mostly-true-survey-finds/?sh=40a84eee5231

Haven't there been news stories like that for literally decades that predate the Internet? 

[whelk]

Just now, hypochondriac said:

Haven't there been news stories like that for literally decades that predate the Internet? 

Dunno could never find them😀

[Turkish]

13 minutes ago, Crab Lungs said:

Best wishes to you.

I had neither a cough or no loss of smell, but all the flu symptoms culminating in a solid three weeks of breathing problems... then, the post viral fatigue followed by... Bell’s palsy.

all in all, I lost about 4 months of my life but in the grand scheme of things, at least I didn’t lose my life - though this was the first and only time in my life I sailed a little close to the wind and it was terrifying.

on the plus side, I’ve changed my lifestyle and diet completely and thankfully, I have no residual affects to speak of since July. 
 

it was the strangest illness I’ve ever encountered and it lasted so long. Mentally, it was just as tough as I never thought I was going to get better. 
 

honestly, good luck and best wishes on you and your families recovery.

Good to have you back with us Crabby. Being nosey what changes have you made to your diet and lifestyle? Just being nosey

[egg]

11 minutes ago, hypochondriac said:

Who decides what's worthy of a ban and what's allowed to stay up? Is any criticism of a vaccine or vaccine process no matter how mild worthy of a ban? 

No idea who, but the why should is on its merits and social impact. Idiots in the states believed trumps bleach nonsense, and people will believe that a vax will be damaging if they hear that message enough. 

For me, if the social media message is against the vax, and is based on bs and conjecture, that message should be cut off at the knees. If teh message had truth and was important to be heard, I'd think differently. 

[Turkish]

18 minutes ago, whelk said:

No personal experience of Facebook and wish you were right. Obviously loads of sensible people will ignore rubbish but naive to think that spreading false information has no impact. How else can you explain this sort of thing?

https://www.forbes.com/sites/tommybeer/2020/09/02/majority-of-republicans-believe-the-qanon-conspiracy-theory-is-partly-or-mostly-true-survey-finds/?sh=40a84eee5231

I see that it started on an anonymous message board in 2017. 🤔

[hypochondriac]

8 minutes ago, egg said:

No idea who, but the why should is on its merits and social impact. Idiots in the states believed trumps bleach nonsense, and people will believe that a vax will be damaging if they hear that message enough. 

For me, if the social media message is against the vax, and is based on bs and conjecture, that message should be cut off at the knees. If teh message had truth and was important to be heard, I'd think differently. 

Who decides if it's true? Who decides if it's based on bs? Bearing in mind this all has to be done in real time to stop any spread. 

[badgerx16]

25 minutes ago, Crab Lungs said:

 

honestly, good luck and best wishes on you and your families recovery.

Cheers Crabby, and best wishes to you and yours.

[egg]

1 minute ago, hypochondriac said:

Who decides if it's true? Who decides if it's based on bs? Bearing in mind this all has to be done in real time to stop any spread. 

If a claim by Dave the builder from Dagenham about a vax doing xyz isn't corroborated by anything and it's just Dave's opinion it's reasonable to assume it's nonsense. Do you think that ramblings from the likes of Dave should be permitted on such an important matter? 

[Crab Lungs]

7 minutes ago, Turkish said:

Good to have you back with us Crabby. Being nosey what changes have you made to your diet and lifestyle? Just being nosey

Thank you! 

Well, it was the fatigue which was killing me post virus... I woke up, felt like I had been hit by a train and was constantly tired and I mean, not tired I could do with a nap, I was exhausted. Constantly had brain fog, burning skin, aching joints, limbs.. mentally and physically done.

 

someone I know recommended some particular foods and told me to give it a try and be patient. Silly things like more vegetables, a berocca every morning and bizarrely, honey and lemon water - and I’ve not looked back. I don’t eat any meat any more - which is strange as I never ate vegetables but now they’re almost exclusively what I eat. Feel lighter and clearer headed though toilet stops are definitely more frequent. 😕

I initially changed because I was desperate to get better and feel normal again and eventually, by putting better fuel in my body I did. I didn’t stop eating meat in the first two weeks but slowly it phased out once I began to enjoy my new diet and found reasonable substitutes. 
 

I never want to do another round with COVID again, it was horrendous.

[egg]

2 minutes ago, Crab Lungs said:

Thank you! 

Well, it was the fatigue which was killing me post virus... I woke up, felt like I had been hit by a train and was constantly tired and I mean, not tired I could do with a nap, I was exhausted. Constantly had brain fog, burning skin, aching joints, limbs.. mentally and physically done.

 

someone I know recommended some particular foods and told me to give it a try and be patient. Silly things like more vegetables, a berocca every morning and bizarrely, honey and lemon water - and I’ve not looked back. I don’t eat any meat any more - which is strange as I never ate vegetables but now they’re almost exclusively what I eat. Feel lighter and clearer headed though toilet stops are definitely more frequent. 😕

I initially changed because I was desperate to get better and feel normal again and eventually, by putting better fuel in my body I did. I didn’t stop eating meat in the first two weeks but slowly it phased out once I began to enjoy my new diet and found reasonable substitutes. 
 

I never want to do another round with COVID again, it was horrendous.

Sounds awful. Good to hear that you're on the way back. 

[buctootim]

59 minutes ago, whelk said:

So if someone posts that the vaccine causes cancer with absolutely no evidence and that starts spreading on Facebook  you think Facebook should do nothing?

He thinks they should publish a 2,000 page synopsis of the research showing it’s safe. Trouble is the people who believe one sentence claims about vaccines and cancer / autism etc aren’t the same as the ones who are driven by esoteric research you need a lifetime to understand fully

[Crab Lungs]

10 minutes ago, egg said:

Sounds awful. Good to hear that you're on the way back. 

Thanks egg. I’ll post my story sometime, if it helps anyone. 
 

I wrote everything down, I even done an excel spreadsheet of symptoms as I wanted to chart how they waxed and waned... in between my bouts of pure exhaustion. 😂 

[Turkish]

24 minutes ago, Crab Lungs said:

Thank you! 

Well, it was the fatigue which was killing me post virus... I woke up, felt like I had been hit by a train and was constantly tired and I mean, not tired I could do with a nap, I was exhausted. Constantly had brain fog, burning skin, aching joints, limbs.. mentally and physically done.

 

someone I know recommended some particular foods and told me to give it a try and be patient. Silly things like more vegetables, a berocca every morning and bizarrely, honey and lemon water - and I’ve not looked back. I don’t eat any meat any more - which is strange as I never ate vegetables but now they’re almost exclusively what I eat. Feel lighter and clearer headed though toilet stops are definitely more frequent. 😕

I initially changed because I was desperate to get better and feel normal again and eventually, by putting better fuel in my body I did. I didn’t stop eating meat in the first two weeks but slowly it phased out once I began to enjoy my new diet and found reasonable substitutes. 
 

I never want to do another round with COVID again, it was horrendous.

Thanks pal, glad you are better. Interesting on the meat, i know a few people who have cut right back on it and none have regretted it. I’m actually a firm believer that 70% of today’s “illnesses” could be resolved by diet and exercise, I’ve read several books on it by doctors one of which claims that before he prescribes any medication for anything he does a diet and lifestyle review with the patient and in many cases making changes to that fixes the issue so interesting to hear other people’s Stories. 

[Crab Lungs]

2 minutes ago, Turkish said:

Thanks pal, glad you are better. Interesting on the meat, i know a few people who have cut right back on it and none have regretted it. I’m actually a firm believer that 70% of today’s “illnesses” could be resolved by diet and exercise, I’ve read several books on it by doctors one of which claims that before he prescribes any medication for anything he does a diet and lifestyle review with the patient and in many cases making changes to that fixes the issue so interesting to hear other people’s Stories. 

I couldn’t agree more with that belief, i only tried it because I felt like I had nothing to lose, especially with how ill I was ... and because it worked for me I’m now a believer.

I honestly didn’t think it could make any difference whether I ate a burger or had a ‘broccoli steak’ other than calories but the actual difference in how I feel/energy levels is so very, very noticeable.

ive slipped a couple of times; binged on some pepperoni and had a quarter pounder but apart from that, I’ve actually found it easier to find/cook vegetarian alternatives than I thought.

The while honey-lemon hot water drink is still a favourite too. At the time, the honey was for the inflammation and the lemon was for hydration.. now I love the drink! Have to go careful with the lemon and the acidity towards the teeth tho 😩

Jusf started up with the exercise again as well which is boosting the energy levels and alertness even more so.

I think there’s a lot to be said for the exercise and diet thing... 

[saint1977]

Glad you are feeling better Crab Lungs, sounded awful but some positives in terms of shifting. I had to make similar changes pre COVID due to chronic stomach problems and lactose after lots of testing and hospital visits lactose was found to be causing the issues. Occasionally have fish but digestion miles improved without meat intake. 
 

Agree with Cat and Hypo that banning the anti Vax brigade, much as I dislike the misinformation, is the wrong way. Shine a light on the robustness of evidence of findings to date and communicate the science really well to positively combat it. The Great Barrington Group isn’t helpful either but scientists aren’t a monolith either so again, good communication to combat the more eccentric members of the profession allied to clear public health messaging would be my remedy. Some will prefer conspiracy theories but you have to cover the majority of publics as effectively as you can.

[Weston Super Saint]

2 hours ago, whelk said:

So if someone posts that the vaccine causes cancer with absolutely no evidence and that starts spreading on Facebook  you think Facebook should do nothing?

Playing devil's advocate, if someone posts that prayer and belief in God will cure a sick child with absolutely no evidence, should that also be deleted under the new law that is being requested by Labour?

Where do you draw the line and who gets to decide what should be kept and what shouldn't?

[Weston Super Saint]

1 hour ago, egg said:

The problem with the anti vax crowd is that they argue against it on their principles, but often support it with false beliefs. 

If someone does not want a vaccine, that's up to them, but don't be forcing your views on others and relying on false beliefs in support. Doing so is irresponsible and dangerous. 

Because of that I'm in support of a ban. 

Absolute pony!  Nobody is having views 'forced upon them' on Social Media!

[egg]

Just now, Weston Super Saint said:

Absolute pony!  Nobody is having views 'forced upon them' on Social Media!

Behave. If some idiot is expressing his view publicly he's only doing so wanting other people to read it. If you disagree with that, I think that you misunderstand the basics. 

[Weston Super Saint]

Just now, egg said:

Behave. If some idiot is expressing his view publicly he's only doing so wanting other people to read it. If you disagree with that, I think that you misunderstand the basics. 

Behave.  It's not being 'forced' on anyone is it?  

It's social media, if you don't like what is being said, turn it off or block the poster.  I think it may be you who is confused by the concept of social media if you think it is 'forced' on people!

[whelk]

3 minutes ago, Weston Super Saint said:

Playing devil's advocate, if someone posts that prayer and belief in God will cure a sick child with absolutely no evidence, should that also be deleted under the new law that is being requested by Labour?

Where do you draw the line and who gets to decide what should be kept and what shouldn't?

Where the line is will always be a problem and the old censorship v free speech argument. The nature of volume makes it difficult but they should still be trying.

People like Alex Jones have been banned before so they have some criteria to apply already to content. 
 

Problem is Facebook make much money for suggesting shit to people so have no incentive to stop. 

 

 

 

[whelk]

1 minute ago, Weston Super Saint said:

Behave.  It's not being 'forced' on anyone is it?  

It's social media, if you don't like what is being said, turn it off or block the poster.  I think it may be you who is confused by the concept of social media if you think it is 'forced' on people!

You should watch the Social Dilemma. Has very senior people at these tech giants explaining how they work.

yes you can avoid but need to be aware of where so many get their info. Guarantee if you have kids they aren’t getting updates from BBC news at 6

[egg]

14 minutes ago, Weston Super Saint said:

Behave.  It's not being 'forced' on anyone is it?  

It's social media, if you don't like what is being said, turn it off or block the poster.  I think it may be you who is confused by the concept of social media if you think it is 'forced' on people!

People with a brain scroll past, but people without a brain can read and believe nonsense posted by other brainless idiots.

This is too important an issue and my view (others can take the contra view, I respect that) is that allowing people to put conspiracy theorist nonsense out there is dangerous as impressionable people may believe it and pass on a vaccine that could save their life. 

We'll agree to differ on social media but it staggers me that you really do not accept that people post their opinions on social media because they want other people to read (and probably agree with) their opinion. I thought every one knew that was one of its basic uses. 

[The Cat]

1 hour ago, Crab Lungs said:

Thanks egg. I’ll post my story sometime, if it helps anyone. 
 

I wrote everything down, I even done an excel spreadsheet of symptoms as I wanted to chart how they waxed and waned... in between my bouts of pure exhaustion. 😂 

Glad you feel better. Sounds proper grim.

Does your spreadsheet include any symptoms of delusion when you started believing that Fraser Forster was a half decent keeper? 

[hypochondriac]

2 hours ago, egg said:

If a claim by Dave the builder from Dagenham about a vax doing xyz isn't corroborated by anything and it's just Dave's opinion it's reasonable to assume it's nonsense. Do you think that ramblings from the likes of Dave should be permitted on such an important matter? 

What if there are links to an article or a video? Does that need to be fact checked and validated before it's removed? 

[hypochondriac]

1 hour ago, whelk said:

Where the line is will always be a problem and the old censorship v free speech argument. The nature of volume makes it difficult but they should still be trying.

People like Alex Jones have been banned before so they have some criteria to apply already to content. 
 

Problem is Facebook make much money for suggesting shit to people so have no incentive to stop. 

 

 

 

It's not about them trying, there are demands that they are held legally responsible for everything written on the platform. That means there's no room for nuance at all and things will be mass blocked. 

[badgerx16]

1 hour ago, Weston Super Saint said:

Behave.  It's not being 'forced' on anyone is it?  

It's social media, if you don't like what is being said, turn it off or block the poster.  I think it may be you who is confused by the concept of social media if you think it is 'forced' on people!

So when a religious leader / influencer says that vaccination is a CIA plot it isn't being 'forced' on his followers ? When Trump, as the "Leader of the Free World",  says that bleach is a "cure" for CoViD, everybody is expected to question and double-check what he is saying ? People exploit positions of influence. Just look at the number of senior Republican legislators who follow, support, and promote Q-Anon.

Edited 15 November, 2020 by badgerx16

[Weston Super Saint]

48 minutes ago, egg said:

People with a brain scroll past, but people without a brain can read and believe nonsense posted by other brainless idiots.

This is too important an issue and my view (others can take the contra view, I respect that) is that allowing people to put conspiracy theorist nonsense out there is dangerous as impressionable people may believe it and pass on a vaccine that could save their life. 

We'll agree to differ on social media but it staggers me that you really do not accept that people post their opinions on social media because they want other people to read (and probably agree with) their opinion. I thought every one knew that was one of its basic uses. 

Absolute pony once again!

At no point have I ever said that I "do not accept that people post their opinions on social media because they want other people to read (and probably agree with) their opinion".  That's the entire point of social media!

I've disagreed with you that people's views are FORCED on anyone else on social media!  You seem to have changed your mind on that now as you state "people without a brain can read and believe nonsense", which is very different from your previous post which stated "don't be forcing your views on others and relying on false beliefs in support" which is what I disagreed with.

Just because people 'can' read the nonsense that other people write, doesn't mean the Government should introduce a law to control what is written (and subsequently read).  Why should it be the job of the Government to pass laws about what is and isn't allowed to be written about the vaccine just because there are stupid people in the country?  Darwin nailed it many moons ago  

[Weston Super Saint]

10 minutes ago, badgerx16 said:

So when a religious leader / influencer says that vaccination is a CIA plot it isn't being 'forced' on his followers ? When Trump, as the "Leader of the Free World",  says that bleach is a "cure" for CoViD, everybody is expected to question and double-check what he is saying ? People exploit positions of influence.

Nobody is 'forced' to believe what religious leaders / influencers say.  Choosing to accept is not the same as being 'forced'.

Your point about Trump is also moot as within minutes of him 'claiming that bleach was a cure', what was clearly a ridiculous statement was debunked in pretty much every media and social media outlet - not to mention the fact that he didn't actually say that bleach was a cure, merely that 'they' could do something with bleach as it was known to kill the virus!  Even so, not one person was 'forced' to believe what he said....

[egg]

59 minutes ago, hypochondriac said:

What if there are links to an article or a video? Does that need to be fact checked and validated before it's removed? 

Depends what it links to. If it's to another unfounded conspiracy theory, is it wise to allow the impressionable to see it? It's a tough area, and censorship is something I generally feel strongly against, but if one person believes an anti vax conspiracy theory and dies as a consequence, its one person too many. 

[egg]

47 minutes ago, Weston Super Saint said:

Absolute pony once again!

At no point have I ever said that I "do not accept that people post their opinions on social media because they want other people to read (and probably agree with) their opinion".  That's the entire point of social media!

I've disagreed with you that people's views are FORCED on anyone else on social media!  You seem to have changed your mind on that now as you state "people without a brain can read and believe nonsense", which is very different from your previous post which stated "don't be forcing your views on others and relying on false beliefs in support" which is what I disagreed with.

Just because people 'can' read the nonsense that other people write, doesn't mean the Government should introduce a law to control what is written (and subsequently read).  Why should it be the job of the Government to pass laws about what is and isn't allowed to be written about the vaccine just because there are stupid people in the country?  Darwin nailed it many moons ago  

It's a very simple thing Weston. Impressionable people see stuff on social media that they don't elect to see. It's laid out before them by retweets, shares, likes, or other actions by 3rd parties. By seeing something that they don't elect to see, a post and it's content is unsolicited, thus forced upon them. 

I have the ability to scroll past posts (despite finding myself responding to more of your nonsense than I should), and most people are the same. Alas, the amount of nutters and  impressionable out there is staggering. 

[Fan The Flames]

We had family around for sunday lunch the other week and I listened to an amazing conversation between my thick brother in law and my wife's equally stupid cousin about 5G nonsence, that there was some big force behind corona, Bill Gates wants to kill lots of people, the vacine will be dangerous. The conversation was interspersed 'yeah its all over FB' 'this bloke on FB reckons...'. Basically if its on FB they believe it or believe that there might be something in it, and the more they reads this shit the more shit it sends them.

My other brother in law is an infowars fan and decries everything he hears in 'MSM' as fake news and implores me to find stuff out for yourself. Yet this free thinker thinks broadly the same way as all the other guys on these sites.

We are all influenced by the information we choose to listen to but we are heading for strange times and being led there by social media. The nonsense people believed in this country before like religion, monarchy and class was generally harmless but now the stuff has the potential to be more dangerous.

Edited 15 November, 2020 by Fan The Flames

[Weston Super Saint]

30 minutes ago, egg said:

It's a very simple thing Weston. Impressionable people see stuff on social media that they don't elect to see. It's laid out before them by retweets, shares, likes, or other actions by 3rd parties. By seeing something that they don't elect to see, a post and it's content is unsolicited, thus forced upon them. 

I have the ability to scroll past posts (despite finding myself responding to more of your nonsense than I should), and most people are the same. Alas, the amount of nutters and  impressionable out there is staggering. 

Jesus wept. For someone who's supposed to be quite bright, you can be very dim sometimes.

Again, and for the last time, social media is a choice. No one is FORCED to look at social media, ergo no one is FORCED to read unsolicited views and opinions. 

It's a very simple concept and to argue that people are forced to read something is plainly wrong.

[badgerx16]

5 minutes ago, Weston Super Saint said:

Jesus wept. For someone who's supposed to be quite bright, you can be very dim sometimes.

Again, and for the last time, social media is a choice. No one is FORCED to look at social media, ergo no one is FORCED to read unsolicited views and opinions. 

It's a very simple concept and to argue that people are forced to read something is plainly wrong.

And it is easy to completely ignore the reality of how people are influenced, and potentially manipulated, by their Social Media interactions, and how much Social Media has become an integral, almost organically intertwined, part of human existence. The clue is in the term 'Influencer'. If it wasn't effective, the Politicos wouldn't expend so much time and money on it.

[aintforever]

I don’t have a problem with anti-vaxers, being a fit man in his 40s I’m going to be way down the list of those who get a vaccine - more people opt out the quicker I will get one.

Having said that I do support controls on social media, the way twitter has been dealing with Trump’s lies is about right.

[hypochondriac]

1 hour ago, egg said:

Depends what it links to. If it's to another unfounded conspiracy theory, is it wise to allow the impressionable to see it? It's a tough area, and censorship is something I generally feel strongly against, but if one person believes an anti vax conspiracy theory and dies as a consequence, its one person too many. 

But that's an absurd standard. How on earth will you police everyone on the Internet to such a degree that you can say with confidence that every person will not ever be influenced by misinformation? It's like tackling coronavirus by welding everyone in individual rooms. 

[hypochondriac]

5 minutes ago, aintforever said:

I don’t have a problem with anti-vaxers, being a fit man in his 40s I’m going to be way down the list of those who get a vaccine - more people opt out the quicker I will get one.

Having said that I do support controls on social media, the way twitter has been dealing with Trump’s lies is about right.

Again, that ignores the risks for those people who are unable to have a vaccine. I don't want censorship but what I do want is wider awareness that if enough people refuse the vaccine it will undoubtedly cost lives. 

[John B]

5 hours ago, hypochondriac said:

There's a lot of truth in that too. I'm not sure that's classified as ignorance though, if anything the danger is information overload where it becomes difficult to discern facts from fiction. 

I also see that there are calls for social media companies to ban anti vax stuff. Personally I think that's a really bad idea. Banning thing will just fuel a justified sense of grievance and won't eradicate these views. They need robust rebuttals not censorship. 

Do you not think that if people do not take the Vaccine that it will be impossible to stop the spread of the virus .

Something has to be done I would have thought to stop the spread of false information regarding the vaccine but banning it is not a good idea

I have a couple of friends who are antivaxers an some of their concerns are quite unbelievable Mass vaccination and the availability of clean water has helped in making the world a healthier place in the last 100 years.