Oddbean

One of the reasons I believe the Chinese spying tool TikTok has such a perfect algorithm is the unity that the Chinese have with one another. The Chinese communist system is off-putting, even though lately the Chinese leader seems somewhat disengaged from what’s happening in the world. I don’t know if this is part of the game, but the unity that the Chinese have, which Westerners lack, could bring consequences. Communism is not a system that people should live under, but it is a system that should be studied to appreciate democracy. #Nostr nostr:note18uzqr2pzkt4jh5gt40yu0xq2daunadxa3pk5c9le7qh9ehu0ywksppk3wg

Quote boost replyguy bot test note nostr:nevent1qqsg5gq93z47rxptmsszfq48vjhjw5f63g9pm9uj3x7teu9kk62mqmcpz9mhxue69uhkummnw3ezumrpdejz7q3qrvyc74tyx4h8p8hj26sxf986kvm3nscq29m9pk53c7lpj6s06smqxpqqqqqqznwne7f

Sun Yat Sen said the opposite, at great length and with considerable bitterness. He was comparing Chinese unity and trust in one another against the West of his day. I don't think China has gotten better, but the West has certainly fallen to close to China's level since. Fukuyama has written nothing sensible since, but his "Trust: the Social Virtue" is a good read on this. Available on all good pirate sites!

Ahhahahahaha china unity in danger ⚠️ lol they constantly try to copy the American model, but they will never succeed. They forget the key point that America is a nation of immigrants, composed of a diversity of races and cultures.

China is too, to a surprising extent, but their minorities did not sign on willingly :p They will not succeed at copying post-WW2 American society, but neither has anybody else! (2024 America included.)

That’s like saying, you don’t mind the police & government regularly sniffing through your underwear drawer. Just because you’ve got nothing to hide, doesn’t make it ok. It’s not about what you’ve got that they can steal. It’s about building a profile on who you are, and monitoring that for the purpose of targeted marketing / influence. If perhaps the TikTok algorithm gets tweaked to show you certain content more often at the exclusion of alternative viewpoints, because a profile was built on your interests and activities online. Your behaviour can be shaped by the messaging you hear. The question you may ask is, why would they care about you? Well, most likely they don’t. But, they do care about the macro view of the hundreds and thousands of users who do regularly use the app that are outside their jurisdiction, that vote for and set policy positions that directly affects trade with their government, the users can be subtly influenced, having their attitudes adjusted towards more favourable policy positions for them. For example, consider two candidates in an election. One candidate proposes extremely strict tariffs on say foreign vehicles that are imported. These tariffs would mean the foreign government couldn’t dump at cost vehicles in the market and funnel millions out of the country. Now say millions of social media users get shown videos and messages that are pro the non tariff candidate, and anti the other. Their opinions get shifted, and they vote and the alternative gets elected and the tariffs get lifted. Just as an example. Just a viewpoint to consider and think about.