I completely agree with you. But on the other hand I'm thinking: "They use fake news and fabricated bullshit to convince others to their cause. It works because in general people are dumb, so why not use the same tacric to divert the dumb voters into the right direction".

But I'm against spreading fake news, there's already so much out there and it's getting harder every day to distinguish real from fake, even for people like me (an OSINT analyst). It's just that extremists use nasty weapons and don't care about ethics while I try to stay honest. It's like bringing a knife into a gun fight. The general public doesn't think but blindly believes anything they see and follow the person who screams the loudest "I have a sollution" without understanding those solutions do more harm then good.

Seriously, the movie Idiocracy is a documentary, not a comedy. It's painful how realistic it is.

[–] Pandantic@midwest.social 6 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (1 children)

Seriously, the movie Idiocracy is a documentary, not a comedy. It's painful how realistic it is.

I say this to my SO all the time, but they have “faith in humanity” for some reason.

Especially re: how AI/robotics will be the “great equalizer”. They think eventually goods will be so cheap and we will have UBI and no one will have to work… I think, no matter how cheap goods are, the corporations will find ways to make money and/or keep people poor. They say, “If the corporations do that, people will rise up and make them.” I say, “Are you actually sure about that? We let corporations do all kinds of other nasty things without repercussions…”

[–] LordWiggle@lemmy.world 6 points 3 months ago

"Yeah! People will rise up! Second amendment baby!" - brings an AR-15 to a drone fight while those companies, whether it's the US government or private, know which porn they watch every night. Their life is ruined when they are cut off from tiktok and Instagram, they will starve to death when they cannot pay for food anymore because the internet is cut off, so banking and digital payment is gone.

Look at Google, having a monopoly right now, free to do whatever the fuck they want. Disney+ apparently having in their license agreement they are not liable if they killed someone in one of their parks. Mercedes Benz is planning to build a mega tower in Dubai, using slave labor like is the standard there. Like they have been doing in China with Oighurs in concentration camps, with their history during the Second World War. Apple using child labor and exploiting miners of rare earth metal mines in third world countries.

Yeah, people will rise up. No one accepts oppression. *coughs in Russian, Korean, Chinese, etc.

[–] inbeesee@lemmy.world 4 points 3 months ago (1 children)

The worrying thing is it erodes faith in reality beyond what can be directly experienced. "I can't trust anything I'm told anymore because photos and organizations are compromised." And all orgs are going to drift towards using the best weapon they have to change minds, which is AI generated images. It's the best tool, and if the other guys use it and you don't then you're behind in the arms race.

[–] Pandantic@midwest.social 2 points 3 months ago

There are definitely already people like that, mostly in the GOP / Trump camp in my experience. It’s sad but it’s starting to make sense..

[–] Valmond@lemmy.world 11 points 3 months ago

If we're gonna suffocate under avalanches of fakes why not invite the asshats to the party too.

[–] ganksy@lemmy.world 3 points 3 months ago (1 children)

It's helpful if it becomes their demise.

[–] Restaldt@lemmy.world 1 points 3 months ago (3 children)

"Its a good thing as long as it hurts the right people"

Fuck that. Be better than them.

Its such a low bar it should be easy

[–] aniki@discuss.tchncs.de 14 points 3 months ago (1 children)

We tried that and they put 3 supreme court justices on the court. Fuck that bullshit. Use. Everything. To. Survive.

[–] Pandantic@midwest.social 1 points 3 months ago (1 children)

I am so torn between these two arguments. Sometimes you have to go to war, but what atrocities can you live with committing? It’s a tough line to walk.

[–] aniki@discuss.tchncs.de 4 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Do you want to be steamrolled by morons or do you want to play meme games better than them so they hide and cower? Pretty easy if you ask me.

[–] Pandantic@midwest.social 2 points 3 months ago

Yep, that’s the one side. The other side is the idea that we choose to be moral or immoral and, while name calling is mean, lying and trying to deceive is immoral. It would also mean being a part of the shift from “pics or it didn’t happen” to “you can’t believe every picture you see”, mirroring what happened with news. There’s a argument that we’re there already or it’s inevitable, there’s an argument of “do anything you have to in order to win” but, while that feels true, it also feels kind of wrong to me.

[–] Pandantic@midwest.social 6 points 3 months ago

The difference is no official White House or Harris Campaign (or lib news outlets) have retweeted this. People on the internet are going to make this shit, and I find it entertaining honestly. Once the official channels start trying to pretend it’s news or real, then it’s too far imo.

[–] ganksy@lemmy.world 2 points 3 months ago

I just meant the AI pictures

[–] barsquid@lemmy.world 3 points 3 months ago

If the target is someone who habitually lies about objective reality I approve of them receiving similar disinformation campaigns. What I don't like is that these images are obvious fakes and obsequiousness to a dictator is something Trumpanzees love. So they'll have no effect.

[–] VinnyDaCat@lemmy.world 2 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

Thank you. This really is just asking to pour gasoline on the fire.

I don't think this is something that will benefit us in the long term, regardless of how funny it is right now.