I’m afraid to post one thing. My wife posts everything. Tags me. I’m associated. What if it is something that I don’t like? I’m associated. What is this is a plan? Short game, let people post. Long game, it comes back to haunt. Is that just the nature of this? More interconnected society? Where is the line drawn?

Not sure. Sorry.

How is this relevant to a conversation about free speech?

This is also a problem. I’m not a bot. And if I decide to speak up, I’m a bot. My account is too young? Guess what. I didn’t know about Reddit. You know how I found out? Buzzfeed. Then I read somewhere that Buzzfeed rips reddit off. So then I found Reddit. Actually, Daily Mail might be in the chain of events too.

I apologize. I am speaking social media in general.

Thank you.

Streets, parks, and sidewalks.

That doesn’t contemplate being anonymous. Not to say you should blast personal information. But if you have to be anonymous to express opinions then what is the point of freedom of speech. Note: I recognize the difference between the right as upheld by the constitution and public opinion. My point is this: when you cannot be jailed for an opinion, there still is a way of crushing you. Public opinion.

Up votes, downvotes and gold. I’m not sure how it all works. Why on earth should I care about that?

I think I meant to reply to another comment when I replied to this. I am sorry.

Thank you for your comment. Can you review my edit and comment on your thoughts? I am interested in stifling free discourse due to an ambient threat of backlash. I also researched Reddit more. I think I am starting to understand Karma, gold, and upvotes and down votes. The structure of getting upvotes and protecting your karma appears to be very important to people. So much so that protecting karma and manufacturing an environment that cultivated a belief that this is important can be used as a passive means of nudging people to self regulate. It’s fascinating.

I am not advocating for any position, theory, or “conspiracy.” I am thinking about how the structure we build and utilize to communicate with each other turns into a self regulating system. Then, is there the possibility this can be manipulated.

Sorry, and I don’t post anything bad. But somehow someone uses it against me.

But if it is genuine, the up votes and downvotes, then isn’t that what we want? A platform for speech? The problem is manipulation of that platform. That is my issue. Or is it just a fact of life. Be aware of it. BUT, then everyone is being accused of being a bot or manipulator. Then nobody knows what is true. But then that’s ok, because we just call it “fake news.” So that’s great, we called it out as fake news. But then it ends there. Nobody does anything about it. Myself included.

I agree. That’s the problem. The internet is immortal. So this platform of “free speech” can be used against you. Then you are deterred from speaking up at all.

I’m talking about social media in general. The slightest thing can go viral. For example, there was a post recently of a video of a guy shoving his bag into the overhead compartment on an airplane. I’ll agree, it was less than graceful, but someone took a video of it and I saw it. Thousands of people commented on it. Made fun of the guy, etc.

Point is, anything you do can potentially go viral. I think this fear will can tend to chill free speech. People are reluctant to comment, post, or express views because of this. I’m worried I might trip and fall over something in the airport and I become a meme. I’m careful about what I say and do because something innocent can be twisted.

There is the real possibility that this can be manipulated. By who? I’m not going to say. I won’t say TPTB. I don’t know what that is. I will just say “interested parties.” This may be obvious to everyone here, but this light bulb just went off in my head. What was meant to be a bastion of free speech — the internet — can be manipulated. Is Section 1983 even a recourse if we find out public servants manipulate the internet? Maybe they do, maybe they don’t. I don’t know.

Thanks. I just feel like I shouldn’t be a lurker. Again, some of the things that are pushed here are out of control. Flat earth, for example. But yesterday after work I saw all these posts about Buzz Aldrin. One of them had a comment that linked a video about a fake moon landing. Honestly, it was pretty good. Assuming the footage was not altered. I wanted to comment about it. But I didn’t. I don’t think the moon landing was fake. And I was not yet born when it happened. I kind of would like to comment my observations without being looked at like an outcast. That’s my point. Why the fear? Why should I be deterred from exploring?

If we all met up in a park, would we harass each other or have a civil conversation. Why is it on the internet people harass each other? Is it because we are all behind a screen? Possibly. Or is there an underlying structure that cultivates this. Meaning, you don’t just sit on a park bench and listen to my message. You go through my post history and gain insight on who I am. You make judgments base on the age of my account. Do these exchanges, in essence, turn into ad hominem attacks? Rather than thoughtful discourse based on the message?

Have we built a structure to communicate with each other that nudges us to judge the messenger and not the message? Does this structure lend itself to manipulation. Are we in essence manipulating ourselves by using this structure.

Here’s the interesting flip side: if we meet in a park, will you judge me by the clothes that I wear? I bet you will. So is this just the nature of our reality.?

It’s absolutely fascinating. The dissemination of information I think goes to the core of everything.

When I say YOU, I mean the “royal you.” Not singling you out.

Thank you for your comment.

I am social when I have to be. And I’m good at it. Like really good. But I have social anxiety. I have won awards for public speaking. But only my family (and now the Internet) knows I get physically ill before I have to do so. But why does this matter?

I apologize. I am speaking social media in general.

Up votes, downvotes and gold. I’m not sure how it all works. Why on earth should I care about that?

I think I meant to reply to another comment when I replied to this. I am sorry.

Thank you for your comment. Can you review my edit and comment on your thoughts? I am interested in stifling free discourse due to an ambient threat of backlash. I also researched Reddit more. I think I am starting to understand Karma, gold, and upvotes and down votes. The structure of getting upvotes and protecting your karma appears to be very important to people. So much so that protecting karma and manufacturing an environment that cultivated a belief that this is important can be used as a passive means of nudging people to self regulate. It’s fascinating.

I am not advocating for any position, theory, or “conspiracy.” I am thinking about how the structure we build and utilize to communicate with each other turns into a self regulating system. Then, is there the possibility this can be manipulated.