Jul 3, 2026, 2:01 PM@mhoye In many cases, more so even than simply being barrier between persons and their goals, computers redirect and trap persons in dead ends that they didn't want to go down in the first place.
For example, while there are probably lots of people who find it rewarding to make tiktok videos, and lots of people who have found genuine community through being active users of tiktok, it is a system designed to trap you in an addictive loop for the purpose of selling ads. I wonder if FOSS folks who work on projects like trying to create an open alternative to tiktok are thinking about what the system is intended to do, and to what extent, and how, and why, people are finding social utility in it in spite of that, not because of it.
Do we really want to seize the means of torment by creating and open nexus?
For example, while there are probably lots of people who find it rewarding to make tiktok videos, and lots of people who have found genuine community through being active users of tiktok, it is a system designed to trap you in an addictive loop for the purpose of selling ads. I wonder if FOSS folks who work on projects like trying to create an open alternative to tiktok are thinking about what the system is intended to do, and to what extent, and how, and why, people are finding social utility in it in spite of that, not because of it.
Do we really want to seize the means of torment by creating and open nexus?
