I met this French guy the other day, he also knew that it was Albert Camus' birthday. Actually, I don't think he did. But the radio told me, so I knew something he didn't.
This guy also does not believe in free will.
He told me that he works at Facebook. Facebook is really big. "At facebook", the French guy said, "we use the fact that people do not have free will in order to create empathy." I am paraphrasing, but I used quotes.
What do free will, Camus and empathy have to do with facebook you might ask? That is a very good question.
It's funny how much information the internet has to think about all the time.
So facebook is filtering its content so you will only read posts that they determine are condusive to creating a more empathetic world, which are based on demographic studies, his words. Which also show that all of us experience the same emotions in the same frequency (not at the same times of course).
Fortunately for Facebook, this will also keep its users happy.
I'm just glad that although big business is primarily concerned with profits at the expense of honest human interaction... shit, I don't think I am glad about anything related to that. Oh wait, yeah, I'm glad that the word empathy was used, even though simply filtering posts that are determined to have an adverse effect on perceptions of positive human reactions can not create empathy and will conversely, inadvertently and without concern, create the opposite effect of fostering intolerance.*
But, it works. So, learn how it's done and you can get a job I guess.
Also, a lot of people don't have a whole lot of interest in facebook, so that's good. Cause, damn, that shit's fucked up.
Oh, one more thing, they know that you are most likely to click on blue things. So from now on, only click on things that are not blue, that should create a real stir.
*I have no idea if this is the method that they are using to, "create empathy." But I'm sure it's at least something like it.
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