Curious Quokka @Obscurequokka@social.privacytools.io

What I dislike about our current social media discourse is that people conflate the “right to speak” with “right to being heard”.
Everyone should be free to voice their opinion but no one has a right to force me to listen/respect/engage with them.

One thing I like about Mastodon is its diversity.
There are people from various backgrounds, opinions, identities, languages and can all co-exist.
An unpopular opinion has a fair chance to being voiced and not be bashed immediately. On the flip side, this also makes it difficult to reach everyone on the platform (which is not bad tbh)

All of this is sad, coz all the handwringing about vaccines being a hoax is a red-herring. The bigger risk in my view is the misuse of data that the governments are collecting, especially in the third world, to spy on their citizens and curtail civil liberties.
Except for authoritarians, this is a cause that can unite people from across the political spectrum.
But we are still stuck in the discourse about microchips, mind control and government trying to inject you with veritaserum.

There are causes for concerns- patients with pre-existing conditions who may react to the vaccine in a way that the researchers have not had the time or resources to study. That’s why you need to talk to your doctor for advice, not conspiracy theorists on the internet.

Now this doesn’t necessarily mean that a vaccine produced under record time and a lot of pressure is perfectly safe.
But given what we know 8+ months later (the trials started late 2020), we have very little evidence that they are harmful than the disease itself or ineffective for the general population.

If you follow Occam’s razor, the easiest explanation for vaccines is that they work to prevent diseases caused by pathogens, with reasonably well known side effects.
The alternative is a massive conspiracy and cover up involving a spectacularly perfect collusion between government, scientists, academia, media and the drug companies.
These institutions have a hard time collaborating, let alone colluding.

The arguments around masking and vaccination are similar to Pascal’s Wager.
Sure they could be hoaxes, but for most rational people, the potential costs if they are not hoaxes is far greater than if they are.
#philosophy #religion #science

Had to unfollow someone coz they were boosting anti-vaccine nut job theories 😣
There is a massive chasm between healthy skepticism and tinfoil hats, and people are deluding themselves if they don’t think that’s true

Is contemporary #ux compatible with #privacy?
So many #design decisions are made with data such as Cookies and A/B testing. Is it possible to not track users but also provide a stellar, helpful experience?
#technology

Why is everyone always so happy on the internet?
Why is everyone always so unhappy on the internet?
Maybe it’s just me reflecting my mood upon the world

Back pains are debilitating 😔

Obstacles can sometimes make the path prettier

Everytime I visit Reddit, the user experience continues to slide backwards.
Now they have “features” such as “other posts you may like”
More sticky patterns to increase user engagement instead of creating a safe, fun community.
The moral decline of Big Tech continues
#TheSocialDilemma

Anger is addictive!
Every time I go on the big social networking sites, I seeth in anger to see content that is diametrically opposite to my beliefs.
The jingoism with which people take those stances, angers me further, entrenching me even more into the platform.
It’s insidious and unescapable for an ordinary person
#socialmedia
#facebook
#twitter
#addiction
#mentalhealth

Good night peeps 😊🌙⭐️

As an introvert, it feels strange to be living in the twilight of COVID-19, at least here in the US.
Most folks have been vaccinated, things are opening up and yet there is a sense of loss. Everyone forced to stay home except when necessary meant no FOMO and a sense of solidarity that everyone was going through a similar experience.
Now, I find myself lost once more in a sea of extroverts, socialites and doers.