Our most trenchant and persistent criticism of Facebook has been rooted in a skeptical view of its illusory component; one where illusory experience is scapegoated as our fatal flaw to be subsequently exploited by Facebook’s evil machinations. We view the net-worth of its board of directors as being directly proportional to their malign influence in our society, pulling the wool over our eyes with an addictive illusion while voraciously funneling our private information into vast data-centers where AI is trained to new heights of persuasiveness. In this view ‘The Filter Bubble’ and ‘Fake News’ can easily be seen to be be mere effects of the following feedback loop:
User engages with material that matches their base desires, they are seduced and enveloped by these illusions, and the illusory experience of having their internal life seemingly manifest in the real world, this feels important to them so they form groups on this basis, like the prisoners in Plato's allegory of the cave.
Facebook optimizes for engagement, presenting this user with more specialized material, eventually this material detaches from reality altogether.
However this results in a skeptical cul-de-sac where the meaningfulness of Facebook is ignored. Instead it is scapegoated so that we can largely avoid taking responsibility for our actions. To refute these claims Mark Zuckerberg has emphasised our agency in deciding what Facebook is for and does. Regarding Fake News he has said:
> “I do think there is a certain profound lack of empathy in asserting that the only reason someone could have voted the way they did is they saw some fake news … If you believe that, then I don’t think you have internalized the message the Trump supporters are trying to send in this election.”
And regarding the Filter Bubble:
> “The research also shows something that is a little bit less inspiring, which is that we study not only people’s exposure in Newsfeed to content from different points of view, but then what people click on and engage with. By far the biggest filter in the system is not that the content isn’t there, [or] they don’t have friends who support the other candidate or are of another religion, [it’s that] you just don’t click on it. You actually tune it out when you see it. You have your world view. You go through, and I think that we would all be surprised how many things that don’t conform to our world view that we just tune out.”
Usefully Winnicott’s transitional object helps us out of the skeptical cul-de-sac by foregrounding our agency in choosing our illusory experiences and thereby restoring their hopeful character. It also matches Mark Zuckerberg’s informed view on what happens on Facebook.
And this kind of scape-goating - throws the 'baby out with the bath-water' as it were. Basically we need illusions and they effect how we all live. Especially when we all agree on what illusions we want to share...
Permethrin is actually a more appropriate pesticide for bedbugs but unfortunately they are mostly resistant in the US at least. I have found literally 'baking' a room to 120F + for 30+ mins is the most effective way to eradicate bedbugs. Amazon search (360 propane heater), and don't die of CO poisoning or burn your place down. For a more tempered approach, you can try setting up 'safe zones' with boundaries of double-sided sticky tape, smeared vaseline, or diatomaceous earth. (you can kinda tell they've co-evolved with us ey!).
I haven't had a problem with bedbugs but bought a powerful ozone generator a few years ago. It seems to help with dust mites, oder and generally sanitize. It's run a couple of times a month while at work. My understanding is these can kill bedbugs if you get the concentration up high enough. Be careful, especially in an apartment. Ozone can be hazardous. It degraded back into breathable oxygen pretty quickly but you don't want to stay in the room with it or have it bleed over to the neighbors and damage their lungs or anything.
Please no, Belle isle is a state park, (formerly city) the grand prix is already too much. (Could you imagine a 'Central Park grand prix'? or 'Hyde Park Heavy Digger Convention' etc...) these are beautiful spaces because historically they have been reserved for peaceful and quiet enjoyment.
This is o-k. Seems to root it's critique, albeit obliquely, in a strong skepticism of images and illusion - itself originating (in western culture at least) with Plato's allegory of the cave. Also seems to route all this through Freud's notion of the uncanny and doppelgangers. Overall a slightly incoherent, generally pessimistic view.
For a psychiatrist with altogether more useful approach to Facebook I recommend Donald Winnicott.
