Cogito ergo mecagoendios

I just saw a toot explaining a useful "youtube fixer" firefox add on that removes "for you..." and "people also search..." from search results.

This made me realize how far we have come the wrong way: we are now in THE AGE OF ADVERSARIAL FEATURE DESIGN. Product creators introduce anti-features to attempt to divert user attention AWAY from what they want. Users are captive to the ecosystem because the software USED TO BE useful, and they actively have to block against new features to keep it so.

Mar 5, 2024 at 10:21amWeb
Show threadCogito ergo mecagoendiosMar 5, 2024
Show threadacbMar 5, 2024
@elrohir @cstross Commercial social networks from the MySpace era onwards have been fundamentally adversarial, with enshittification baked in
Show threadGunnarOlaiMar 5, 2024
@elrohir Okay, that might just be the last nudge I needed to switch over. Sadly, Opera's functionality for porting over data is cumbersome and incomplete, so I've been putting it off for some time.
Show threadJoby (chaotic good)Mar 5, 2024
@golai @elrohir Firefox has an importer step at install to migrate everything from another browser. Not sure if it supports opera though.
Show threadGunnarOlaiMar 5, 2024
@joby @elrohir I'm pretty sure I checked but Opera wasn't on the list, but I'll double check just to be sure.
Show threadLouis IngenthronMar 5, 2024
@elrohir It's amazing how much better the world would be if people would just be willing to ditch shitty products.
Show threadDrew MochakMar 5, 2024
@elrohir I f*cking hate the "people also searched" stuff. Complete waste of my time, just means I get less of the results I'm actually looking for.
Show threadtekheddMar 5, 2024

@elrohir "Aversarial Feature Design"

Adversarial feature design.

The name is important. We've all been aware of this for years. But giving it a name makes it real, easier to talk about, allows us to attach comments and opinions to it, and of course the media and lawmakers won't even really report on it unless it has a catchy name.

Adversarial Features. It sounds hyperbolic but the reality is so much worse, even.

Show threadmarmartaMar 5, 2024
@elrohir it's been a while, though? Like, adblocks and trackers are not a new invention, we've been blocking adversarial features for more than a decade now. Facebook purity plugin is 15 years old.
Show threadšŸ³ļøā€āš§ļøPepperTheVixenšŸ¦ÆMar 5, 2024
@elrohir We are the product. The real customer is the shareholders
Show threadCarson HillMar 5, 2024

@elrohir

This reminds me of "Herp Derp #YouTube Comments"

It's an #extension (from 2012) that replaces #YouTubeComments with variations of "Herp derp derp #herpderp herp..." for your sanity and well being.

Linked here for Chrome and Firefox -
https://www.tannr.com/herp-derp-youtube-comments/

Cheers

Herp Derp YouTube Comments

I loathe YouTube comments. Hereā€™s a simple browser extension to convert them to ā€˜herp derpā€™. If you insist on reading the original (which is highly discouraged), click the comment. Download: Chromeā€¦

Tanner's Website
Show threadJohn Skiles SkinnerMar 6, 2024

@elrohir
Yup! @pluralistic has written a lot about how a big platform like youtube "can't resist the temptation to show you the things it wants you to see, rather than what you want to see."

https://pluralistic.net/2023/01/21/potemkin-ai/

Once they have saturated their market, they can't grow anymore by honest means. So the only way they can expand is by squeezing more money out of the existing market. Which means they become worse at software.

Pluralistic: Tiktokā€™s enshittification (21 Jan 2023) ā€“ Pluralistic: Daily links from Cory Doctorow

Show threadJohn Skiles SkinnerMar 6, 2024

@elrohir @pluralistic

Oh, looking at your feed I see you're already familiar with Doctorow's work. Forgive me for telling your something you already know!

Bonus content, I really like both of these essays which touch on the same topic:

* by Cat Valente:
https://catvalente.substack.com/p/stop-talking-to-each-other-and-start

* by Elizabeth Ayer:
https://medium.com/@ElizAyer/enshittification-as-overproduction-in-software-part-2-overproduction-in-the-product-lifecycle-99584e8da458

Stop Talking to Each Other and Start Buying Things: Three Decades of Survival in the Desert of Social Media

I bet you're wondering how we got here...

Welcome to Garbagetown
Show threadBrent J. NordquistMar 6, 2024
@skiles Thanks for introducing me to Cat Valente. "Stop talking" is a beautiful essay.
Show threadi_give_u_wormsMar 6, 2024
@elrohir
"windows copilot"
Show threadundead enby of the apocalypseMar 6, 2024
@elrohir whatā€™s the add on called?
Show threadYuki "neige d'aout" Hazuki 葉꜈膤 ā„ļø šŸ³ļøā€āš§ļøMar 8, 2024
@elrohir it's like going to the grocery store, the aisles are usually arranged so you have to find the item you want and encourage you to buy something else on the way too

websites are doing exactly that to retain viewers
Show threadErosBlog Bacchus has moved!May 9, 2024
@elrohir See also every new "automatic update" for Windows or, really any commercial software. They got in the door with "you need automatic updates so we can protect you against dangerous bugs and recently-discovered hack vulns" and now they just go "It's a Thursday, bend over and spread your butt cheeks because this is our day to ram you with this week's undesired reaming."