Lia's recent activity
-
Comment on How I feel about LLM (AI) writing in ~tech
-
Comment on How I feel about LLM (AI) writing in ~tech
Lia Link ParentI'd like to add that above I'm intentionally conflating AI slop and very verbose, emotionally charged posting/commentary because I find that they represent a similar root problem. Generally...I'd like to add that above I'm intentionally conflating AI slop and very verbose, emotionally charged posting/commentary because I find that they represent a similar root problem. Generally speaking I don't think the human version is as bad, simply because at least we still have a direct line of communication open to the human who is writing their own comments (or editing generated comments to ensure legibility). When it's clearly AI, it feels much more like a lost battle because it gives the impression that the person is more engaged with the LLM than they are using their brain to try to internalise the conversation partner's point of view. I haven't personally seen much/any of that on Tildes.
In conclusion, I feel like we have a pretty good conversational culture going on here and I don't think much needs to change for us to maintain it. If exchanges are becoming more heated as some say, then it's a good idea that everyone check our own behaviour a little more diligently. I believe that this will be enough because Tildes has technical features as well that tackle very egregious behaviour quite well - at least I've seen that work in the past.
As well, every meandering post or comment isn't very problematic and I don't think you need to worry about it. I write them myself on the regular because sometimes I just don't have time to write a shorter, more carefully considered version (yes, a shorter format often takes more time to write!). When I do, I accept that the comment or post won't be as well received and as engaging as it could have been. Such is life!
-
Comment on How I feel about LLM (AI) writing in ~tech
Lia (edited )Link ParentYeah, so the issue with an AI tag - in addition to what you already listed - is that some human generated slop is equally awful. Making the distinction will seem unfair to those who use LLMs to...Yeah, so the issue with an AI tag - in addition to what you already listed - is that some human generated slop is equally awful. Making the distinction will seem unfair to those who use LLMs to write because the end result is the same or similar. To the people who want to have a slop free space, there is a difference because human generated slop is rare and will remain rare enough to not cause issues, so avoiding AI generated slop will adequately take care of the issue.
How to contribute to a safe space? Make sure your own behaviour is respectful, but not overly respectful towards slop, because as stated above, slop is a concealment device and using it makes other people feel less safe to expose themselves authentically. If slop becomes ubiquitous, it will systemically reduce authentic participation by everyone, including the people who wouldn't use AI themselves (they will simply post and comment less).
In the end it comes down to developing and maintaining good boundaries:
Even if someone wrote a very long post using 100% their own effort, you don't have a moral obligation to read it (and if they did so using AI, it would be unethical of them to expect people to read it). I read long posts in a cursory way to see if it's worth reading mindfully from start to finish. This may sound harsh but most posts are not. In most cases the author could have worked on the text to reduce it by 80% and still retained what they wanted to say (I am often guilty of missing this step myself!). If they didn't put in that effort, they have no right to expect me to pick up the slack for them by working extra hard to decipher their message. I may comment on just one sentence I actually want to say something about, or I may not comment at all. If they are disappointed that they aren't getting engagement for the entire post, maybe next time they'll make sure to write a more concise post with less fluff and tangents. They could even use an LLM to help with that. (And I would approve!)
If someone is directly responding to your comment to them, there's a higher obligation for you to read and engage, but still not a full obligation. Generally speaking, the longer a response, the higher the chance that it contains non-constructive elements or patterns: manipulation, moving the goalposts, obfuscation of what the conversation is about, etc.
NB!! These patterns can and will exist even when the person exhibiting them is completely benevolent in their conscious mind. We all have unexamined blind spots that affect our behaviour. We can't expect other people to get rid of all their blind spots to make a safe space for us but we can manage our own engagement level.
In my experience an effective way to respond to lengthy, ranty comments is to keep the response much shorter and to the point. Just respond to the part that is about the actual topic and ignore all the tangents as if they don't exist. Don't waste energy pointing out that something is off topic or is rude, or whatever. That's still rewarding because it got you to engage. There are cases when it's important to point out someone is being rude, but if you decide to do that, keep it extremely short and to the point and then don't engage further unless you feel completely willing and able to do so lovingly.
If the response doesn't address the topic at all, it's also okay to not respond at all. Even if the response does address the topic but fails to acknowledge something you already said earlier, it's okay to disengage until that changes (usually it won't, but at least you haven't wasted your own resources).
If you feel that you're getting emotional over a conversation, it's okay to take some time before coming back to it. This helps you avoid writing from your own blind spots.
Make constructive, mindful conversation worthwhile. Say thank you, share how someone else's caring attitude made a positive impact on you, etc. Spend most of your time engaging in conversations that feel genuinely valuable and constructive to you. If there are none available, try starting one yourself.
-
Comment on How I feel about LLM (AI) writing in ~tech
Lia Link ParentAnything that you can add to the post being just a plain link is already great! While it's nice to have thoughtful high effort posts on here, it would also be a shame if people didn't post...Anything that you can add to the post being just a plain link is already great!
While it's nice to have thoughtful high effort posts on here, it would also be a shame if people didn't post interesting things because the quality bar is too high to clear. So please don't feel obligated to add anything in case you don't happen to have the time or energy.
-
Comment on How I feel about LLM (AI) writing in ~tech
Lia Link ParentI really enjoy it when someone posts an article adding their own commentary: reason for posting, whether they agree or disagree with the author, some key takeaways, etc. I'm much more inclined to...I really enjoy it when someone posts an article adding their own commentary: reason for posting, whether they agree or disagree with the author, some key takeaways, etc. I'm much more inclined to engage in the conversation when the OP does this! Even if the article actually sucks, or isn't very high quality, a high quality conversation can still be had about it here on Tildes. :)
-
Comment on How I feel about LLM (AI) writing in ~tech
Lia LinkI completely share this sentiment! In addition to asking how we can recognise and avoid exposing ourselves to slop, I think it's also worth asking why people would even decide to post slop content...I completely share this sentiment! In addition to asking how we can recognise and avoid exposing ourselves to slop, I think it's also worth asking why people would even decide to post slop content in the first place (excluding criminals where the incentives are obvious).
I'm a member of a private Reddit sub with people from all walks of life. I haven't seen any slop posts or comments on there even though most of outer Reddit is a slop fest beyond repair.
I think the reason is pretty straightforward: connection is a basic human need. If we communicate by prompting a machine who writes our lines for us, we miss out on the opportunity to connect and feel truly connected to whomever responds. So, generally speaking, we have the incentive to express ourselves directly, in our own words that reflect our true personality and come straight from our heart.
However, in an environment that seems unpredictable or outright hostile, some people will resort to a crutch. As many public online spaces are becoming increasingly risky, sloppifying their own output is a layer of protection some people will resort to in an attempt to safeguard themselves emotionally. It doesn't really work because you won't actually experience the benefits of real connection without putting yourself on the line, but it may give you enough of a dopamine boost to keep you hooked.
Even before gen AI was a thing, there were always some people who wrote and spoke in a similarly sloppy way, with lots of words but very little to say. I believe the reason they developed that communication style is the same: insecurity, a need to create an impressive facade that hides the emptiness behind it (if only temporarily). It was always exhausting but thankfully those people weren't very common. Not because insecure people weren't common but because speaking that way is a skill that takes quite a bit of effort to develop, and not many humans were equipped for that. Now that the technical obstacle has been removed due to ubiquitous access to LLMs, we see an avalanche of this all over the internet.
My "solution" is to just make sure that places like Tildes remain as emotionally safe as possible, and have some system that doesn't let just any number of bots or completely random people to create accounts and start posting. I'm really pleased that this place already had both of these things in place years ago! In times like these they are even more important than before.
-
Comment on Why so many people are going "no contact" with their parents in ~life
Lia Link ParentI understand the conversation more or less like you described. I'd like to add the following though. Situation A and B aren't symmetrical or equally likely. A is a lot more likely than B. This is...I understand the conversation more or less like you described.
I'd like to add the following though. Situation A and B aren't symmetrical or equally likely. A is a lot more likely than B. This is because parenting is a major influence in child development.
We all suffer some degree of mistreatment/neglect from our parents and while it isn't our own fault that this happens, it's our responsibility to take the necessary steps to heal and become responsible adults. In a toxic family dynamic there are people who did not appropriately take those steps (usually one or both parents, unless the child is born with an inherently, biologically difficult personality) and as a result they end up hurting their kid more than necessary, and on top of that they then expect the kid to be able to take the responsibility they themselves fail to take lest they become an estranged family.
This would be unfair even if it was a dynamic between people who are all the same age, but when it happens between a defenceless child and the adults who the child depends on, it's categorically unfair and extremely hard for the child. For the child it already takes a lot of extra emotional labour and growth to get to the point where they can accurately see the parents' toxic patterning, are able to come to terms with it and learn how to practically deal with it. This is already more than any child should have to go through and to expect them to do even more, once they've managed to do what it takes to protect themself, is not acceptable.
This is why an article that first seems compassionate towards the kids in situation A, and then suddenly turns around and pulls the rug from under their feet, is actively harmful. It replicates the unfair dynamic and most likely empowers toxic parents to continue on the path of not doing the work.
(I haven't read the article so my impression on it is based on the descriptions here.)
To anyone here who reads this and is a parent: you are not a perfect parent and that's okay! Where things can get iffy is if you can't accept and live with this fact. Making mistakes is okay as long as you admit to them, apologise and try to make amends.
-
Comment on Why I find woke criticism of veganism and effective altruism so outrageous in ~society
Lia Link ParentActually, I've been looking for something like this to read. Thanks for the rec!Actually, I've been looking for something like this to read. Thanks for the rec!
-
Comment on Do you prefer chunky or smooth peanut butter? in ~food
Lia Link ParentI'm having a peanut butter sandwich, with dark chocolate chips on top, right now. Thought you'd appreciate the info.I'm having a peanut butter sandwich, with dark chocolate chips on top, right now. Thought you'd appreciate the info.
-
Comment on Why so many people are going "no contact" with their parents in ~life
Lia Link ParentSharing how one feels, without blaming or hurting anyone, is perfectly reasonable and fair. It's something people should do more often. In fact, your own reaction here is quite strong and it might...Sharing how one feels, without blaming or hurting anyone, is perfectly reasonable and fair. It's something people should do more often.
In fact, your own reaction here is quite strong and it might be more constructive if you too shared how you feel about the topic (and perhaps some of the related background that might be triggering those feelings, if possible) rather than try to police other people's feelings.
-
Comment on Woman covertly filmed for 'humiliating' social media content - then told to pay for removal in ~tech
-
Comment on Do you prefer chunky or smooth peanut butter? in ~food
Lia Link ParentHappy to be of trouble, deep trouble in particular! ...I must ask though, just to confirm: have you tried peanut butter? Because I hadn't, thanks to disliking peanuts, tried any in my whole adult...Happy to be of trouble, deep trouble in particular!
...I must ask though, just to confirm: have you tried peanut butter? Because I hadn't, thanks to disliking peanuts, tried any in my whole adult life. Then I went on a ketogenic diet and it would have been too hard to reach my macros without peanut butter, and I decided to just give it a shot. The rest is history :D
-
Comment on Why I find woke criticism of veganism and effective altruism so outrageous in ~society
Lia Link ParentThank you for the breakdown (it accurately depicts my experience and opinion as well). I've gotten into a habit where I don't usually click links until there's some amount of discussion about the...Thank you for the breakdown (it accurately depicts my experience and opinion as well).
I've gotten into a habit where I don't usually click links until there's some amount of discussion about the content here on Tildes. Especially if the title includes language that already makes it fairly likely that it isn't a high quality piece.
In this case it worked very well. I haven't read this article and never will, and by reading the conversation here I can be fairly certain I didn't miss out on anything important. Not only did I successfully avoid low quality content - I also got to read some insightful, thought-provoking and educational comments here that are certainly of value to me! For example, I had no idea "woke" used to have neutral or even positive connotations!
This is one of the main reasons why I love Tildes so much: for once an online hive mind seems to be working in ways that are beneficial to me. (Not every time, but generally speaking this holds true more often than it doesn't.)
I do sometimes wish that topics could be given the noise label just like comments. But such a feature could easily be abused by some resident hotheads and providing some sort of reasoning for criticism is important, so I think I prefer the system as it is now. When a few different users disagree on some content's validity and exchange some words about it, it's usually quite easy for me to gauge whether or not said content is something I want to expose myself to.
-
Comment on Why I find woke criticism of veganism and effective altruism so outrageous in ~society
Lia Link ParentRutger Bregman wrote the non-fiction book Humankind (and other stuff that I haven't read). I don't know anything about the person, but I very much recommend Humankind to every... human! I learned,...Rutger Bregman wrote the non-fiction book Humankind (and other stuff that I haven't read).
I don't know anything about the person, but I very much recommend Humankind to every... human! I learned, for example, that as part of my education I received skewed information on studies that ostensibly "show" how callous and power-hungry humans are. The basic premise of the book is that humans are much more cooperative and caring than we are usually led to believe and the evidence for that is everywhere we look. We're just not taught to see it.
-
Comment on Google Chrome silently installs a 4 GB AI model on your device without consent in ~tech
Lia LinkIn case there are folks who want to keep using Chrome for some reason, but don't want this bloat on their HD, here's an article that explains the steps of stopping this install permanently on... -
Comment on Google Chrome silently installs a 4 GB AI model on your device without consent in ~tech
Lia Link ParentI do have, and must have at all times, lots of free storage available because I use different types of production software where a single file can be 4GB or more, and cache storage will easily run...I do have, and must have at all times, lots of free storage available because I use different types of production software where a single file can be 4GB or more, and cache storage will easily run out. The software installations themselves take up space too.
A browser is one of the least important pieces of software on my device and it’s completely preposterous for one to take up this much space for one single feature. I’m vigilant enough that I don’t use Chrome but I really shouldn’t have to be, just so I can get my work done without some completely unnecessary and counterproductive friction where my private resources are used to benefit a bunch of out of touch multimillionaires
-
Comment on Google Chrome silently installs a 4 GB AI model on your device without consent in ~tech
Lia Link ParentI guess you're assuming that other chromium based browsers aren't doing a similar silent install?personally, I use Helium
I guess you're assuming that other chromium based browsers aren't doing a similar silent install?
-
Comment on Google Chrome silently installs a 4 GB AI model on your device without consent in ~tech
Lia Link ParentI'm in the global north and it's not nothing to me. If every piece of software I have installed started doing the same, I would quickly run out of storage. It's an unacceptable practice. As well,...I'm in the global north and it's not nothing to me.
If every piece of software I have installed started doing the same, I would quickly run out of storage. It's an unacceptable practice. As well, my building has poor wifi and I loathe anything that eats my bandwidth just to exist and function, let alone a browser that repeatedly downloads 4 effin' gigabytes without my consent! I don't need the added friction on my already strained system that cost me a lot of money even when I bought it second hand.
-
Comment on Google Chrome silently installs a 4 GB AI model on your device without consent in ~tech
Lia LinkHoly crap, does this apply to all chromium based browsers? I absolutely can't take 4 GIGABYTES of bloat on my system from a browser, for it to do one thing, especially when I actively don't want...Holy crap, does this apply to all chromium based browsers? I absolutely can't take 4 GIGABYTES of bloat on my system from a browser, for it to do one thing, especially when I actively don't want to do said thing, FFS!
-
Comment on Do you prefer chunky or smooth peanut butter? in ~food
Lia Link ParentI don't like peanuts either. But I very much like peanut butter (the smooth variety because the crunchy one has recognisable peanut pieces in it) and I have some every day! Like many others here,...I don't like peanuts either. But I very much like peanut butter (the smooth variety because the crunchy one has recognisable peanut pieces in it) and I have some every day!
Like many others here, I'm also a snob that won't touch anything with extra ingredients in it.
When I use the term slop, I mean any material that has annoyingly little substance relative to its length. Consuming slop feels like wandering in a maze with the expectation that behind the next turn you'll finally discover something of value, but all you discover is another turn, and then another, and so on, to oblivion, times a million. (The italic part of that sentence is sloppy because the same message could have been delivered using fewer words. I made you read redundant words, which feels bad and is just a tad abusive because I'm not being respectful of your time.)
Slop has always existed because some people have had enough incentive to create it manually even when it took them a lot of time and effort. However, LLMs make the process much, much faster which has resulted in an avalanche of slop content. This means that most slop we encounter now will be AI generated. However, being human created doesn't make slop content any better in any way.
(@AndreasChris)