I think there’s a disconnect in what we deem to be value. SpaceX has rapidly reduced the cost of lift to orbit (and shortly, revolutionizing global comms via StarLink). Tesla has forced an entire industry (light vehicles) to electrify by demonstrating very little compromise vs combustion vehicles while their stationary storage products are forcing thermal generators off the electrical grid (cannibalizing ancillary/frequency response revenue, the last pieces of significant revenue thermal generators are holding on to). TikTok, Clubhouse, and Robinhood are various degrees of poison (both at the individual level, and the societal level). They're our generation's Philip Morris and Standard Oil (imho).
I have held this view for most of my life. But now I kind of see them as complementary to each other.
At the end of a workday, a spacex or Tesla employee will likely sit down and watch stupid tiktok videos or Netflix or any number of things the rest of us do (or just sleep).
The point is that we need both these things and they do complement each other.
The way I think of it though, is more about scarcity of talent.
The idea that a really smart human being (a finite quantity) can either help build a better renewable energy system or a better video compression pipeline, that feels more obvious. One is using their talents to help humanity. The other is using their talents to help a company’s bottom line but doesn’t actually add to the pleasure of the audience or the enjoyment of humanity like the actual content does. And the cost of having a slightly less efficient video processing pipeline or subtitles software, is negligible compared to the cost of taking another five years to build better toilets, ways to recycle plastic, or use drones to plant trees.
So it’s less about whether the companies are useful. It’s more about where we most need our best and brightest talents used.
It’s that gross misallocation of talent at places like Facebook, Netflix, and Apple that bothers me.
In the past, the systems that thought they knew top down what is "valuable" and what isn't in the economy and society in a more granular level didn't work out so well.
Maybe the only reason we are spared extermination by some alien enemy is because our videos are so great (I think there is a short story from Philip K. Dick simikar to that).
Right, but if we go too far on this, you end up with the USSR's problem of having large investment in infrastructure but no investment in consumer goods.
Although it might be true that we're over-investing in a sort of ultra-sugary sort of consumer goods that are not healthy for society in the long term.
I believe this is the major problem. During all times, humanity spends most of it resources to make more of the same. Does this world really need another social network? More movies? Games? Novels? Fashion? More e-commerce that is reselling existing products in new design?
All of this work doesn't change a single thing. It's more of the same. Tomorrow, it'll be replaced by more of the same. Maybe it'll not be replaced, just added to a growing pile of more of the same.
The space industry has a shot at changing humanities future. So does the aging industry, prosthetics, robotics, ai, fusion and others. It might not work out, but if it does, it'll change something.
Were those people not being brought joy before TikTok? Did the amount of joy in the world increase? Does it increase with every new frivolous app? If so eventually we will be overwhelmed with the pure bliss of being alive, but that does not seem to be the trend.
Yes TikTok increases the joy its users experienced, otherwise they would still be doing what they were doing before.
I do think people are much happier than they were 20 or even 10 years ago, largely thanks to the increased joy brought by better apps. Can that continue until people are "overwhelmed with the pure bliss of being alive"? No clue, doesn't seem likely, but it's certainly possible.
Then what's with all the "social media causing depression" we hear all the time, and there also being studies highlighting that, not to mention countless anecdotal stories.
It's debatable. Tiktok like other social media could be actually causing harm by a) being addictive, b) causing mental health issues, c) ruining your brain reward system, d) giving you adhd, possibly.
Once you start scrolling there, it is very difficult to stop, and I have tried it, but I don't think at least for me, it would add any actual value to my life even if I can't stop myself from using the app.
There's other entertainment, that I would think is more healthy, meaningful and can improve you as a person, so any time spent on Tiktok, I think is straying away from that other type of media.
So Tiktok definitely has impact, but I don't see how this impact is more positive as compared to say reading books or similar, which could potentially also provide infinite entertainment, but I also improve your brain
Cocaine triggers a dopamine response (simplified, I dated someone with an addiction). Is that a positive impact? Moderation is important, as in reflection as to why you’re enjoying something and if it's healthy.
cocaine was cheap and easy available a century+ ago (for example the original Coca-Cola was an over-the-counter headache treating mix which contained alcohol and cocaine). Didn't lead to much positive impact. (Note: i'm for full unlimited legalization, though not because it is that good, it is just that 1.the adults have the right to practice Darwin theories and 2.the Prohibition is really bad)
Tesla sold half a million cars last year. TikTok provided entertainment for a billion people.