DylanPDX is an unsung internet pillar who maintains the integrity of embeds on platforms like vxTwitter. He discusses the challenges posed by corporate limitations on social media that affect user accessibility. Tallulah Trezevant, an antiquities scholar, shares her experiment exploring the online pathways of ancient history that often lead to the alt-right. The conversation dives into the implications of social media on public discourse and the need for a more nuanced understanding of history in contemporary discussions.
Dylan PDX's VX suite enhances social media embeds amid increasing restrictions, allowing better access to content like videos and posts.
Tallulah Trezevant's experiment reveals the troubling 'Antiquity to Alt-Right Pipeline', where interest in ancient history fosters connections to extremist ideologies.
Deep dives
The Necessity of Embedding Tools
Embedding external content on platforms like Discord and Telegram has become increasingly complicated due to restrictions imposed by social media sites. A developer, Dylan PDX, created the VX suite of tools to improve how embeds from Twitter, TikTok, and similar platforms operate. Previously, users faced technical issues with embeds, such as videos that wouldn't play correctly or content that redirected to app download pages instead of displaying the actual media. Dylan explained that these tools became necessary, especially after Twitter's recent changes under new ownership, which made accessing information about posts harder for developers.
Canadian Streaming Tax and Cultural Impact
Canada's new tax on foreign streaming services, set at 5% of their annual revenue, aims to generate funds for local news and content creation, particularly for marginalized communities. This tax, which excludes user-generated content, is expected to bring in about 200 million Canadian dollars, which will help support French language programming and indigenous content. The move is a significant step towards promoting local media ecosystems and addressing the challenges posed by global streaming giants. Observers note that it's essential to reinvest these funds into the communities most affected by international media dominance.
The Alt-Right Pipeline and Ancient History
Tallulah Trezevant's research highlights a concerning trend where interests in ancient history on platforms like Twitter can lead users towards alt-right ideologies. Through a controlled experiment, she discovered that even innocuous engagements with ancient history content quickly branch into recommendations for alt-right accounts. This phenomenon, termed the 'Antiquity to Alt-Right Pipeline,' illustrates how algorithmic content recommendations can intertwine cultural interests with extremist viewpoints. The results suggest that the intersection of popular social media and historical content fosters an environment that can distort interpretations of history for political agendas.
Challenges of AI in Consumer Interactions
New guidelines from the FTC warn businesses against misleading claims about AI technologies, especially those that suggest human-level interaction. It specifies that chatbots and virtual avatars must not present themselves as having genuine emotional or intellectual capabilities, thereby preventing companies from exploiting consumer trust. This caution reflects ongoing concerns regarding the ethical implications of AI services when they craft misleading representations of emotional connections. The emphasis is on ensuring consumers understand the limitations of AI technology to avoid deceptive practices in marketing and service provision.
Mike talks with unsung internet pillar DylanPDX, steward of vxTwitter and others, who single-handedly does what Big Social doesn’t want - keeping your embeds working. Senior producer Hans gets the ambrosia from Tallulah Trezevant, an antiquities scholar who ran an experiment to see how fast she would get flushed down the alt-right pipeline when expressing an interest in ancient history online. Also! Some of your favorite hidden corners of the internet.
Never Post’s producers are Audrey Evans, Georgia Hampton and The Mysterious Dr. Firstname Lastname. Our senior producer is Hans Buetow. Our executive producer is Jason Oberholtzer. The show’s host is Mike Rugnetta.
So much of any year is flammable, lists of vegetables, partial poems. Orange swirling flame of days, so little is a stone.
Excerpt of “Burning the Old Year” by Naomi Shihab Nye