Hello to all Steemians!
As this is a platform touting freedom of speech, I would like to present an idea that may or may not have occurred to many of you. I've been on this platform for about 5 or 6 days at this point, and it is interesting to learn that it has a user "reputation scoring system", which is supposedly designed to help us practice proper "etiquette" while expressing our thoughts.
Now, this reminded me of another system whereby Chinese citizens are being rated in exactly the same way - by the government. Here is the article in its entirety, with some copied parallell quotes that are disturbingly like the Steemit system.
People, are we eagerly allowing ourselves to be sucked into the very same vortex we claim to be escaping by leaving the G馃憖gle platforms? It's worth thinking about!
Here is the article:
https://www.wired.co.uk/article/chinese-government-social-credit-score-privacy-invasion
Here are the copied quotes from the above article:
""It will forge a public opinion environment where keeping trust is glorious. It will strengthen sincerity in government affairs, commercial sincerity, social sincerity and the construction of judicial credibility."
So the system not only investigates behaviour - it shapes it. It "nudges" citizens away from purchases and behaviours the government does not like.
Sharing what Sesame Credit refers to as "positive energy" online, nice messages about the government or how well the country's economy is doing, will make your score go up.
there is also a lure, in the form of rewards and "special privileges" for those citizens who prove themselves to be "trustworthy"
It is a method of social control dressed up in some points-reward system. It's gamified obedience.
the system is designed so that "untrustworthy people can't rent a car, can't borrow money or even can't find a job".
For instance, people with low ratings will have slower internet speeds; ...the social credit system will "allow the trustworthy to roam everywhere under heaven while making it hard for the discredited to take a single step".
You could see China's so-called trust plan asOrwell's 1984 meets Pavlov's dogs. Act like a good citizen, be rewarded and be made to think you're having fun.
If we are not vigilant, distributed trust could become networked shame. Life will become an endless popularity contest, with us all vying for the highest rating that only a few can attain."". END QUOTES.
Steemit is shaping people's behaviour by rewarding them with a better reputation score if they do and say things that others want to hear. The behaviour of others can lower a Steemit rep score; and not only that, those with a higher score can significantly affect others, for good or evil, while those with a score too low get punished by having their posts and comments hidden from other viewers!! 馃檲
Tell me how this type of system encourages truly free speech?? Tell me how this is any better than communism?? Or the CENSORSHIP you all are trying to avoid by leaving the g馃憖gle algorithms?? 馃
Just sayin'! 馃挜
