Getting your small dose every day might make it normal, or maybe I should say, you don't realize the magnitude of the events, but this is getting out of hand.
As a trader, I spend some time on X on a daily bases, to stay in touch with other traders, exchange ideas, analyses, but most of all, what drives me there is news. Markets are affected by news and as we have a very vehement US President, his words alone can influence the markets, plus the geopolitical events can also influence and determine, what my day is going to be like, so I need to stay informed.
Not long ago, a user I follow because of his TA, posted about how much the space has changed, compared to a couple of years ago, when you could read real, human made TA, compared to AI generated content that you find posted today. It's a real shame and it shows how desperate people are for a little engagement, not factoring in the consequences. This space is still small and once word gets out, that you can't be trusted, you're done.
Following users on any social media platforms is done at your own risk and honestly, if you trust anyone blindly, especially those who have the biggest mouth, you deserve your faith, simple as that.
The situation is not any better on other platforms either and recently I noticed a shocking thing on Vinted, as I've been working on the platform quite a bit.
The item that caught my eye was a blouse, not because it was something particular, but because the photo was tooooo perfect. After so many years on Hive and in Photography Lovers, I can spot quite a lot of things, so I'm grateful for the ability to focus on details.
The platform has some strict rules, that must be respected if you don't want measures to be taken against your account, so if I say this was shocking, that's an understatement. When I clicked on the listing and checked the description saw that it was mentioned "the photo was made with the help of AI, to make it more attractive".
The human eye is always looking for beauty and the best looking item, even if we have different taste and preferences, so I can understand the intention, it's just that you're supposed to take a photo (or several is better) of the actual item you are selling and post it as it is. What this user posted was not a photo, but an AI generated image.
We all know AI is a tool to make everything better, from text to photograph, which, in plain English means it is changing reality. This is how so many users on Hive, who can't put a half decent sentence together on their own are posting high level texts about topics they have zero clue about, which is not fine by the way, but that's all they know.
When it comes to buying something, I suppose we all want to know the truth, before paying, but sellers are using all the tricks in the book.
People are the same everywhere I suppose and those who are not up to any good, will always find a way. Not long ago, the platform was flooded with photos downloaded from the internet, which is a gross violation of the rules, not to mention plagiarism and cheating.
Then the "blind date with a book" phase started, which is still ongoing. If you don't know what it is, basically it's a pack containing a book and some small (usually) office supplies, nicely wrapped to get your curiosity. You don't know what book it is, this is why it is called blind date. We call this "cat in the bag" in Hungarian and use this expression for all the scams that are based on withholding information from the buyer. This is against the rules, but that is not stopping them to re-list their scam pack every time it is taken down.
I was thinking how sharp you have to be these days, to avoid falling victim of these scams and how vulnerable those, who are digitally not up to date are. I'm trying to teach my dad about what is new and how he can use these apps but also how to avoid these traps. He's several levels above his age category and likes to show off in front of his friends of his age with what he knows, but there are many without any help and as scammers don't have limits, neither morals, it's just a question of who they can fool.
If you think back, two or three years ago, we didn't have these problems, but if you think ahead, imagine what other problems we'll be dealing with in let's say in five or in 10 years. Development can't be stopped and it shouldn't be stopped, but you also can't count on cheaters, scammers, to stop what they are doing. The only way to be safe is to pay attention to every little detail and think 10 times before jumping into anything.
If you're a newbie, you may want to check out these guides:
