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submitted 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) by cecirdr@beehaw.org to c/technology@beehaw.org

My title might be a bit hyperbolic, but stuff like this worries me. I love to read and I love reading on a kindle. This has been going on for a while, but it has now reached absurd levels.

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[-] Hypx@kbin.social 10 points 2 years ago

It's the Dead Internet Theory in action. While it stays a conspiracy for the Internet as a whole, it is definitely true at particular websites. There are many communities which are just controlled by bots and have no real people there.

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[-] megopie@beehaw.org 5 points 2 years ago

This is going to be the real result of the large language model hype train, massive floods of basically worthless “content” made simply to pump metrics and fool investors.

I’m not saying that there is no useful applications for the tech just that none of those are particularly marketable nor do they generate a lot of monetizable utility.

And more importantly it’s not AI anymore than auto complete, spell check are. People insisting otherwise almost seem like they’re trying to start cults.

[-] quortez@kbin.social 4 points 2 years ago

It really sucks that we're facing the digital equivalent of climate change with regards to the internet and the content economy on top of the decline of the actual economy and actual climate change. It's all so much.

[-] UngodlyAudrey@beehaw.org 4 points 2 years ago

Yeah, I absolutely can't imagine being a writer who is trying to break in this space. Discoverability is going to be a nightmare going forward.

[-] baggins@beehaw.org 3 points 2 years ago

This is my daughter at the moment. Just gone 21, at university studying Creative Writing. Thing is she was doing so well with Biology etc. Changed about 3 months into her first year. She's had a couple of self published books on Amazon, nothing more than a dozen or so sales. She's going to find it hard to find full time work etc. in her chosen field.

[-] TheTrueLinuxDev@beehaw.org 2 points 2 years ago

I thought about bringing up technical writing, then I realized that it's a possibility that even that job isn't safe within the next 5 years considering the promising development of Spiking Neural Net. This is something I would probably suggests to your daughter at this point that she should probably reconsider her chosen field and try to enter biology or some stable job.

[-] Valmond@beehaw.org 1 points 2 years ago

And work with AI not against it. I mean if AI can quickly make a filler chapter that can be tweaked, more time can be used to make it all get together etc etc. Or so I figure.

[-] potpie@beehaw.org 1 points 2 years ago

That's a really good point. Use the AI to bridge gaps and for short segments. Probably a good way to get around some writer's block.

[-] potpie@beehaw.org 1 points 2 years ago

That's a really good point. Use the AI to bridge gaps and for short segments. Probably a good way to get around some writer's block.

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[-] baggins@beehaw.org 1 points 2 years ago

Been there, done that. She has her own mind, so I'll just have to get on board.

Kids eh?

[-] TheTrueLinuxDev@beehaw.org 1 points 2 years ago

Guess that all you can do, yep.

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[-] communication@beehaw.org 3 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)
[-] livus@kbin.social 1 points 2 years ago

Be the change you want to see in the world!

[-] threeio@beehaw.org 2 points 2 years ago

I had to pull my kindle unlimited membership… it’s just a pile of crap.

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[-] argv_minus_one@beehaw.org 2 points 2 years ago

I, too, have snorted scornfully at this shameful state of affairs.

[-] sparky@lemmy.federate.cc 2 points 2 years ago

I, for one, can’t wait to read Apricot bar code architecture

[-] Spudger@lemmy.sdf.org 2 points 2 years ago

Anyone that buys anything from Amazon is also part of the problem. Support your local bookshop while you still can.

[-] greenskye@beehaw.org 2 points 2 years ago

I mean, most of my reading comes from authors who are literally only on amazon. And they're only on amazon because it's impossible to make a living trying to sell your book anywhere else. Brandon Sanderson has brought attention to this issue.

I'm supporting indie authors in a sub-genre that you literally can't even find in a physical bookstore. I get that bookstores are hurting, but I had to make a choice between small time authors and small time book stores.

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[-] goryramsy@kbin.social 1 points 2 years ago

Remember the good old days when you could mod your kindle and download any book from Amazon servers? Lots of books got leaked that way.

[-] sab@kbin.social 1 points 2 years ago

If this indeed breaks Amazon then at least that is one silver lining of AI. It's a shame indie authors are losing their platform, but they'll find another.

[-] TheTrueLinuxDev@beehaw.org 1 points 2 years ago

It would make it even more important to have sites like Goodread where books are recommended by communities.

[-] sab@kbin.social 1 points 2 years ago

There's even a federated alternative, BookWyrm!

...I guess these days the Fediverse is my hammer of choice, and every problem with the internet is a nail.

[-] TheTrueLinuxDev@beehaw.org 1 points 2 years ago

To be fair, it a REALLY good hammer.

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this post was submitted on 29 Jun 2023
36 points (100.0% liked)

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