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@grootinside @gerrymcgovern Seems to be a blend of grift and cult intermixing in ways that are utterly absurd.
Think pyramids and other death cult architecture. It demonstrates a level of unwell that benefits the grifters financially but is also tied to genuine beliefs of various folks who are facilitating these.
In real time it feels so baffling but it is a "squirrel king*" where a number of dysfunctional interests align in deadly ways.
*tails tangled up, unable to be separated
@munin Also, not arguing against anything you've said.
Its been sad seeing different online places slowly give over the human side of the community to various resources that paved the way towards LLM dependence.
I've been online since the 90s and folks have always had shitty moments but the outsourcing of community knowledge to google did seem to prime folks who are more vulnerable in ways that LLMs are calibrated to cater to.
@munin It seems to tie in which the trend that started awhile back (2016-2018) where people would respond to other people online by telling them to "go google it".
It came from a place of frustration with reply guys but I think there was a cultural effect of people being told to fuck off and stop asking actual people questions.
Curiosity deflected is often a social wound.
Communities that handled dumb questions well always felt like places of refuge. Things shifted and it opened the door.
