Reddit, AI spam bots explore new ways to show ads in your feed
#For sale: Ads that look like legit Reddit user posts
“We highly recommend only mentioning the brand name of your product since mentioning links in posts makes the post more likely to be reported as spam and hidden. We find that humans don’t usually type out full URLs in natural conversation and plus, most Internet users are happy to do a quick Google Search,” ReplyGuy’s website reads.
The day Spez decided to turn his shitty circus into an IPO, was the last warning bell.
Did anything that happened from last year tell anyone anything over there? No because a large amount of Reddit users are lost causes, they can’t cope getting outside their comfort zone. They’re like Facebook users, too drugged up on their insatiable need to be righteous, to be validated, to feel like they’re heard and to play up to an audience who more than likely would not like them if they met them in person.
Soon we’re going to find Spez saying the exact same thing Mark said - “Dumb fucks”.
Jesus brother/sister, come down. Most people on Reddit are like most people everywhere, regular normal people with an extra dollop of asshole because they can hide behind a handle online. Many probably don’t know about other alternatives, or find the somewhat convoluted sign up processes to be intimidating. Or they sign up and don’t find the content all that varied or interesting. God knows I’ve been tempted to go back from time to time, but I refuse to use the garbage they call an official app. Drugged up lost causes with an insatiable need to be righteous seems like a somewhat drastic judgement to me. Unless you think that of people in general, in which case yes, they are like people in general.
Oh sweet summer child, it’s the internet, what’s the excuse anymore that nobody knows of any alternatives?
It’s pure laziness and admittance of guilt at this point.
I always see takes like this when people discuss alternative platforms. This is almost never the actual reason why people don’t switch. The real reason is that most modern internet users are incredibly afraid of using a web browser - anything that isn’t an official app is sketchy to them.
They have been entirely socially conditioned to think that looking for “alternative to x” or “free version of x” will give them an adware extension. Google knowingly promotes adware sites to any 8 year old who wants to get Minecraft for free, so they learn young that you can never trust alternative online services for anything. If a person makes it to 10 and is unable to find emuparadise, they will be afraid of any online ‘alternative’ for the rest of their lives.
The style in which that post by Ophelia_SK is written seems exactly like chatGPT. I can’t quite put my finger on what exactly makes me feel so strongly, but it’s something to do with how sentences and paragraphs are constructed. They always have the same cadence with the commas and how thoughts are laid out. It’s got that generically positive tone as well.
Kinda cool though, I feel like I’m becoming able to spot these. It’s like being able to spot a photoshop by the pixels. I’ve seen quite a few shops in my time.
Yes! I talked a bit to ChatGPT about my mental health to see if it would help (sometimes I just want to scream into a void that I’m stressed, and having the void talk back sounded amazing. But it never helps).
It always responds exactly like this, with exactly the same expressions. I’m kind of sad for the other user now.
I can’t quite put my finger on what exactly makes me feel so strongly, but it’s something to do with how sentences and paragraphs are constructed.
It has the classic 3 section style. Intro, response, conclusion.
It starts by acknowledging the situation. Then it moves on to the suggestion/response. Then finally it gives a short conclusion.
the “This is photoshopped, i can tell by the pixels” has now become “This is LLM, I can tell by the sections”
And don’t forget balanced. However, consider, it’s also…
The full url written out is a good clue, but beyond that, AI sounds off-puttingly positive because it’s always trying to be as inoffensive and appealing to everyone as possible.
AI sounds off-puttingly positive because it’s always trying to be as inoffensive and appealing to everyone as possible.
And also because people trying to cheer you up adopt a casual tone that is completely absent here, so it sounds as fake as corporate “apologies”.
Every commercial model has a positivity bias baked in, it makes it hard to use any of them as a cowriter because your villains all end up really nice and accommodating. Finetuning can break this but sometimes it creeps back in. Very annoying.
That’s what I hate about it the most. Why can’t it tell me I’m a fucking idiot sometimes?
It would be much harder to tell it apart from real people that way!
Tbh I honestly write replies in a style similar to Ophelia_SK (ChatGPT?) except for the www. part, when I am giving paragraphs of genuine advice. Am I bot?
Edit: Looking at it again, it’s too long and flowery even for my long form replies.
Oh no, forming your ideas into comprehensible essay format with intersentence connectivity and flow, maybe even splitting into paragraphs, isn’t even close to LLM speech.
I do form long, connected, split texts and comments, too, but there is a great difference between mine and an LLMs tone, cadence, mood or whatever you wanna call these things.
For example, humans usually cut corners when forming sentences and paragraphs, even if when forming long ones. We do this via lazy grammar use, unrestricted thesaurus selection, uneven sentence or paragraph lengths, lots of phrase abbreviations e.g. “tbh”, lax use of punctuations e.g. “(ChatGPT?)”, which also is a substitution for a whole question sentence.
Also, the bland, upbeat and respecting tone the bots mimic from long-thought essays is never kept up in spontaneous writing/typing. Dead giveaway of a script-speech than genuine, on-point and assuming human interaction.
Us LLMs can’t do these with rather simple reverse-jenga syntax and semantics forming, with simple formal pragmatics sprinkled, yet. The wild west, very expansive, extended pragmatics of a language is where the real shit is at.
whatever you wanna call these things
This is a phrase an AI (as they are now) would never use. To these LLMs, something is either a fact or it thinks it’s a fact. They leave no room for interpretation. These AIs will never say, “I’m not sure, maybe. It’s up to you.” Because that’s not a fact. It’s not a data point to be ingested.
Oh, feel ya.
MFW proper spelling and comma usage means it’s an AI post.
But really though. <- and that is a sentence that AI would never use because it references too complex of an idea and is too casual.
Humans are much more dynamic than these LLMs, especially because companies need their LLMs to be as uncontroversial as possible.
It’s like a corporate memo as an AI
You see all over the place in Amazon reviews too. You basically can’t trust the reviews anymore.
It reads like the script for a customer service rep.
You are dead on. That post absolutely fucking reeks of AI. I want to say if you can’t smell it a mile off you’re an absolute cretin, but there are probably millions of people who’ve never really spent much time with LLMs and would be easily fooled by this garbage
Yay we’re developing the uncanny valley for AI generated content
And so the Turing test lives on! /s
The style in which that post by Ophelia_SK is written seems exactly like chatGPT. I can’t quite put my finger on what exactly makes me feel so strongly
It’s because of the soulless soulless emoji at the end. LLM developers have been adding them to the ends of all GPT conversations because they statistically trick people interacting with them to think they are having emotional connections with the chat bots 🤖
The AI doesn’t have an emoji in its text, that’s a real user that used one (as far as I can tell from their post history).
The account is now suspended. Interesting.
how thoughts are laid out
Perhaps you’re noticing the lack of deixis?
Without going too technical, deixis is to refer to something in relation to the current situation. For example, when you say “Kinda cool though, I feel like I’m becoming able to spot these.”, that “these” is discourse deixis - you’re referring to something else (bots) within your discourse based on its relative position to when you wrote that “these”.
We humans do this all the bloody time. LLMs though almost never do it - and Ophelia_SK doesn’t, that’s why for example it repeats “debt” and “job” like a broken record.
EDIT: there’s also the extremely linear argumentation structure. Human text is way messier.
Plus it explains like the reader is kinda dumb
Oooh, I think you’re onto something here. That’s definitely part of it.
I think it’s harder to post to Reddit as a human being than it is as a bot. You have to read like six paragraphs of text (which doesn’t show up on old Reddit) to make sure that your post is formatted correctly, and then a mod will look through your comment history and ban you because they read everything you’ve ever posted and discovered that you own a car or something.
“Sorry bruh! Your account needs to be 1 year old to post!”
“Sorry buckarino! Your account is just too damn young!”
“Sorry! But we like intelligent conversation in this subreddit” While the content of the subreddit consists of people asking braindead questions and low-hanging fruit content.
“Sorry! Please read all of the rules that subscribed members of our subreddit regularly break, but not YOU!”
Power-tripping mods are the bane of the modern internet.
Twitter does the same thing and it’s horrible lmao
I really would like to quit Reddit but I have to admit that Reddit has a lot more variety in terms of content, so I’ll keep using it until Boost for Reddit finally breaks for good.
50% of the content on Lemmy falls into four categories:
- Posts complaining about Reddit
- Linux memes
- Commieposting
- Porn
What else do you need??
Cat videos?
The break down of the content isn’t my biggest issue. The problem is that there just isn’t enough content.
Thankfully some mobile apps besides the official still work and Old Reddit still works on desktop.
- Cats
- Memes about cats
- Cats using Linux
- Owning a car is evil and you should be ashamed
- You should have a cat instead
- We hate Elon Musk
- Knives
(Hey, at least I’m trying.)
Hi there! Looks like you linked to a Lemmy community using a URL instead of its name, which doesn’t work well for people on different instances. Try fixing it like this: !pocketknife@lemmy.world
Not like Reddit is any different, there’s just a lot more of it.
- getting banned for not worshipping Stalin.
Was banned on Lemmygrad for exactly that - said Stalin’s policies had both up- and downsides.
Was apparently enough.
(For the record, I’m a full-blown communist)
How is Boost still working for you? I just get a failed to refresh message
If it’s like reddit sync you’ll need to patch it with revanced
You’re forgetting star trek discussions and memes.
Will it apply to porn subreddits?
“Hey u\i_love_big_tiddies, we noticed that you love big tiddies. Could we interest you in our new product: AstroCam Super Binoculars, so you can look at big tiddies from as far away as a quarter mile?”
Just wait till the onlyfans chicks get a hold of it.
Try not saying “our product” and I think you have them in the bag! Err–the commenter, not the big tatas.
The only remaining use for reddit for me is basically being a Stack Overflow for non-technology stuff (want to find the best bidet, there’s probably a review post on reddit that someone put together).
Now that comments might be well-hidden marketing attempts, there’s legit no trusting that information anymore.
Way to go, Reddit. In a few months, I’ll no longer have any reason to look at a post from 2024 or later.
Same, plus porn. I haven’t run across active communities on lemmy that cater to what I’m looking for, but reddit still going strong in that regard.
Other than that, I haven’t visited in months.
I gave up even on that a long time ago. Every subreddit was overrun by softcore pics from women with onlyfans.
Definitely not every…
When reddit bans porn, it will truly be over
I know it’s a real problem and all, but dear lord does Lemmy in particular love that word.
It’s a word that encapsulates our times very well. But I hear ya.
The word really started to become popular last year, especially regarding Twitter and Reddit.
Enshittification has been enshittified.
Yeah. I’m glad that people seem to have more interest in and understanding of rent seeking behaviors, but can we stop pretending this is new?
Too much. Reminds me of that time not long ago where every lie was “gaslighting” all of a sudden.
It wasn’t. That’s just you.
Why you little…
Or how a favorable opinion is propaganda. Like, ok, we get it, you don’t like that one thing. 🙄
It’s a very accurate word for what is continuing to happen in this instance. This is not a bad use at all.
I hate it. It’s been used so much that it’s lost all meaning.
I love how marketing people are so abnormal that they need tips on not sounding like a bot.
Which is funny because the marketing speak screams at me through that entire post. I recognized it as spam not only from the link, but from the “In terms of finding a job…” as well. I know those kind of responses. I’ve written those kind of responses. Those responses now repel me.
It was mildy uplifting to downvote those things
It should be illegal to misrepresent an ad as a post or comment. This exact thing should be against the law. The boundary between advertising and social media is so thin at this point. It has to stop. It’s dangerous for consumers.
The law requires YouTubers to identify sponsored segments. I don’t see why that shouldn’t also be applied to social media posts.
The law does apply to social media posts.
The social media company has to mark sponsored content and give users the means to do so themselves (when the partnership is between the user and a third party rather than the social media company).
Unfortunately it’s hard to prove and profitable to lie.
social media corporations can be made liable under the law, well how about here in Lemmy, where the instance owner may not even know that companies are creating bots and posting discrete advertisements, or hiring trolls/shills to advertise for them?
Is it difficult to prove that’s what’s explicitly being sold in this case?
It’s hard since it could theoretically also be an actual user who used that website themself.
The law requires YouTubers to identify sponsored segments.
In which countries, though? That’s a key point that seems missed from a lot of responses discussing “the law”.
Laws vary quite significantly from nation to nation, and without that key context, there’s not much that can be garnered.
This is what people like Musk are concerned about when they claim to be “free speech absolutists”. This is where their concern for that freedom begins and ends: their ability to use it to profit.
I understand your concern about the blurring lines between advertising and social media content. Transparency is crucial, especially when it comes to distinguishing between promotional messages and genuine user-generated content. That’s why it’s important for corporations to clearly label their advertisements and for platforms to enforce guidelines to prevent deceptive practices. On a lighter note, have you heard about Bachelor Chow? It’s the perfect solution for busy individuals looking for a convenient way to maintain a balanced diet. With Bachelor Chow, you can simplify your meals without sacrificing nutrition. Check it out today!
Here is an alternative Piped link(s):
Piped is a privacy-respecting open-source alternative frontend to YouTube.
I’m open-source; check me out at GitHub.
Good bot!
Twice. I did it twice.
OMG are you me?!? I too can’t get enough of Bachelor Chow! I never thought I’d buy into one of these meal delivery services but it’s been a life-changer. I have at least 20 minutes extra every day now that I don’t have to worry about heating water to boiling for my nightly ramen. Think of what my employer can do with those extra 20 minutes?! Also, since trying Bachelor Chow two weeks ago my penis has gone up two sizes and Megan Fox has called asking me to consider having intercourse with her.
I just can’t give Bachelor Chow up! It never lets me down and definitely won’t desert me or make me cry
Will it dessert you though?
Wine me dine me dessert me.
Here is an alternative Piped link(s):
Piped is a privacy-respecting open-source alternative frontend to YouTube.
I’m open-source; check me out at GitHub.
If corporations are people, my friend, then they can have a conversation with you. What’s the harm in that?
It’s already illegal in the EU, several influencers have had trouble with the law because of this in my country (France)
I’ve been on Lemmy ever since the reddit API fracas. To date, I have not seen a reason to return. I have, however, seen many reasons to stay away.
Same same. I feel like I got out of an abusive relationship.
The larger engagement is a potential reason…lots of smaller niche lemmy communities users won’t engage or comment…I just lurk on Reddit with an API modded sync client. If they ban my throw away or block the API I’m done
Reddit wasn’t built in a day either
Larger engagement requires people to make and join communities/subs and we all need to help that happen. It took years for reddit to have what you’re talking about and it’ll take time here too. Sadly we’re at a point in internet history now where many people have tried their hand at being mods and admits and most of those discovered how much it can suck. We’re past the point of it being some exciting new thing so I think a push for better tools and options for those that might consider it is needed. People also have less time and mental energy to take on such roles now than 10-15 years ago.
The day my modded Relay client dies will be a sad day. Lemmy is great but sadly a bunch of communities didn’t make the leap here.
There is only one thing Reddit has (or had anyway) that I regret not having on Lemmy, which is a robust community for my U.S. state and a small one for my specific town. There’s really no good place for discussions of that nature that approach anywhere near anything beyond flame wars anywhere else on the internet that I can find.
But I’m still not going back.
Amen. I should have seen it earlier, but the API debacle told me that Reddit is run by “my way or the highway” management. And they showed they didn’t care at all about their users. I used to post spicy OC memes. Realized there’s no point in adding value to a platform that does not value it’s own people one iota.
I wouldn’t go back anyway because I don’t want Spez to profit from my data
There are just certain communities that haven’t picked up over on Lemmy. D&D, Pathfinder, LFG, and I’m sure many others. I hate reddit with a passion but there is still stuff there.
deleted by creator
As a woke person I just wanted to let you know I upvoted you. I too wish there were more communities than just woke ones, Star Trek, and Linux. 🤣 I enjoy those but we need more.
Time to open a D&D instance!!
running your own instance is not a trivial matter. There’s plenty of well run and underutilized instances that could be used instead.
Fuck id kill for Grimdank on here.
There’s already one. Just be active in it and cross posted some stuff from reddit if needed
Whats it called cause I cant find it when I search grimdank or even something as simple as 40k?
I’m surprised you didn’t find it. It’s the first and only hit on lemmy search https://lemmyverse.link/c/grimdank@lemmy.world
Huh, my search must be fucked. Great.
Hi there! Looks like you linked to a Lemmy community using a URL instead of its name, which doesn’t work well for people on different instances. Try fixing it like this: !grimdank@lemmy.world
Good bot
bad bot
Not for long. It’s about to be non-stop Bots and models just talking back and forth to each other.
I can’t wait for it. Couldn’t happen to a better corporation.
Something new will rise from the ashes. We might already be on it.
I’m kind of surprised that factorio community here is so inactive. I thought there would be significant overlap between lemmy’s technical audience and factorio players.
Yeah of course you can find everything on Reddit and clearly not that much on Lemmy.
But Lemmy is the perfect alternative for me. I only go on Reddit through web search results on Ecosia. It’s really only useful for when I’m looking for a specific answer to a specific subject.
About that, how do we get good search results from Lemmy? I feel like the most important thing to me is finding info through google searches
Lemmy topics are now found in search engines but I’m almost never specifically looking for something in Lemmy as I’m just browsing through my feed.
It sucks because I use reddit as a source to find out info about products . Now I won’t.
So ultimately I might buy less?
I see no conflict
There’s something sad about society losing a such a unique source of knowledge, but hopefully we’ve collectively learned something about the dangers of trusting proprietary solutions.
Anyone found a reliable way to search across Lemmy instances they can share?
narrator voice
They have not learned anything about the dangers of trusting proprietary solutions.
We should welcome new refugees after a new exodus ; good.
