internet Archives - Home For Fiction

internet

YouTube Facade: a WordPress Plugin

September 30, 2024

YouTube Facade is the name of this plugin I’m sharing with you, but it started – like most things I make – as something entirely for my own use, on Home for Fiction. A facade is an interface that “masks” another kind of content — in this case, an embedded YouTube video.

Why, you might ask.

Facades serve a dual role:

They help with privacy requirements. Because the third party (in our case, YouTube) doesn’t load automatically on page load, Google/YouTube can’t place cookies unless the user explicitly allows it.
They help with site speed, as the page only needs to load a small image, rather than an embedded video.

If you’d like to see how it works, check it out e.g. on this page. Everywhere on the blog (and the main Home for Fiction site) there’s a YouTube video, facades are displayed.

YouTube facade: screenshot — YouTube Facade can speed up page load while safeguarding privacy

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Strawman Fallacy: Examples and Repercussions

July 19, 2021

Philosophy

fallacy, internet, society, strawman

The internet is sadly full of strawman fallacy examples. In contrast to the Bandwagon fallacy, and partly like the Appeal to Hypocrisy fallacy, the person committing the strawman fallacy is usually aware they are doing so. That is, one resorts to strawman arguments to ameliorate their otherwise weak argument. However, this isn’t set in stone. In other words, it’s possible for someone to commit the strawman fallacy inadvertently.

Regardless of the motive, this is a particularly widespread and unfortunately insidious fallacy. Some well-crafted iterations of it can be truly misleading, giving the impression of a solid argument. It’s important, then, to learn to recognize it. This is precisely what we’ll do in this post, as we’ll take a closer look at some strawman fallacy examples, definitions, and ways to counter its use.

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Unintended Misinformation: Dynamics and Dangers

March 4, 2020

Society

internet, manipulation, misinformation, society

A mythological king was once asked what was his most precious asset: his health, his army, his wealth, or his offspring. “Information!” he said. “Give me information, and I can easily get back the rest”. Of course, information also comes with misinformation. And unintended misinformation, in particular, can be a very insidious, dangerous concept.

Unlike fake news or intentional propaganda, unintended misinformation neither involves malice nor has ulterior motives. Those spreading misinformation aren’t aware they’re doing so. Instead, they believe they’re helping (either a cause or the general dissemination of knowledge).

But, as I mentioned above, unintended misinformation can be an insidious process, causing significant damage and having far-reaching repercussions. The problem, as we’ll see in more detail below, lies precisely in its lack of intention or malice. Put simply, its dynamics are such that preclude detection of the misinformation until it has effectively displaced the truth.

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