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A comment on Facebook Is Going After Its Critics in the Name of Privacy. Parent comment

Re:Facebook Is Going After Its Critics in the Name of Privacy by SpicyLemonZest on Sunday November 22, 2020 @03:01PM (#25180548)
I agree with your skepticism of referendums, because they do seem to be influenced more by cultural battles than policy outcomes. But I don't follow the connection you're drawing. If survey polls both before and after the election showed a different result, that just indicates the survey polls were flawed - any opinion changes Cambridge Analytica was able to create should be present both in survey polls and the election result.
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Re:Facebook Is Going After Its Critics in the Name of Privacy by Fnoord on Sunday November 22, 2020 @05:33PM (#25181752)
Survey polls can and do manipulate people. True, unlikely in a referendum, but not impossible. Say the polls say its 55/45 for your team, and its raining heavily (weather is known to influences outcome). Would you be motivated to go? Maybe you would, but some would not.

Another one (not referendum specific; my comment regarding strategic voting wasn't specific to referendum either). Say your preferential candidate is Charlie. You have no idea what other people vote. You'd vote for Charlie. However, say you know its going to be between Alice and Bob. You really don't want Bob to win. So you vote for Alice.

If you consider mass media and hype surrounding survey polls, these cause strategic voting between whoever ends up popular. Consider, for example, the way a candidate gets chosen for Republican or Democratic party. Prime example of strategic voting.

Some see these examples as opportunities to get their preference [for a candidate or political goal] in higher regard. I don't; I see these factors as factors which potentially harm the democratic outcome on the long term. Now, like Earth, democracy is strong and adaptive. It can take a bump. But it isn't endlessly going to accept stomps and beatings. Hence, I believe we need to try to maintain the integrity and authenticity.

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