BT English04: The Social Dilemma

2020年,Netflix的一部纪录片《The Social Dilemma》(中文译名:监视资本主义)上线。去年第一次看了这部纪录片,最近又重看了一遍。虽然我觉得自己对于社交媒体和网络世界有一定的认知,对于娱乐向的app有一定的自制力,以及对于网络上的信息有一定的辨识能力;但是当我看完这部纪录片还是有一些新的思考出现了。这期节目想聊聊关于这部纪录片的内容,以及我自己的一些思考。 Last year, I watched a documentary film named The Social Dilemma. The film features interviews with many former employees, executives, and other professionals from top tech companies and social media platforms such as Facebook, Google, and Twitter. All of these experts talk about something we don't know about this digital world. For example, you think Google or Baidu is just a search box, and Facebook or Weibo or WeChat moment is a place to see what friends are doing. Not exactly. What you don't realize is that there is an entire group of engineers and professionals whose job is using your behavior on the Internet to track you and analyze you. That's called Big Data. Today, I'm gonna say something about this Social Dilemma. I'm Yvonne, and welcome to BT English. Big data, or 大数据, is a very popular concept in our daily life. Did you find something tricky here? We are not human beings any more, we are just data. Yes, we are objectified. But wait a second. Can we blame all the social medias for this objectification? I don't think so. It is we, people, that hand in our information to these social medias. Think about this. How often you are shopping in Taobao? How many things in your apartment are bought online? How long did you spend on the social media platforms everyday? "Oh, it's time to log in Tiktok and Weibo to find something new." We constantly need lots of information and interesting things to lead our life. We just cannot help scrolling cellphone to find next excitement. Of course, there are pros and cons about the Internet. And I'm pretty sure everyone of you can list thousands of benefits we can get from the Internet. But besides these advantages, I wanna say something bad about this cyber world. First of all, "If you are not paying for the product, you are the product." There are lots of free resources online, thanks to the Internet. But you really think all the resources are free? Let me tell you something. You paid for every single thing you got from the Internet even you didn't realize. How can it come? Maybe you would say, "I watched movies online for free, and I could download some academic materials online for free. " How did you get them? You paid attention to some ads which appeared in the middle of the movie; you register your phone number or your email for getting a free academic dissertation. You trade your attention and your private information for the movie and the dissertation. These attention and private information are invaluable products for these tech companies. That's why they could analyze and predict their consumers' psychology. Do you still think you get these resources for free? You paid much more than money. Moreover, we are thrown into a huge competition in the social medias. In other words, the social medias are producing anxieties and depression all the time. Have you ever felt anxious about your job, your weight, your appearance, or relationship with your partner? When you're on social media, you felt unsatisfied with yourself particularly. I do remember one scenario in that movie. After more than ten times retakes, a teenage girl posts a photo on her instagram and waits for some likes. Besides lots of likes, she also got something unwanted. A comment said, "can you make your ears bigger? like an elephant?" Even though this cannot be qualified as a mean word, she still felt embarrassed immediately because of her ears. Even though the person who left the comment didn't mean to offend her, the teenage girl felt hurt actually. You would say "that's a girl issue, she's too sensitive and fragile." But could anybody guarantee that the next generation would have a healthy and holistic mental development under this competitive, anxious, depressed situation. Nobody could. Last but not least, "fake news spread six times faster than true news." These days, I was overwhelmed by news about Russia-Ukraine war. Every morning, I wake up with updated number of how many people died and how many people get injured. Some posts in social media are often inflammatory, exaggerated and distorted. If I wanna know what is exactly happening in Ukraine, I have to pay much more efforts to distinguish truth from the false. Of course, I am not saying these tech companies and social media platforms are all bad. They did bring us lots of convenience and benefits in our modern life. But maybe, we could keep alert to them. For example, buy what you really need, pay for products you want. Be aware of "there's no such thing as a free lunch. " Meanwhile, know who you are, don't let others' opinion influence you that easily. And improve your ability to do critical reasoning. We are not tools or data, but we are using the tools and data. I highly recommend The Social Dilemma to you guys. If you have time to spare, this movie is a good choice. I'm Yvonne and see you around.

9分钟
99+
3年前

BT English02: What is the meaning of life?

Have you ever had this kind of question? What is the meaning of life? I have held this question in my mind for a long time. and I am still on my way to find an answer. This is Yvonne, and welcome to today's BT English. The「meaning of life」question happened to me six years ago, when the first time seems like I screwed everything in my life. I have done with a three and a half year relationship with a man who i thought was my soulmate. And meanwhile, my boss, a man with whom I could worked well, left and got his startup. Yes, i did look failed in every aspect of my life. And then, i was lost, I couldn't find myself a reason to proceed. I even had a thought to end my life. The only reason that i didn't do that is my family. It seems like, 「the meaning of life」for me at that moment was having both a very great intimate relationship and a very great performance in my career. I couldn't find any other reasons to cheer me up. I lost all the meanings of life. Four years later, when the virus hit the whole world in 2020, I started to think about this question second time. Because of the pandemic, I have been living at home, in my hometown for nine months with my parents. Suddenly, I didn't have anything else to do except cooking every meal for my family. I spent plenty of time to learn more about cooking: how could i keep the taste and texture of food without losing any nutrition. And how could we, my parents and I, keep fit in quarantine. I had a lof of detailed question to tackle and I had zero time to find the meaning of life. And gradually, I found my value in doing these chores. I enjoyed myself in cooking a meal, doing exercises at home with my parents, sharing my thoughts, my ideas with them. I didn't think i had to find a reason to live. I was living with the person whom i had been loving more than anybody on Earth. I didn't intend to find an answer for the "meaning of life" question any more, i just live my life with it. One day, Niki asked me,"have you ever found the meaning of life?", coz I told her i was reading some books about philosophy. "Not yet", i replied, "I think i have to read more books and i am on my way to find the ultimate answer. " But recently, I have something new in my mind. I read a book named <lectures on modern western thought>(《西方现代思想讲义》) written by professor 刘擎. He mentions 19 intellectuals in this book who were or who are among the greatest philosophers in modern period. I was enlightened by these greatest thinking mind: maybe finding the meaning of life is meaningless, is effortless, coz there is no such a clear definition or concept. Everybody would held their own interpretations of life. The meaning of life would be too diverse and too amorphous to define. In other words, nobody except yourself could tell you what is the meaning of your life. I would have told you guys that i found the meaning of life. But in fact, I can't. We, human beings, always want a short-cut in life. We wanna get some authentic questions before examinations; we wanna know how to make easy money; we would better win a game without much practice. We long for an exact meaning of life. But there is no short-cut in life till the day you die. You have to live your own life day by day, just like playing the piano, if you wanna get some improvements, you have to practice and practice, many, many times. Ok, I think i am gonna call it a night. and at the very end of this episode. all i wanna say is that instead of finding the meaning of life, go create the meaning of your life. this is Yvonne, i hope to see you soon~

8分钟
99+
3年前

Episode 45:宇琪(上)|做一个freelancer,跑在自己的跑道

这期节目录制在2022年的一月初。前两天剪出来才发。 其中有几次实在没有节目发,Niki说,宇琪来的那期为什么不发啊。对啊,为什么呢? 我当时给出的解释是:宇琪作为重要听友的走心对话,要等到年后大家都收心了,能够沉浸下来听东西了才能发。 可能还有个原因是,这期节目聊的过程中,我感受到共振带来的无比的畅快。这种情绪浓烈到,哪怕是剪辑的时候重听一次,都会唤起我很大的能量消耗。听的过程是非常享受的,但是体能上却非常累。 好了,我编不下去了,我们的优质听友北美高圆圆一定能理解我的这种拖延的(嗯)。 ——————————————————————————————————————— 这次邀请BT的优质听友,畅销书《GRE长难句图解与精练》的作者高宇琪来做客。 在我看来中,宇琪就是典型的「好学生」的样子,没有被生活伤害过的单纯少年的模样。 但是在聊天过程中,她自己的叙事慢慢推翻了我之前对她的印象。给我展现了一个更加立体,多面,我不曾了解的一个朋友。 我们有好多好多共同的心事在过去的时空中交错;也有好多我不在现场的经历,通过她的描述,同样能带给我身临其境的感受。甚至这期节目中宇琪说出的一些话,穿越时间(早一个月)呼应了我们上期浪漫的体会。 提示: 1. 节目开始的非常欢乐,所以这期里面有好多我的大笑,听友们注意保护耳朵 2. 节目里提到的关于心理疗愈的一些过程,完全是个人经验,大家参考着借鉴。 那就一起听节目吧~

46分钟
99+
3年前

BT English00: Intro

Y: OK. Here it is. I'd like to introduce a brand new channel to you guys, a brand new English channel. In this channel Niki or Yvonne, or Niki and Yvonne will focus on one topic. And every episode won't last long. If you guys are interested in that, if you wanna get some improvements in your oral English or English listening, please click the subscribe button and get your journey started with us. N: OK...Am I allowed to speak right now? Yeah, congratulations. Y: So, this is... N: This is Niki. Y: And this is Yvonne. N&Y: Welcome to today's BT English. Y: Not familiar with the new title. And ...Yas, so we got a brand new channel. And umm...from which we can talk...get started about the story. It's Niki that had this idea first. N: oh, yeah. Y: So, why do you wanna do an English Channel, an English Podcast. N: Because I just want to express myself. Y: in English. N: Yep, in English. Y: Coz you are an English teacher. N: No, not because i am an English teacher, just because I am used to it. I am used to this language. Not because I teach it. Y: ummm, OK. So how about the situation now? N: What situation now? Y: Your English Podcast situation. N: emm. It is pretty healthy. The name of it is Niki的英文语音备忘录。 Y: Yep, if someone's new here, welcome... you're more than welcome to subscribe both the channel, Boundless Talk and Niki的英文语音备忘录 in 小宇宙,only in 小宇宙。 N: Yeah, currently, only in 小宇宙。And if you guys are just finding or seeking for my podcast, you guys can just click into my personal profile. And you can see that right now I have two affiliated podcasts. The other one is actually the English Podcast. And you guys can just follow me on the channel as well. Y: Yes. N: But for Boundless Talk, we are gonna continue the form of... Y: Long conversation. N: Probably long conversation, two people discussing and talking... and things like that. Y: Yes. So, till now, what do you...any differences between Boundless Talk and your English Channel. N: Um... I think that...Em, in my English...well, are we making, like an interview... Y: Yes. Let's do it, a brief interview. And Yvonne is interview(ing) Niki right now. N: So the difference is that I feel like, my own English podcast explores something deeper, like in my heart. It focuses on something in your own... like heart, in your internal world. I suppose to exploring the outside world. But I felt like Boundless Talk is more like maybe discussing some of the phenomenon that is going on in the society. Or you know, just... Y: Exchange ideas, somtimes. N: Exchange ideas, or just have some fun together. And... Y: Had some fun? I think Boundless Talk is all about deep, serious consideration about the public topic, OMG, so am I wrong? N: OMG, you can just check out your own podcast list, like all the list. I think a lot of things, we are just...we...discussing nothing. And we were just having fun. We actually don't pay so much attention on these social... Y: No, I didn't. I paid a lot of attention... N: But we didn't discuss quite a lot in Boundless Talk. Y: Social, public, public questions. N: We didn't discuss quite a lot in Boundless Talk. I mean, just now, you said Boundless Talk should be about those, like more serious social issues on the broad perspective. Y: Maybe not exactly the social issues. But I take it very serious. And I really talk what I wanna...what I was thinking about the question or issue, or my deeply feel about something. N: Okay. Y: I take it serious. I don't think it's "having fun". Of course, I had fun from doing that things. But meanwhile, I go through my ideas through our communication. N: Okay, it's the difference. I mean, my podcast is exploring like something happening inside of my heart, and just my heart. And sometimes, I would like to share some of my ideas to the listeners. And if you find that kind of...like...may be practical in your own life too, you can just directly take it away. And I'm gonna be very delighted about it. But in contrast, Boundless Talk is, you know something about our discussion on some certain issues. I feel like, yeah, that is the difference. Y: Yes, yes...and... Okay, I think that's done. That's what I wanna...This is just a brief introduction about the new channel. And introduce Niki's own podcast. And again, to the new guys, new friends, you are more than welcome to subscribe both the channel. And if you're only interested in the English speaking, you can go straight to Niki's podcast. N: Okay. Y: Okay. That's all for today. N&Y : So bye, this is the BT English.

6分钟
99+
3年前

Episode 41:经济发展VS环境保护?根本聊不清楚啊

这个话题在第一次被我们讨论的时候,产生了sharp contrast。 在讨论中,产生矛盾观点的双方——Niki和我们的朋友(AKA肾上腺)——通过拉扯和解释,终于找到了观点不一致的根本原因:对「什么是有益的?」这个问题所采取的立场的不一致。 Niki的观点在于:提升个人幸福感是「有益的」,经济发展到一定阶段,就不再能提升幸福感了(因此经济发展不是完全「有益的」)。 肾上腺的观点在于(其实他自己也没有完全说清楚,我解读一下吧):站在整个人类发展的角度上,发展经济或将是比(过度的)保护环境更「有益的」。 我对这个话题很感兴趣,虽然知道在这期播客里,我们无法面面俱到的把所有的因素都纳入考量从而得出一个怎样的结论(于是话题就被narrow down to “塑料的使用”);但是讨论本身就能帮我梳理一些自己模糊的思路。虽然想让这期节目冲突性强一些,但从节目效果来看:只要双方前提一致,信息拉平,并且愿意沟通,我和Niki很难有南辕北辙的观点。就好像,同一个苹果,Yvonne觉得好吃,Niki觉得不好吃。看起来我们俩观点不一致,但事实是:苹果有点酸,Yvonne喜欢酸一点的,而Niki不喜欢酸的而已。苹果还是一个苹果,我们也都同意它是酸的。“好吃”或“不好吃”,仅是根据不同的个人喜好得出的主观感受而已。 如果说从这期节目当中,我得到了些什么启示,那么就是:结论只是处理事实、进行思考的最后一步。结论的不同不代表思路的不一致,很有可能只是在最后的主观选择上出现了差异而已。 那么,听友们,关于经济发展和环境保护,你有什么想说的吗?留言给我们哟~

67分钟
66
3年前
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