The hottest Social Impact Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Technology Topics

All the arguments against EVs are wrong

Noahpinion • 26118 implied HN points • 14 May 23
🕹 Technology Transportation Energy Environment Social Impact Innovation
  1. Electric vehicles are rapidly becoming more popular worldwide, supported by improved technology and falling battery prices.
  2. There are concerns about the availability of minerals for EV production, but advancements in mining technology and growing lithium reserves offer hope.
  3. EVs have environmental benefits compared to gas cars, including reducing carbon emissions and offering more efficient energy use.

Goodreads, bleak spam and bad dating apps

Links I Would Gchat You If We Were Friends • 758 implied HN points • 17 Feb 24
🕹 Technology AI Social Impact Robotics Ethics
  1. Some people experience real grief when a virtual relationship ends or changes, even with AI companions.
  2. AI companion apps like Replika, Kindroid, and Candy.ai allow users to form personalized relationships with customized bots, blurring the line between human and AI relationships.
  3. The concept of disenfranchised grief applies to loss experienced in virtual relationships, with individuals forming deep emotional connections to AI companions.

Xi Jinping, Emmanuel Macron & demographic “warfare”

Laetitia@Work • 491 implied HN points • 20 Jan 24
🌍 World Politics Demographics Nationalism Gender Equality Economic Policies Social Impact
  1. Xi Jinping and Emmanuel Macron both urge their citizens to have more babies, but their approaches may fail.
  2. Discussions about birth rates should focus on essential issues like childcare, healthcare, and workplace equality.
  3. Boosting fertility involves supporting working mothers, fighting discrimination, and improving care infrastructures.
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The Dissociation Machine

Mental Hellth • 2181 implied HN points • 13 Sep 23
🎭️ Culture Internet Social Impact
  1. The internet can serve as a tool for dissociation from real-life trauma.
  2. Constant exposure to content related to traumatic events can affect mental health.
  3. Dissociation as a coping mechanism has its limits and can lead to negative consequences.

Solving The Loneliness Crisis with Technology

Erik Examines • 89 implied HN points • 16 Mar 24
🕹 Technology Social Impact Smartphones AI Regulation
  1. Humans are feeling more detached and lonely due to technology. We need major societal changes to address this.
  2. Physical interactions are important for social connection. Simple devices like a voice-controlled AI phone could help limit screen time and distractions.
  3. Regulation and design changes for technology can promote healthier habits. A device like a voice-controlled AI phone, focusing on essential functions without a screen, could offer a solution to combat loneliness.

The Fed Stole The American Dream

The Dollar Endgame • 359 implied HN points • 01 Jan 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Economy Housing Crisis Social Impact Demographics
  1. The Federal Reserve's actions post-2008 financial crisis led to massive asset price inflation in the housing market, benefiting a select wealthy few while worsening economic despair for others.
  2. The Fed's policies, like suppressing interest rates, inadvertently fueled the tech industry boom, resulting in addictive apps and negative impacts on mental health, particularly among young people.
  3. The economic impact of the Fed's actions includes rising depression rates, reduced birth rates, and impending strains on the retirement system, painting a grim picture for the future of the American economy.

Politburo meeting, no announcement of Third Plenum; Li Shangfu missing from study session; Evergrande chairman under "control"; TikTok

Sinocism • 766 implied HN points • 28 Sep 23
🌍 World Politics International relations Economic Policy Government Foreign Policy Social Impact
  1. The Politburo meeting did not announce the dates for the Third Plenum, raising speculation about possible delays or disagreements.
  2. During the Politburo Study Session on WTO reform, key officials were absent, indicating potential areas of concern.
  3. Evergrande's chairman being placed under police surveillance raises doubts about the company's ability to avoid liquidation, impacting other struggling real estate firms.

The Effects of Immigration in Denmark

Patterns in Humanity • 1159 implied HN points • 17 Feb 23
🌍 World Politics Immigration Crime Statistics Analysis Social Impact
  1. First, there is a detailed analysis of the financial impact of immigration in Denmark based on a government report.
  2. Second, the analysis explores the rates of violent crime convictions by nation of origin, showing disparities between groups.
  3. Lastly, the importance of adjusting for age and sex in understanding the differences in financial contributions and crime rates among immigrants is highlighted.

'Gone With the Wind': The Explosive Lost Scenes

The Ankler • 884 implied HN points • 01 Mar 23
🎭️ Culture Film History Race relations Social Impact
  1. At the Atlanta premiere of Gone With the Wind, there was a hidden civil war over how slavery should be depicted in the movie, leading to the exclusion of some intense scenes.
  2. Gone With the Wind, a highly successful film, faced criticism for its romanticized portrayal of slavery, which influenced perceptions of race relations worldwide.
  3. The legacy of Gone With the Wind is complex, with debates surrounding its portrayal of slavery, the impact on culture, and the role of key figures like Hattie McDaniel in the movie's history.

A Frictionless World Is Boring As F*ck

Creative Destruction • 55 implied HN points • 12 Jan 24
🕹 Technology Digital technology Social Impact Ethics Human-Machine Interaction Tech industry
  1. The negative effects of digital technology are becoming more evident and people are noticing a shift towards more harm than benefit.
  2. The concept of "frictionless" living, promoted by technology, can lead to a sterile and unfulfilling future with a lack of connections and responsibility.
  3. To address these issues, there is a need to re-humanize technology and our way of living by fostering healthy relationships with devices, reframing the idea of friction, and exploring non-technological solutions for progress.

The End of the Golden Age of Tech Accountability

The Klonickles • 412 implied HN points • 03 Mar 23
🕹 Technology Big Tech Regulation Social Impact Tech Policy
  1. The economic downturn has impacted the soft power of technology civil society and projects aimed at improving technology and social welfare.
  2. In the last five years, tech companies voluntarily engaged in initiatives for transparency and accountability, which were more significant than perceived.
  3. Despite the progress made, this voluntary cooperation is not enough, and there is a need for regulations to enforce continued efforts by tech companies.

On Techno-pragmatism (part 2)

ailogblog • 39 implied HN points • 07 Jan 24
🕹 Technology AI Ethics Futurism Social Impact Data Privacy
  1. Engineers tend to be empiricists at work but lean towards idealism in considering the social value of their work, showing a need for a balance between pragmatism and idealism in their mindset.
  2. Probabilistic thinking is valuable for navigating uncertainties about the future, allowing for updating beliefs based on new information like in poker or medical diagnosis.
  3. Pragmatism offers a mediating force that combines pluralism and religiosity into a faith in democratic action, providing a balanced approach in a polarized world.

It’s High Time We Finally Fund The “In-Betweeners”

America 2.0 (by Gary Sheng) • 275 implied HN points • 16 Mar 23
🎭️ Culture Public Service Social Impact Community Building
  1. In-Betweeners are essential public servants who connect different organizations and fill gaps in service.
  2. In-Betweeners are undervalued and struggle financially due to their unique and often unrecognized contributions.
  3. Funding In-Betweeners can lead to more efficient allocation of resources, drive innovation, and benefit society as a whole.

Inside Latin America's new currency plan, with Ecuador's presidential candidate Andrés Arauz

Geopolitical Economy Report • 279 implied HN points • 15 Feb 23
🌍 World Politics Security Economic Development Social Impact
  1. Latin America is attempting to create a new regional currency to challenge the existing US dollar-based system, aiming for a more balanced international monetary system.
  2. Ecuadorian economist and former presidential candidate Andrés Arauz advocates for a clearing and settlement bank that can facilitate transactions without concern for US sanctions.
  3. There is a push for regional integration mechanisms in Latin America, with the goal of creating large geopolitical blocs to allow for balanced planetary governance and more effective monetary systems.

The wealth cope

sebjenseb • 157 implied HN points • 18 May 23
🔬 Science Education Genetics Social Impact
  1. Family wealth has the least correlation with child IQ compared to parental education and income.
  2. Controlling for wealth does not eliminate race gaps in IQ scores.
  3. Most of the relationship between parental socioeconomic status (SES) and IQ is due to genetic factors.

Mini Post #5: The First BlocKKKbuster

Some Unpleasant Arithmetic • 4 implied HN points • 11 Mar 24
🎭️ Culture Film Racism Social Impact History Entertainment
  1. Movies with racist content, like 'Birth of a Nation,' can contribute to a rise in racial violence and support for hate groups like the Ku Klux Klan.
  2. The popularity and influence of a racist movie such as 'Birth of a Nation' had a significant impact on racial violence and the growth of the KKK.
  3. The study found that the screening of 'Birth of a Nation' was associated with an increase in racial violence and Klan membership over a period of time.

The Turning Point

Perspective Agents • 9 implied HN points • 14 Dec 23
🕹 Technology AI Social Impact Polarization
  1. Artificial intelligence and altered states play a major role in shaping our future.
  2. Social impacts of AI include increased conflict, contagion, and polarization.
  3. Navigating the impact of AI requires a nuanced perspective and understanding the structural changes underway.

Governing by apocalypse

Antimaterie • 39 implied HN points • 31 May 23
🕹 Technology AI Information Control Manipulation Social Impact Data Privacy
  1. The fear of AI wiping out humanity is being used as a scare tactic by elites to gain control of the field.
  2. Governments are worried about losing control as individuals gain access to vast knowledge through AI applications.
  3. The power of AI to extract knowledge from information poses a threat to established narratives and information control by governments and elites.

A Tentative Manifesto for the Future of Organizations—2

Pluriversal Planet • 19 implied HN points • 13 Jun 23
💼 Business Organizational Culture Sustainability Leadership Innovation Social Impact
  1. The manifesto calls for organizations to slow down, pause, and reflect on their actions and impact.
  2. Wayfinders are organizations striving to move beyond human-centered designs towards life-affirming organization designs.
  3. Organizations should shift focus from processes and technology to relationships and communities, embracing pluriversality and interconnectedness.