I'm not saying it's 100% the fault of algorithms. Sure, they work because they prey on very real human nature.

But lemmy isn't apart from the rest of the internet or the overculture. The "algorithm" (to torture the term) that guides the news cycles, manufactures bikeshedding style outrage over meaningless diversions like the colour of a government swimming pool, etc... that does seep into our timelines and conversions.

Like you and I are at slightly different perspectives on what an algorithm is and how much of it can be said to affect people against their will, and some people will see us as arguing for two "sides" of a political spectrum.

I believe in personal responsibility sure, but I also believe all this other stuff affects us, and that I can't even totally blame people who might be more susceptible to it.

At a certain point I blame the companies that keep putting out those hooks they know are harmful knowing that someone will always bite (millions of people will "bite" to greater or lesser degrees).

At that scale I think the excuse of saying people have personal responsibility (not your words) gets diluted because we all have different innate capacities and weaknesses.

It can only be called predatory.