Should Ask.FM.com be closed down?

[Imperializt Russia]

Given how he hero-worships John Oliver and slams the US, it made sense to assume he was a Brit.

well he is funny. and i have only lived in the uk for most of my life

As a news personality, maybe.
I didn't find him particularly funny as a standup comedian.

[Rabopari]

well he is funny. and i have only lived in the uk for most of my life

As a news personality, maybe.
I didn't find him particularly funny as a standup comedian.

mean either but still. funny

[Wind in the Willows]

I suggest we go back on-topic..

[The Sova Empire]

I personally think suicide by cyber bullying is like killing yourself because you stubbed your toe on a carpet. Suicide is already a ridiculously cowardly thing to do, and to do it because of a completely anonymous site is so illogical, it boggles my mind. How someone can be so weak as to take their own life because of a few ultimately harmless responses to questions borders on insane. I look at the article, and this person was better off than even I am. Her shortsightedness to her own life in comparison to her being "cyber bullied" is maddening.

I am opposed to evolution, but I certainly believe natural selection is at work. /rant

[Imperializt Russia]

I personally think suicide by cyber bullying is like killing yourself because you stubbed your toe on a carpet. Suicide is already a ridiculously cowardly thing to do, and to do it because of a completely anonymous site is so illogical, it boggles my mind. How someone can be so weak as to take their own life because of a few ultimately harmless responses to questions borders on insane. I look at the article, and this person was better off than even I am. Her shortsightedness to her own life in comparison to her being "cyber bullied" is maddening.

I am opposed to evolution, but I certainly believe natural selection is at work. /rant

no words

[Rubiconic Crossings V2 rev 1f]

I was bullied at school. Close schools!
I received a letter with threats! Ban paper!

And text!

Down with that sort of thing! Booo!

[Purpelia]

no words

He is right to an extent thou. Whilst not a direct way of natural selection at work it does bring up an interesting conundrum.

Just because we think we have mastered nature does not mean we are right. Nor does it mean that we have somehow magically stepped out of the cycle of natural selection. Yes it might seem that way due to the way things look. The way our crippled and sick and weak are no longer dying. But that is due to an erroneous interpretation of our existing selection pressures. In the modern day and age and in particular in richer 2nd and 1st world societies food and physical fortitude are no longer the leading selection pressure. After all there is no reason to emphasize physical fitness for genetic selection when even those genetically crippled still have access to food and care. No, in the modern day and age mental fortitude is of superior importance to physical attributes. In particular the ability to withstand the stress and pressure inherent to modern life. And as such it is going to be the leading future selection pressure upon our genetics. It will not be the the crippled or the stupid or the sick who do not reproduce but the mentally weak. In 1000 or 10000 years time our brains might well end up wired to prefer the strong silent type as it is the type that survives.

[Olthar]

Latvia-based ask.fm allows users to post anonymously

Guess you'll have to close down 4chan with it

If 4chan gets shut down, then all the people who post on 4chan will go elsewhere. Getting rid of the trashcan won't get rid of the trash.

Same thing here. Something should be done to help prevent these suicides, but simply closing the site isn't going to solve the problem.

[Frisivisia]

Guess you'll have to close down 4chan with it

If 4chan gets shut down, then all the people who post on 4chan will go elsewhere. Getting rid of the trashcan won't get rid of the trash.

Same thing here. Something should be done to help prevent these suicides, but simply closing the site isn't going to solve the problem.

Getting rid of the neck won't get rid of the neckbeard.

[The Serbian Empire]

i was not saying that. i said at the bottom of the article im neutral in this debate.

I replied to the topic's question, not you specifically.

And anonymity doesn't make people into asses, it just shows which people are asses.

However, they're all anonymous so you can't tell if it's the ass or a good person.

[Des-Bal]

First of all closing something down because someone loosely involved with it committed suicide is absurd.
Second of all being bullied on a website is not the same as being bullied at school, if you think "kill yourself" comes before "stop going there" there was probably something wrong with you.
Third of all if you are in a position where someone being mean to you will cause you to kill yourself you were already fucked up.

Cyber bullying is a convenient way for the people close to the victims of suicide to absolve themselves of any responsibility for not noticing the signs.

[Gallup]

I used to use it. Then I realized it was fucking useless. There is no point to it.

[Rabopari]

I used to use it. Then I realized it was fucking useless. There is no point to it.

excactly

[Zottistan]

No. If people are bullied there, they can leave.

[Ermarian]

Yup. It doesn't hurt freedom of expression since the internet can route around censorship pretty efficiently, but it does give a pretty strong incentive for paid social sites to moderate properly. If you want to provide a non-profit platform on the darknet for anonymous and secure communication, all power to you. If you want to make a profit with ads, you need to be socially responsible.

Five years ago, I'd have said censorship doesn't work and should therefore not be employed in this manner. Now I see it more like using a bicycle lock. It's inconvenient and imperfect, but it can stem the tide of abuse at least partly.

[Benuty]

Collective guilt bashing is utter nonsense.

[Lordieth]

Yes. Because knee-jerk reactions solve everything.

Ask.FM should be rightly facing scrutiny, but at the end of the day there's a limit to the level of responsibility a website has for its users. The appropriate action would be to safeguard user safety and prevent abuse in the future. Not close down websites left right and centre.

[Rocopurr]

Guess you'll have to close down 4chan with it

If 4chan gets shut down, then all the people who post on 4chan will go elsewhere. Getting rid of the trashcan won't get rid of the trash. :p

Same thing here. Something should be done to help prevent these suicides, but simply closing the site isn't going to solve the problem.

This pretty much sums up how I feel.

I don't think it's weak or cowardly to commit suicide over something like that. It's sickening to know that some people think that any suicide is weak/cowardly.

[Cill Airne]

People have committed suicide over facebook comments, tweets, &c. closing a website down because of it is silly. The website should crack down on the users who caused it, that's it.

[Greed and Death]

Just went this is a pretty cool site I wish the rest of the internet operated like Ask.FM

[Mollary]

Just went this is a pretty cool site I wish the rest of the internet operated like Ask.FM

What is it like?
From my experience it is creepy people using it as an anomalous outlet to tell girls how many times they've fapped while looking at a picture of them in a bikini.

[Greed and Death]

Just went this is a pretty cool site I wish the rest of the internet operated like Ask.FM

What is it like?
From my experience it is creepy people using it as an anomalous outlet to tell girls how many times they've fapped while looking at a picture of them in a bikini.

And for some strange reason these girls keep posting their bikini pictures on the site.

[Mollary]

What is it like?
From my experience it is creepy people using it as an anomalous outlet to tell girls how many times they've fapped while looking at a picture of them in a bikini.

And for some strange reason these girls keep posting their bikini pictures on the site.

No; they put them on facebook and then the creepy people stalk through ask.fm and find them.

[Atvania]

It isn't the site's fault for one's own actions. If you get bullied, close the tab if you don't want to get all depressed. It's that easy.

[Torisakia]

Yes. I'm sick and tired of people putting on Facebook and Twitter "L0LZ ASK MI KWESTIONS ON ASK.FM HURRDURR L0LZL33TMLGPR0!!!"

Seriously, no one wants to know anything about you. Never have and never will.