The article highlights the ongoing prevalence of mansplaining on social media through a specific instance involving Meredith Whittaker, president of Signal. After Whittaker announced a commitment to avoiding AI clutter and surveillance ads, a user named Bill Mitchell dismissed her expertise and insisted that AI integration was inevitable for Signal. Despite her clarifications and defense from other users, Mitchell continued to assert his viewpoint while portraying himself as a victim of hostility, showcasing a glaring example of condescending behavior in online discussions.
It was a striking commitment, given the overall trajectory of the tech industry; Whittaker was responding to news that Meta-owned WhatsApp was pilfering personal data from Instagram and Facebook to pollute the platform with ads.
Many other users quickly came to Whittaker's defense. 'Are you suggesting that you, random dipshit on the Internet, have a better view into Signal's product roadmap than the actual president of Signal?'
Bill, this is the kind of mansplaining audacity that's preserved in museums for future generations to learn from as a cautionary tale.
Mitchell dug in his heels, proclaiming that it's only a matter of time, and asserting that 'engineers have already began laying out the ground work' for integrating AI chatbot tech on Signal.
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