Comment on ChatGPT’s latest stylistic quirk is sinister, infuriating – and absolutely everywhere
lvxferre@mander.xyz 1 day ago
I’m actually using more those resources (em dashes, three points lists, “it’s worth noting that”, “it’s not X, it’s Y”, etc.) after AI popped up. They’re a damn good way to detect assumptive people, eager to conclude based on little to no info or reasoning; the same ones OP is complaining about. They don’t want a conversation at all, they want to whine, so if you give them a low-hanging fruit you can detect them early and block them as noise and dead weight.
That’s in my “casual” writing style, though. Professionally (as a translator) I mostly play by the tune, trying to preserve the style of the original. (Plus I barely translate things into English, it’s usually into Portuguese, very rarely Italian.)
That might not necessarily be the case – there is a possibility every example is completely organic – but it’s a sign of the times that we can’t just relax and assume the things we see and hear were made by people.
Guys, I found em dashes! The author is a bot! Bring me my pitchfork! /jk (those are en dashes, by the way.)
Powderhorn@beehaw.org 23 hours ago
Understanding the length of dashes aside, I think a big part of this backlash is a lot of people are terrible writers, and as such, the idea that another user can actually write is offensive to them. They have no way to fight back with words, so LLMs provide a tidy way to dismiss the whole piece as a hallucination.
I, too, have a couple of different writing styles, which stems from having been an opinion editor in college. What Beeple generally see on here is my columnist voice, but I am capable of the editorial Voice of God when it’s called for (it is rarely called for).
lvxferre@mander.xyz 19 hours ago
That makes sense; it would be a mix of “if you can do it and I can’t, you must be cheating” and “your a bot than you’re arguement is invalid” ad hominem.
I think unnecessary combativeness might be also a factor. I’ve noticed on the internet people who want to fight against “something”, it doesn’t matter what; so they pick any low-hanging fruit they can find to fight you.
corsicanguppy@lemmy.ca 22 hours ago
I worry you’re right, here; but only in brief episodes. I mostly want to assume otherwise.
I LOVE great writing: proper punctuation, good delineation, awareness of mass nouns, etc. I love when I see great writing and wish I could be as good.
I feel for people who don’t.
Powderhorn@beehaw.org 19 hours ago
It’s the old joke about how you get to Carnegie Hall: practice, practice, practice.
I wasn’t a great writer to start, but with editors guiding me, I came to be a nationally recognized writer. It’s a skill one develops. Maybe a few people spring forth from the womb ready to write, but must don’t. Additionally, I was told in high school to avoid writing; my voice wasn’t suited to regurgitating a teacher’s interpretation of literature. It took getting really pissed off at a national policy to find my voice.
And finding your voice is all well and good, but that doesn’t mean you’ve yet learned anything about the craft of writing. That first year was a crucible.