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Snowden: Stop Relying on Facebook for Your News

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Re: Snowden: Stop Relying on Facebook for Your News

#101

Post by serge2k »

fixxer wrote: post #86
rhblake wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> California, for example, has a huge population of Republicans and now their vote would matter. And at the same time votes from Democrats in California would also matter more. I'd assume a number of people who'd vote Democrat in CA don't vote because they know the Democrats won't lose anyway.

Maybe. My point isn't partisan, but more along the lines of "you don't know how this will play out." I'm all for a popular vote, but I don't think you're going to see a swing to the left necessarily.

It would drastically reduce the voting power of several red states. Only recently (since 2000) has the EC being different than the popular vote been a problem. Both times it's gone in the republicans favour.

It would definitely be radical change though.

Re: Snowden: Stop Relying on Facebook for Your News

#103

Post by kordless »

JacobJans wrote: post #66

I have interacted with several people on Facebook who rely on fake news sources. I pointed out fake news articles several times on one person's Facebook page. She agreed the articles were not true. However, she added "I don't have time to figure out if they're true. People can read your comments." I asked her what she thought of the fact that this particular article, which was blatantly false, was shared 16,000 times…

These people are in dissonance and don't understand they need to do the work to get out of it because it's too damn easy to get the work for free off the Internet.

Those who know better, do better.

Re: Snowden: Stop Relying on Facebook for Your News

#104

Post by NumberCruncher »

I have to point out again that the media is making money by manipulating the masses. If you not pay for it, you are the product. Your time, attention, data, money and also your vote. FB is not better or worse than any other media company. Only more efficient.

Re: Snowden: Stop Relying on Facebook for Your News

#105

Post by icpmacdo »

codyb wrote: post #97
JacobJans wrote: post #66

I have interacted with several people on Facebook who rely on fake news sources. I pointed out fake news articles several times on one person's Facebook page. She agreed the articles were not true. However, she added "I don't have time to figure out if they're true. People can read your comments." I asked her what she thought of the fact that this particular article, which was blatantly false, was shared 16,000 times…

Had the same thing happen where I pointed out something was false to an acquaintance who shares frequently and he said "well we each play our part, thankfully there are people like you" or something to that affect. The idea that it was my job to screen the bullshit... I didn't delete my facebook but I did unfollow every person and group on the app and it has been quite pleasurable to have an empty newsfeed.

>I didn't delete my facebook but I did unfollow every person and group on the app and it has been quite pleasurable to have an empty newsfeed.

Same. Now its just a messaging platform now, its great

Re: Snowden: Stop Relying on Facebook for Your News

#106

Post by ttflee »

JacobJans wrote: post #66

I have interacted with several people on Facebook who rely on fake news sources. I pointed out fake news articles several times on one person's Facebook page. She agreed the articles were not true. However, she added "I don't have time to figure out if they're true. People can read your comments." I asked her what she thought of the fact that this particular article, which was blatantly false, was shared 16,000 times…

For people in China where Facebook is not accessible, however, the same things happen in WeChat, especially in its Moments timeline which more or less resembles the one from Facebook. Fake `news', rumors, (unreliable) hints for health/food and click-baits are just more than popular.

WeChat did provide a process to flag inappropriate articles, but people around the age of my parents just won't stop forwarding.

Re: Snowden: Stop Relying on Facebook for Your News

#107

Post by matt_wulfeck »

JacobJans wrote: post #66

I have interacted with several people on Facebook who rely on fake news sources. I pointed out fake news articles several times on one person's Facebook page. She agreed the articles were not true. However, she added "I don't have time to figure out if they're true. People can read your comments." I asked her what she thought of the fact that this particular article, which was blatantly false, was shared 16,000 times…

Sounds like a problem with your friends, not Facebook.

Re: Snowden: Stop Relying on Facebook for Your News

#108

Post by r00fus »

anigbrowl wrote: post #64
r00fus wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The correct answer isn't to "switch feeds". It's to just turn it off. I'm happier, more productive and a better dad when I'm not being a feed-junkie. Maybe I'm an outlier.

Yes, but ignoring the news and political changes is kind of a luxury, it means your life is secure enough that you can afford not to pay much attention to any of that stuff because you feel confident it won't affect you personally.

Are you sure this is the case? Is your livelihood or security really dependent on daily churn of news?

Here's a thought: what if most news is misinformation?

Re: Snowden: Stop Relying on Facebook for Your News

#109

Post by amasad »

Fake news, hoaxes and scams existed long before Facebook. People just use Facebook more, things can spread faster, and all in all it amplifies an existing problem.

Email forwards (and in their newer reincarnation, at least in the Middle East, Whatsapp forwards) spread false news for as long as I remember using the internet. A part time job for me was to respond and debunk these emails when they landed in my inbox. I even put in the time to explain to people how to spot false information (e.g. if the email ends with "forward this to x number of people or else" is 100% a hoax or a scam).

Maybe Facebook -- as our times' Master Switch -- can fix this, and for the first time we'll be happy with centralization.

Re: Snowden: Stop Relying on Facebook for Your News

#110

Post by krapp »

Fair enough.

I mean it was Wikileaks that more or less decided this election, but sure... let's all be worried about Facebook's unchecked power, unaccountable methods and unknown motives.

After all, it's not as if one of the Presidential candidates, now President, implied that the entirety of American media was controlled directly by the DNC, and thus not to be trusted, while praising and legitimizing Wikileaks by name. There's no possibility of a dangerous political or cultural precedent having been set by having half the country believe in nothing other than what Wikileaks publishes.

Facebook is evil, but I don't believe it's the elephant in the room.

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