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Facebook is an attack on the open web

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Re: Facebook is an attack on the open web

#341

Post by intopieces »

dsacco wrote: post #268
jasonszhao wrote: post #261

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Facebook in fact is engaged in web breaking behavior. Look at what they recently tried to do with internet.org and Free Basics. Basically calling their walled garden the internet and giving it away for free to developing countries.

> Facebook is in fact involved in web breaking behavior. >...internet.org and Free Basics... Last week I met someone who spent the better part of two years in Mozambique and other parts of Africa for the Peace Corps. He spent most of his time in areas that had little to no internet access. He used Free Basics a lot while he was there and considered it integral to his work and sanity (in his words). Based on his exper…

"Well, it's better than nothing" exhibits a level of resignation that essentially concedes the Internet as we knew it to whatever dominant company wants it.

As well, it literally is "web breaking" when one company has control over the entire network. This is not a matter of mere dissatisfaction with the current state of events; it's a description of the seismic shift in control.

Re: Facebook is an attack on the open web

#342

Post by guest »

[WARNING if you do not like rants stay away]

First off, the open net is dead, people not giving a fuck killed it when they simply said yet to the shitty deals the unscrupulous companies offered. Those tech savvy should have lead the way away from these sites to alternatives - that didn't happen. If that wasn't enough the knowledge of EchelonV killed it. People will never again act truly honestly on the net, which hopefully will offset any short sighted plans google and NSA has to premeptively steer public opinion.

The last real breath was drawn as people kept on using google and that breath was drawn precisely when google "modified" their algorithm to kill off private sites who came in high on rankings. Since then any site that has arisen to challange google seems to have magically have been killed or taken over (suddenly swapping to using google coding for unexplained reasons). Oh to mention a few; scroogle, qwant, lycos, zapmeta, qwant, wn, millionshort, gigablast, xirkle... You can still search through the old altavista pile if u want but yeah. Most other motors gives u a shitstorm of companies that you do not care for before you can read private sites off enligthened people who strive to improve x thing.

The next terryfying thing is as what happens when large sites get taken over and the large libraries of knowledge falls into informal hands or simply disappears (IMDB boards to mention a recent setback, and i meant the positive discussions not the large clusterfks of idiots and astroturfers et al).

And of before i forget - as someone who saw through FB before it took off (previous avid user of ICQ, AIM, newb at IRC etc) i fucking told you (if any of those i actually told would stumble across this).

Localised meshnets could have been the future (with "netbrowsers" as the tool to reach em), though with the thought of all that information being in the hands of normal people governments are "finally" reacting and starting to spread fibre as far as i know through some of europe (scandinavia) which could effectively kill that effort. So start taking political action for a free future of information \/.

Re: Facebook is an attack on the open web

#344

Post by ossmaster »

tentakull wrote: post #315
MachinShinn- wrote: post #74

I'm baffled by some of the comments here... Is it so difficult for you guys to just have a facebook account that you don't check in on? You can still sign into random sites that require it that way, arrange meetups, etc but without 'scrolling your life away' I expect people like me who spend most of their day on the computer to have at least as much digital self discipline as I have, but perhaps that's a poor assumpt…

I keep the experience super crappy by using fb mobile and not the app. Keeps my browsing sessions pretty short.

I do the same thing. Funny how they won't let u use direct messaging on the mobile web client anymore and force you to download the messenger app. I refuse to ha e Facebook on my phone.

Re: Facebook is an attack on the open web

#346

Post by hobarrera »

That popup that takes up a third of the page is ridiculous (I actually think it's a bit more on my screen).

Whenever I get a link to facebook for something I sigh, because that sort of stupid, hostil UX won't get them anywhere.

If people wanted an account, they'd have one. It's not like visiting the link is going to be my first time ever hearing of facebook, and that's probably true for 99% of the people visiting one.

Re: Facebook is an attack on the open web

#347

Post by axaxs »

tuna-piano wrote: post #44

I posted this comment a few weeks ago, but this seems super relevant to extend the author's point. I agree that Facebook is a walled garden. But in the developed world, Facebook is just part of the internet that people use. However, in some parts of the developing world, Facebook is the only internet people use. ------ Facebook's dominance is even more pronounced in parts of the developing world. I've met people in A…

They do this BS in every 'poor' nation. In many, they even offer 'free facebook' as a carrier perk. The sooner facebook dies, the better.

Re: Facebook is an attack on the open web

#348

Post by downrightmike »

tuna-piano wrote: post #44

I posted this comment a few weeks ago, but this seems super relevant to extend the author's point. I agree that Facebook is a walled garden. But in the developed world, Facebook is just part of the internet that people use. However, in some parts of the developing world, Facebook is the only internet people use. ------ Facebook's dominance is even more pronounced in parts of the developing world. I've met people in A…

That is super depressing.

Re: Facebook is an attack on the open web

#350

Post by jfoutz »

gthtjtkt wrote: post #101
zelos wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> no pictures of what your friend ate for dinner Posting pictures of your food should be a criminal offence. Nothing too serious, just a couple of years in prison or something.

I can't help but laugh when I imagine what this would've looked like before the internet existed. "Look, honey, we got something in the mail from Katie and John! It's... oh... just a bunch of pictures of food. That's odd." Meanwhile Katie and John are still at home, furiously stuffing envelopes with the same food pictures so they can send one to everybody in their address book.

I always figured photos of cocktails and food were a standard part of the after vacation slideshow you'd invite your friends to. A few once a year isn't bad. People complained about those slideshows also though.
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