Someday, the first general AI will make good use of all that neatly organized, easily searchable and voluntarily supplied information and behavior patterns when it's plotting how to turn us into batteries or paper clips.
Facebook Hits 2 Billion Users
71–80 of 229 posts
Re: Facebook Hits 2 Billion Users
#72It is both amazing and deeply concerning that one corporation has influence over 1/4 of the world's population. It is even more concerning when you consider the outsized voting power of 1 person at that company.
Facebook is a platform. They don't do a lot of attempting to influence, as far as I can tell. Consider Google as well, which probably reaches even more of the world's population. Or Microsoft. Apple might be getting close, too. Or plenty of non-tech companies, as the sibling commenter points out. Coke, Samsung, Frito-Lay, etc.
Re: Facebook Hits 2 Billion Users
#73Earlier quoted context omitted.
Wait, you need facebook to have friends? Huh
No, but you don't want to make it more difficult for them to reach you. Nobody is willing to do the extra work for that. Friction. You're not special enough.
I’ve never had meaningful interactions over FB. It’s just recipes in GIF form, distant relatives Liking product pages in exchange for discounts or sweepstakes entries, and political bullshit.
My friends and I keep in touch like we always have. We call and visit and do things together. SMS works just fine for group communication.
Re: Facebook Hits 2 Billion Users
#74Earlier quoted context omitted.
That is mind-blowing. 2 billion total users an immense volume in and of itself but 2 billion even semi active users is incredible
Google's profile counts -- Android, Gmail, Youtube, and G+, mostly, in about that order, topped 3 billion a while ago. http://archive.is/zi4Uw (Origin site appears down.)
Re: Facebook Hits 2 Billion Users
#75It is both amazing and deeply concerning that one corporation has influence over 1/4 of the world's population. It is even more concerning when you consider the outsized voting power of 1 person at that company.
Re: Facebook Hits 2 Billion Users
#76Re: Facebook Hits 2 Billion Users
#77Serious question, is a social network like Facebook a public good, in the economic sense? Should it be a publicly regulated utility?
Re: Facebook Hits 2 Billion Users
#78Earlier quoted context omitted.
Facebook is a platform. They don't do a lot of attempting to influence, as far as I can tell. Consider Google as well, which probably reaches even more of the world's population. Or Microsoft. Apple might be getting close, too. Or plenty of non-tech companies, as the sibling commenter points out. Coke, Samsung, Frito-Lay, etc.
> Facebook is a platform. They don't do a lot of attempting to influence, as far as I can tell. Ahem: https://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/30/technology/facebook-tinke...
Re: Facebook Hits 2 Billion Users
#79It is both amazing and deeply concerning that one corporation has influence over 1/4 of the world's population. It is even more concerning when you consider the outsized voting power of 1 person at that company.
Facebook is a platform. They don't do a lot of attempting to influence, as far as I can tell. Consider Google as well, which probably reaches even more of the world's population. Or Microsoft. Apple might be getting close, too. Or plenty of non-tech companies, as the sibling commenter points out. Coke, Samsung, Frito-Lay, etc.
It's a platform that has algorithms to pick what news 1/4th of the world reads. And who has access to the personal data of 1/4 of the world.
>Consider Google as well, which probably reaches even more of the world's population. Or Microsoft. Apple might be getting close, too.
Yes, but Apple just makes devices. Their Cloud services are not of the type that expert influence of FB or Google kind.(Neither is Microsoft's products).
Re: Facebook Hits 2 Billion Users
#80I think Facebook counts you as active even if you're logged in, never go to the site, but see any site with a like button. I've blocked Facebook using both Safari Content blockers and my `/etc/hosts` file, but I wonder if they have other ways of attempting to count me in.