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Why I deleted my Facebook account

blakewatson.com

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Re: Why I deleted my Facebook account

#311

Post by logicallee »

ivm wrote: post #272
logicallee wrote: post #265

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not the other poster, but something that might explain their reaction is that you mentioned keeping an entire separate computer. It is easy to see why this would cause an extreme reaction. (Not saying it's not a good idea.)

I wasn't able to predict that discussing a better setup can cause "an extreme reaction". The second machine is not that important, I would prefer to schedule distraction blocking on my computer for most of the day and removing apps like FB from my phone.

Right, but that's not what you stated. If we take an extreme view of "scheduling distractions" why not keep your second computer in another apartment you rent for this purpose, a block away? You can still go there whenever you take a 10 minute break, but it's a shift in environment and context that it takes will to go through.

Regardless of whether this would work or not, or the dollar value you place on your increased productivity, it is easy to see why the suggestion of renting a whole other apartment would be extreme! Likewise, given that a single computer can switch tasks easily, the suggestion of using a whole separate computer is clearly extreme.

Re: Why I deleted my Facebook account

#312

Post by eeeeeeeeeeeee »

whiddershins wrote: post #216

The one greatest internet life hack I discovered in the last couple of years is to delete browser autocompletes (cmd + shift + delete or similar). Once I became aware of the "slot machine" effect of websites I deleted the default autocompletes for Facebook and Hacker News, for example. Prior to doing this, if I typed "F" into chrome I went to my Facebook news feed, and "N" in chrome took me to HN. I deleted those def…

I did the "disable notifications" for every single app on my phone, with the exception of Messages (which doesn't vibrate or make a sound) and Phone. Oh, and Pagerduty :)

It's a very positive change. Default setup on phones/apps encourages maximum distraction and slot machine functionality.

Re: Why I deleted my Facebook account

#313

Post by tnone »

wutbrodo wrote: post #297
ThatGeoGuy wrote: post #279

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think it gets twisted partially because the quote is wrong. It should be "if a _service_ is free", not "when something is free." I don't think any of the examples you've listed would be considered a service, but rather either a platform (OS) or product. The quip is certainly overplayed, but I think the notion still stands. It is important to be aware of what intentions service providers and product sellers have. It…

The USG provides the GPS service for free. You can argue that connecting to it isn't free (since you need hardware that can do so), but then connecting to Google and Facebook isn't free either. This took literally two seconds to think of off the top of my head. The quotation is _still_ not accurate. It's a useful perspective on how to think about free services, but it's not a substitute for thought.

In what way are tax funded services free?

Re: Why I deleted my Facebook account

#314

Post by microwavecamera »

vgb2k11 wrote: post #259
HenryBemis wrote: post #154

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Like you I also dropped it and never looked back for the following simple reasons: 1. It offers nothing while it takes a lot. 2. When something is free, then YOU are the product. 3. Massive violation of privacy (that "like" button on most websites and any other facebook element which now I block with ABP and NoScript)(and all known FB URLs on my hosts file). 4. I can still be in touch with my friend without informing…

> 2. When something is free, then YOU are the product. Debian Linux, Firefox, gcc, visual studio... The list goes on. I think the "you are the product" quip has become an overplayed meme of late. Mutually beneficial / co dependence and such themes are more applicable in more cases than not when it comes to free products and services, in my own view anyways.

A key difference with something like Debian versus Facebook is profit. Debian is an open-source project supported by a community of volunteers and donors. Facebook is a corporation that banks billions of dollars. That money doesn't materialize out of thin air. It comes from advertising, your personal information and data gathering. We know what something like the Debian project is doing, we don't know what Facebook is doing. Debian and open-source projects are "mutually beneficial", Facebook only benefits Facebook.

Re: Why I deleted my Facebook account

#315

Post by microwavecamera »

I quit using Facebook years ago. If you value your privacy, I would recommend you do the same. Facebook's data gathering is pervasive and perverse. And it doesn't stop with facebook.com. All those social media buttons you see for Facebook on websites also gather data for Facebook and Facebook works with several 3rd party companies to gather data such as Acxiom and Atlas Solutions, which is owned by Facebook. Government organizations, such as the NSA, can and do legally purchase and acquire this data without a warrant.

https://labs.rs/en/category/facebook-research

http://veekaybee.github.io/facebook-is-collecting-this

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2016/08...

https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/mg9vvn/how-our-li...

"The only winning move is not to play."

Re: Why I deleted my Facebook account

#316

Post by chongli »

wutbrodo wrote: post #297
ThatGeoGuy wrote: post #279

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think it gets twisted partially because the quote is wrong. It should be "if a _service_ is free", not "when something is free." I don't think any of the examples you've listed would be considered a service, but rather either a platform (OS) or product. The quip is certainly overplayed, but I think the notion still stands. It is important to be aware of what intentions service providers and product sellers have. It…

The USG provides the GPS service for free. You can argue that connecting to it isn't free (since you need hardware that can do so), but then connecting to Google and Facebook isn't free either. This took literally two seconds to think of off the top of my head. The quotation is _still_ not accurate. It's a useful perspective on how to think about free services, but it's not a substitute for thought.

GPS is an outlier case. Unlike almost everything else, GPS has perfect scaling. No matter how many users use it, it will not be adversely affected.

Other services like that are public radio and TV.

Re: Why I deleted my Facebook account

#318

Post by Bakary »

anondayon wrote: post #309
kodt wrote: post #233

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How many friends do you think a person would have if they refused to use a computer or telephone and required all communication to come by way of hand written letters or telegrams? People would think that person is strange and likely not interact with them or bother to invite them to events. Sadly, this is becoming partially the case with Facebook. I am not talking about existing friends, but making new friends, espe…

I signed up just to reply to your post. What you see as true is based on your unique perspective of the world. And I have to say that I am struck by your strange, possibly normal view. Perhaps what you say is true. Maybe society has technologically evolved to the point where we ought to care about what you've fear-mongered. But I must say, your fear-mongering might be a result of your personal fears, and therefore mi…

He was hyperbolic but there most definitely is a ton of pressure to use Facebook and other forms of social media, especially if you are young. In some cases, people perceive the absence of a Facebook account as a red flag and even a sign of weirdness, or as an outright lie (similar to giving a fake phone number).

>People don't need lots of friends. They don't need 100s of possibly useful people on a website they have to maintain and update in order to "fit in".

I can guarantee that if you have the gregarious personality type that suits this type of lifestyle, having a large network of acquaintances that are conveniently accessible in a single location can indeed improve the quality of your life in a significant way. This is especially true for people who travel a lot or those who are in a university setting. It's not so much about social capital or social climbing but rather the simple availability of making plans and doing fun things with other people that would not happen without the specific dynamics made possible by Facebook.

Re: Why I deleted my Facebook account

#319

Post by stevewillows »

em3rgent0rdr wrote: post #306
stevewillows wrote: post #263

Earlier quoted context omitted.

exactly. Even with meetup, its not perfect for 'I want this specific group to come over.' In a lot of ways, mid-2000s evite would be perfect -- but there's the spam / nagging side of their business that spoils it. To be fair, I have no idea how one would monetize my dream events platform.

is monitization terribly necessary? The server costs of an open-source type of meetup should be negligible. Hypothetically a lot can even be done with plain email, provided users set up a filter to send all the invites into a separate folder if don't want to get distracted.

somebody always pays. Ideally it would have a strong app and desktop version with a standard calendar export... not too far off from facebook today, just omitting their other garbage. It wouldn't be too server intensive, but if people are using it, there's a cost.

Also, keep in mind that not everybody is as savvy as the people who typically participate on HN. It should be as simple and minimal as possible.

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