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Facebook, You Needy Sonofabitch

bradfrost.com

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Re: Facebook, You Needy Sonofabitch

#121

Post by source99 »

mbillie1 wrote: post #36
taylodl wrote: post #2

The best thing I ever did was delete the Facebook app from my phone. I had already disabled all the notifications, but that didn't change things like deleting the app. Not being able to get to Facebook wherever you are. As silly as it sounds it was liberating. I still access Facebook from my laptop - but now that it's off of my phone, I'm accessing Facebook less and less frequently and I'm find I'm happier as a resul…

Same. I initially only uninstalled messenger (which intolerably presented me with a popup asking me to enable notifications EVERY TIME I OPENED THE APP ), then got rid of the FB app. Now even on my laptop facebook.com is pointing at localhost in /etc/hosts, which makes me edit a root file to look at it. I'm much, much happier. If it works for you, cool, but if you're dissatisfied and considering abandoning it anyway,…

Uninstalling the app and redirecting facebook.com to localhost are great ideas. I also sometimes logout of facebook.com on chrome on my phone so that it makes it even harder to get back on.

Now if I could only do the same for reddit...

Re: Facebook, You Needy Sonofabitch

#122

Post by Spooky23 »

tgb wrote: post #103
mbillie1 wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Same. I initially only uninstalled messenger (which intolerably presented me with a popup asking me to enable notifications EVERY TIME I OPENED THE APP ), then got rid of the FB app. Now even on my laptop facebook.com is pointing at localhost in /etc/hosts, which makes me edit a root file to look at it. I'm much, much happier. If it works for you, cool, but if you're dissatisfied and considering abandoning it anyway,…

Actual question: what's the point of Messenger if you don't have notifications enabled?

It's useful to be able to communicate with people in situations where message notifications are awkward or prohibited. (ie work)

My wife exclusively uses messenger for buying and selling stuff on Facebook. She doesn't need nor want notifications.

There's also the creepy factor. I assume if there is any kind of exploit or corner case that allows an app to abuse privilege on iOS, Facebook is scummy enough to always ship it.

Re: Facebook, You Needy Sonofabitch

#123

Post by jeandejean »

Yet another post on that subject... It's so disappointing that there are still people discovering life without Facebook when they should have uninstalled it long ago. They're very late in that process since sooo many have done it and written about it in thorough details.

Re: Facebook, You Needy Sonofabitch

#125

Post by kenjackson »

taylodl wrote: post #2

The best thing I ever did was delete the Facebook app from my phone. I had already disabled all the notifications, but that didn't change things like deleting the app. Not being able to get to Facebook wherever you are. As silly as it sounds it was liberating. I still access Facebook from my laptop - but now that it's off of my phone, I'm accessing Facebook less and less frequently and I'm find I'm happier as a resul…

I have FB on my phone and I'll check it once every couple of days, but it doesn't seem like it would be all that liberating to delete it. What makes it so liberating? FB always seems so optional that I'm never really pushed to read it. Work email on the other hand...

Re: Facebook, You Needy Sonofabitch

#126

Post by Spooky23 »

hollerith wrote: post #119
ygjb wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To communicate with other people on my terms, when I want to communicate. It's the same reason there are only a few phone numbers that can actually make my phone ring (my wife, the school my children attend, and pager duty (:P)) My device exists for my convenience.

>there are only a few phone numbers that can actually make my phone ring Could you describe briefly how to configure that state of affairs? What OS do you use?

You put iOS in DND mode and whitelist VIPs by starring them or putting them in a contact group.

Re: Facebook, You Needy Sonofabitch

#127

Post by beager »

justaschmoe wrote: post #14
taylodl wrote: post #2

The best thing I ever did was delete the Facebook app from my phone. I had already disabled all the notifications, but that didn't change things like deleting the app. Not being able to get to Facebook wherever you are. As silly as it sounds it was liberating. I still access Facebook from my laptop - but now that it's off of my phone, I'm accessing Facebook less and less frequently and I'm find I'm happier as a resul…

Similarly simply logging out of Facebook on Chrome and only accessing it through incognito or another browser has been great. Added benefit: (a little) less tracking. First week or so was string of surprising moments where I would suddenly find myself at the FB login screen having mindlessly tried to navigate there.

I deactivated on January 1, still find myself typing `f` in the address bar in a new tab. They've done a very good job of getting in the brain stem.

Re: Facebook, You Needy Sonofabitch

#128

Post by mcherm »

roblabla wrote: post #65

I have a facebook account, but I haven't even logged in in the mast few years. Recently (like a week ago), I started receiving text messages on the number i had setup, after constant nagging by fb about security, looking like this : Robin, get back on Facebook by clicking: https://fb.com/l/someIDhere I am OUTRAGED by this. My phone text messages is one of the only communication medium that has no spam, and i basicall…

You are in luck!

At one point in time, text messages were extremely expensive (several cents per message, depending on the plan you had). At that time, laws were passed (in many countries, I don't know where you are) that made it illegal to send unsolicited text messages.

You should see if you can scare Facebook.

Re: Facebook, You Needy Sonofabitch

#129

Post by slackstation »

lamby wrote: post #33
taylodl wrote: post #2

The best thing I ever did was delete the Facebook app from my phone. I had already disabled all the notifications, but that didn't change things like deleting the app. Not being able to get to Facebook wherever you are. As silly as it sounds it was liberating. I still access Facebook from my laptop - but now that it's off of my phone, I'm accessing Facebook less and less frequently and I'm find I'm happier as a resul…

> Less Facebook == more happy More productive, less distracted, etc., sure but was FB really getting you down that much? Am I just using Facebook "wrong" in that it's not upsetting me the same way it upsets others?

Every time I'm on FB. It's pleasant, really pleasant. But, every single time I'll go on the site and to do a thing like, check on the plans for my friend's birthday party. I end up spending like 30min or so more time than I expected to just browsing aimlessly.

It's not like they are putting a gun to my head but, they are using a billion dollars of research and my friends' faces to entice me into doing something I don't want. I'm more or less a monkey and my social circuitry just is so super-stimulated that it's annoying.

And all of that is before the FOMO kicks in and I start feeling bad that my life isn't as nice as my friends even though among my friends, I have a very enviable life (my friends have confided in me as much). But, my every day life cannot compete with the highlight reel of all the best moments of all my friends' lives.

Even though I know all of this stuff consiously, it still affects me because keeping guard and watch over everything constantly is hard. Falling into how it's designed to make you feel is easy.

Deleting FB off your phone is the best thing.

This overwhelming feeling, I'm convinced, is one of the driving factors that created Instagram and Snapchat because it was smaller and less invasive. Ironically, they became just like FB or in some ways (to some people) worse as they grew.

We are social animals and FB weaponizes the faces of all of your friends to suck as much attention from you as possible. It's as unfair a fight as there ever has been in the history of commerce.

Re: Facebook, You Needy Sonofabitch

#130

Post by brightball »

taylodl wrote: post #2

The best thing I ever did was delete the Facebook app from my phone. I had already disabled all the notifications, but that didn't change things like deleting the app. Not being able to get to Facebook wherever you are. As silly as it sounds it was liberating. I still access Facebook from my laptop - but now that it's off of my phone, I'm accessing Facebook less and less frequently and I'm find I'm happier as a resul…

Yep, you are only a few steps away from deactivating your account completely.
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