21–30 of 76 posts
I haven’t used FB for years, I don’t even have an account, and don’t miss it at all. When I want to connect with my friends I use WhatsApp, for brainless time passing I use Reddit and I use HN for stimulation and discussion.
Mark Zuckerberg rubs his hands :)
Not a criticism, I do the same, despite having refused to join FB.
I get that it's creepy, "spying" on users, but really, would you rather have ads from services which know nothing about you? Companies want to buy ads that users are interested in, obviously. If I have a company selling vegan food i would optimally only buy ads shown to people who are already vegan, right? And they probably don't want ads from your local butcher, but might be interested in my new awesome vegan food.
Again, i get that it's creepy, especially on Facebooks scale, but I feel the discussion gets lopsided sometimes. I don't use Facebook much, but I'm fine with that my browser behavior is tracked.
Based on the other comments so far, it sounds like HN'ers mostly don't use facebook and don't miss it. Fair enough, but I'm in the same camp as the article's author, and looking for a way out. I might be unique, but I didn't really have much of a social life before facebook. That's not causal relationship - before 2007ish I was a very introverted kid who didn't know how to make friends or form strong relationships. A…
PS: the irony is of course that WhatsApp is owned by Facebook ;)
Based on the other comments so far, it sounds like HN'ers mostly don't use facebook and don't miss it. Fair enough, but I'm in the same camp as the article's author, and looking for a way out. I might be unique, but I didn't really have much of a social life before facebook. That's not causal relationship - before 2007ish I was a very introverted kid who didn't know how to make friends or form strong relationships. A…
Let's just say that the "sour grapes" crowd are much more likely to pile on to stories like this.
Facebook provides me and my friends with immense value, I'm a very happy user, and as long as that value is higher than the annoyances of using Facebook, we will keep using it.
The reality is that Facebook's DAU numbers and engagement metrics just keep on rising. A bunch of disillusioned users on this forum is not a negative trend. Facebook's biggest enemy is themselves, because the corporate machine pressures everyone there into change for change's sake, which fuels user fatigue, which in the end will lead to some sort of exodus.
Based on the other comments so far, it sounds like HN'ers mostly don't use facebook and don't miss it. Fair enough, but I'm in the same camp as the article's author, and looking for a way out. I might be unique, but I didn't really have much of a social life before facebook. That's not causal relationship - before 2007ish I was a very introverted kid who didn't know how to make friends or form strong relationships. A…
Perhaps start by unfollowing those that post the "political garbage, pointless memes, etc". Quite quickly you should start to see your feed be a little more streamlined / less noisy.
On a related note I went even further and unfollowed everyone so my feed is now completely empty. As such it proactively requires me to view profiles of connections that I care about or view my list of "close friends" which is a feed in itself. That said, I barely use it anymore (which was my original goal).
Real-life people send me friend requests a few times a week, but I easily get 5-10 spammer friend requests a day. I don't know if stuff I'm reading is (1) just there; (2) put there due to an algorithm trying to cater to my tastes; (3) inserted by spammers; or (4) paid for by god-knows-who.
Every time I log into FB, I feel like I'm stepping into a room with people I sort of recognize but don't know. On the internet, I rather make conversation with true strangers on Hacker News than these quasi-strangers on FB.
Full disclosure up front: i work for a company which sells ads based on user behavior. I get that it's creepy, "spying" on users, but really, would you rather have ads from services which know nothing about you? Companies want to buy ads that users are interested in, obviously. If I have a company selling vegan food i would optimally only buy ads shown to people who are already vegan, right? And they probably don't w…
I'd rather have zero ads.
If I'm interested in something, I'll search for it, or ask around.
Ok, I am not be the "usual" reader of Hacker News (HN). I am reading HN since 2012 for disclaimer. So basically, Facebook (FB) is for socializing in real life. Since I am currently in exchange, It is useful to create parties and to invite people to them. It is also useful to talk with your friend on the other side of the earth (more than Whatsapp), to keep up to date with them. And it is also the best way to get into…
Facebook says that 5.5%-11% of accounts are "fake". I'd guess the number is higher. There is so much spam, fake friend requests, and general internet hucksters on FB, that I've lost trust in the platform. Real-life people send me friend requests a few times a week, but I easily get 5-10 spammer friend requests a day. I don't know if stuff I'm reading is (1) just there; (2) put there due to an algorithm trying to cate…
Facebook says that 5.5%-11% of accounts are "fake". I'd guess the number is higher. There is so much spam, fake friend requests, and general internet hucksters on FB, that I've lost trust in the platform. Real-life people send me friend requests a few times a week, but I easily get 5-10 spammer friend requests a day. I don't know if stuff I'm reading is (1) just there; (2) put there due to an algorithm trying to cate…