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Users Abandon Facebook After Cambridge Analytica Findings

nytimes.com

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Re: Users Abandon Facebook After Cambridge Analytica Findings

#91

Post by harry8 »

sydli wrote: post #64

A point that is brought up occasionally, but probably not enough: Deleting Facebook really isn't possible for a nontrivial percentage of the world population, since Facebook is the internet in some places. Their monopoly over internet infrastructure in some developing countries is such that people can't afford non-Facebook internet packages, and seems to disincentivize actual low-cost internet infrastructure from bei…

I'm not in favour of nationalization as a rule. I can see it being a populist thing to do in those countries.

Facebook are the agent of foreign states, we must control our own critically important infrastructure! (cheers) Free internet for all! (more cheers)

Populism is so hot right now.

Re: Users Abandon Facebook After Cambridge Analytica Findings

#92

Post by tuna-piano »

sydli wrote: post #64

A point that is brought up occasionally, but probably not enough: Deleting Facebook really isn't possible for a nontrivial percentage of the world population, since Facebook is the internet in some places. Their monopoly over internet infrastructure in some developing countries is such that people can't afford non-Facebook internet packages, and seems to disincentivize actual low-cost internet infrastructure from bei…

Absolutely correct. I've met people in Asia (Myanmar and Nepal) who have just accessed the internet for the first time in the past 12-24 months (through their Android smartphones). But they don't know the true internet - they only know the internet through the Facebook app. They use it like we use Google and web browsers.

To them, Facebook is the internet. They don't have email accounts. They don't use the browser. They don't search the web. I met someone in a small town who never even used the maps feature. I tried to think of what value the true internet might bring them, but when I suggested that "you can search for news and read other things", the response was that they already did that with the Facebook App.

One guy handed me his phone, so I could add myself as a friend on his Facebook. While I started typing my name, I noticed his search history... and to him, Facebook was even a substitute for what people in the USA might use Incognito mode for!

I would call Facebook their internet portal, but it's not really a portal to anything - Facebook is just the entire internet to them.

Buzzfeed (yes, Buzzfeed) did an excellent writeup of Myanmar, that mirrors what I saw there: https://www.buzzfeed.com/sheerafrenkel/fake-news-spreads-tru....

“Nobody asks, they don’t care about the email,” he said, explaining that most don’t know that creating an email address is free, and easy. “No one is using that. They have Facebook.”

Re: Users Abandon Facebook After Cambridge Analytica Findings

#93

Post by nukeop »

shaki-dora wrote: post #86

To be honest: I’m not willing to delete my account just now. I fear people will just forget inviting me to events if I’m not in the list of friends. But I will stop posting, liking, and commenting. Let’s slowly starve the monster.

You are still forcing others to use it through network effects. Either let it go completely, or don't pretend you're fighting it. We need more people to draw a line in the sand and ditch this oppressive system completely. Facebook wants you to be afraid of living without it.

Re: Users Abandon Facebook After Cambridge Analytica Findings

#94

Post by delbel »

netsharc wrote: post #45
cyberferret wrote: post #13

The question is - will this be just a minor blip to Facebook and then normal services will resume after the indignation wears off? Or will it the beginning of the end of the social media dominance of the platform? For me personally, I use FB primarily to keep in touch with friends, family and old colleagues who are spread all over the world. It is purely a contact tool, and not really used to market products of servi…

A year or so ago I noticed I would wake up and the first thing I did was load up Facebook in my phone. I deleted the app, and what do I do? i still open it on my phone's browser. So I changed my password to 32 characters generated by Keepass, and make sure I logged out of it on my phone. I'm still logged in on the desktop, but nowadays it's pretty quiet anyway. Thr last few days I've been using a Chrome extension (1)…

you probably need to down regulate your dopamine response in general for all aspects of your life. try reading a book, concentrating for periods of time, not concentrating for periods of time, a long walk, or meditation. over time you can overcome automatic behavior, its probably healthier for you anyway

Re: Users Abandon Facebook After Cambridge Analytica Findings

#95

Post by matte_black »

blindwatchmaker wrote: post #62
d--b wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I hope I'm wrong but I think this in no way bringing facebook down. Keeping in touch with friends & family is too important to ditch entirely, and having everyone switch to a different platform is very hard. That said, my whole extended family uses whats app nowadays...

Whatsapp is also owned by facebook.

The reason I still invest in Facebook as a company is because of their ownership in these other platforms.

I think the classic site’s days are numbered but it will be a while before it does a complete shutdown, if ever. At that point Facebook might decide to just completely redesign it into something different and recapture the lost audience.

Re: Users Abandon Facebook After Cambridge Analytica Findings

#96

Post by harry8 »

netsharc wrote: post #45
cyberferret wrote: post #13

The question is - will this be just a minor blip to Facebook and then normal services will resume after the indignation wears off? Or will it the beginning of the end of the social media dominance of the platform? For me personally, I use FB primarily to keep in touch with friends, family and old colleagues who are spread all over the world. It is purely a contact tool, and not really used to market products of servi…

A year or so ago I noticed I would wake up and the first thing I did was load up Facebook in my phone. I deleted the app, and what do I do? i still open it on my phone's browser. So I changed my password to 32 characters generated by Keepass, and make sure I logged out of it on my phone. I'm still logged in on the desktop, but nowadays it's pretty quiet anyway. Thr last few days I've been using a Chrome extension (1)…

if you have to convince. Try signal. As good as whatsapp, in most ways, better in others. Signal did whatsapp's encryption.

I use both - if a contact is on both signal and whatsapp I use signal.

I think signal is the best of these with whatsapp second. Everything else is equal last. This ranking will no doubt change in the coming years with upstart competition doing communication with proper encryption. I look forward to it.

Re: Users Abandon Facebook After Cambridge Analytica Findings

#97

Post by [deleted] »

andrei_says_ wrote: post #75
cyberferret wrote: post #13

The question is - will this be just a minor blip to Facebook and then normal services will resume after the indignation wears off? Or will it the beginning of the end of the social media dominance of the platform? For me personally, I use FB primarily to keep in touch with friends, family and old colleagues who are spread all over the world. It is purely a contact tool, and not really used to market products of servi…

I highly recommend deleting the fb app from your device to prevent it listening on you, tracking location, draining your battery and bombarding you with notifications. If you must use messenger in mobile, https://mbasic.facebook.com/ works

[deleted]

Re: Users Abandon Facebook After Cambridge Analytica Findings

#98

Post by lettergram »

d--b wrote: post #54
cyberferret wrote: post #13

The question is - will this be just a minor blip to Facebook and then normal services will resume after the indignation wears off? Or will it the beginning of the end of the social media dominance of the platform? For me personally, I use FB primarily to keep in touch with friends, family and old colleagues who are spread all over the world. It is purely a contact tool, and not really used to market products of servi…

I hope I'm wrong but I think this in no way bringing facebook down. Keeping in touch with friends & family is too important to ditch entirely, and having everyone switch to a different platform is very hard. That said, my whole extended family uses whats app nowadays...

I mean, I just went and installed signal on my whole families phones one druken evening (I have 7 sets of aunt's and uncle's, no small feat). Now we communicate all through signal and they didn't even realize it helped them lol

Then all the sudden a week or so ago they freaked out and I was like - no worries, remember that one time I switched your text messages?

My family primarily communicates in texts, phone calls, and in person. So this was relatively easy, myself and the other half the family either stopped using Facebook years ago, or never used it in the first place.

Easy really, and not necessary

Re: Users Abandon Facebook After Cambridge Analytica Findings

#99

Post by adjkant »

If you want to cripple Facebook but still get the advantages of using it as a contact book / for events and groups, just block the news feed.

https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/news-feed-eradicat...

Yes, I know they make money other ways. But if no one uses the news feed, their ad revenue will take a noticeable hit. Most of the negatives come with the endless feed/scroll in the first place. I still spend time on Facebook, but only when I want to. No endless scroll, and I don't miss a thing when it comes to groups/events/messaging.

Re: Users Abandon Facebook After Cambridge Analytica Findings

#100

Post by prklmn »

adjkant wrote: post #99

If you want to cripple Facebook but still get the advantages of using it as a contact book / for events and groups, just block the news feed. https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/news-feed-eradicat... Yes, I know they make money other ways. But if no one uses the news feed, their ad revenue will take a noticeable hit. Most of the negatives come with the endless feed/scroll in the first place. I still spend time…

And if you want to access messaging from mobile but have deleted the app, you can go to http://mbasic.facebook.com
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