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Facebook Can’t Be Fixed, It Needs to Be Broken Up

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Re: Facebook Can’t Be Fixed, It Needs to Be Broken Up

#51

Post by tyingq »

killjoywashere wrote: post #49
tyingq wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is a strong draw for many of us. It's the only reasonable way I have to see pictures and updates from my family that's pretty far flung across the world. Convincing all my kids, grandkids, siblings, cousins, in laws, nieces, nephews, etc to move away from FB isn't really practical. I do use FB mostly read only, but there isn't really a way for me to leave.

you would live a longer, healthier life without those pictures, at least as presented in that medium. How many pictures of kids covered in chocolate cake do you need?

I'm guessing you don't have adult children, nieces, nephews or grandkids? There isn't any number of pictures, stories, etc of them I wouldn't look at and that wouldn't please me more than anything else.

To be fair, I shared your attitude in my 20's. My mother would snail mail a yearly newsletter with printed pictures and I yawned at the effort.

Re: Facebook Can’t Be Fixed, It Needs to Be Broken Up

#52

Post by bartart »

tyingq wrote: post #47
Mononokay wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not at all, actually! Ever heard of Verizon, AT&T, and Centurylink? All of them came from the Bell breakup. Bell used to do things that were cool as fuck ; post-breakup, prices rose for everyone, and innovation stopped really happening. Monopolies aren't inherently bad - especially not ones like Bell, where they're beneficial to everyone.

>post-breakup, prices rose for everyone Any citations for this? The rise of MCI cut my phone bills by more than half in the 80's. Bell was killing us with 3 figure/month residential phone bills. And, I pay 10x less now per month in non inflation adjusted dollars than I did in 1986. Out of state calls back then were commonly double digit cents per minute. Now they are typically 1 cent per minute or even less.

It was actually an issue after the breakup because the successor companies started making much more money as a group than they did when they were together.

They did all sorts of creative accounting to make it look like the breakup was a big success that led to lower profits, when in reality cutting bloated bureaucracy and the R&D budget led to really bumper profits.

Re: Facebook Can’t Be Fixed, It Needs to Be Broken Up

#53

Post by thejerz »

tyingq wrote: post #42
robotresearcher wrote: post #35

There is a very simple alternative to Facebook: don’t use Facebook. That’s the competition. There is nothing quite the same but there are lots of other things to do online.

There is a strong draw for many of us. It's the only reasonable way I have to see pictures and updates from my family that's pretty far flung across the world. Convincing all my kids, grandkids, siblings, cousins, in laws, nieces, nephews, etc to move away from FB isn't really practical. I do use FB mostly read only, but there isn't really a way for me to leave.

> but there isn't really a way for me to leave.

You speak as if you have no agency in the situation. But, you do have agency. Using, or not using, facebook is 100%, entirely your choice. There was a happy (happier?) world before 2005, where families shared photos and stayed in touch, without Mark Zuckerberg.

Re: Facebook Can’t Be Fixed, It Needs to Be Broken Up

#54

Post by peteretep »

paxys wrote: post #45

Broken up into what exactly? If you don't like Facebook don't use it. How about the Senate and the internet outrage machine spend time on companies like Equifax instead, who (1) we literally cannot opt out of, (2) have private data that we didn't choose to share with them, and (3) have broken actual laws but haven't received as much as a slap on the wrist for it.

> If you don't like Facebook don't use it

Fine, I won't. That won't stop society in general being surveilled though, and all the attendant ills of that that the article suggests. Further: more and more apps require me to use Facebook to sign in.

Re: Facebook Can’t Be Fixed, It Needs to Be Broken Up

#55

Post by 12312313 »

robotresearcher wrote: post #35

There is a very simple alternative to Facebook: don’t use Facebook. That’s the competition. There is nothing quite the same but there are lots of other things to do online.

I think why many won't is because the fear of missing out. They fear they would lose contact with many "friends" that they have. Be it distant relatives, or friends of friends. That in itself is the problem with Facebook: that's their draw. People overvalue the opportunity cost of missed opportunities if they quit Facebook.

Re: Facebook Can’t Be Fixed, It Needs to Be Broken Up

#56

Post by tyingq »

bartart wrote: post #52
tyingq wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>post-breakup, prices rose for everyone Any citations for this? The rise of MCI cut my phone bills by more than half in the 80's. Bell was killing us with 3 figure/month residential phone bills. And, I pay 10x less now per month in non inflation adjusted dollars than I did in 1986. Out of state calls back then were commonly double digit cents per minute. Now they are typically 1 cent per minute or even less.

It was actually an issue after the breakup because the successor companies started making much more money as a group than they did when they were together. They did all sorts of creative accounting to make it look like the breakup was a big success that led to lower profits, when in reality cutting bloated bureaucracy and the R&D budget led to really bumper profits.

Hmm. Maybe more overall minutes/calls due to the lower cost? I know for sure my phone bills got cut in half when I switched to MCI. I didn't call or talk more often, just paid less.

Maybe others paid more than before, but enjoyed the additional minutes.

Re: Facebook Can’t Be Fixed, It Needs to Be Broken Up

#57

Post by colinjoy »

paxys wrote: post #45

Broken up into what exactly? If you don't like Facebook don't use it. How about the Senate and the internet outrage machine spend time on companies like Equifax instead, who (1) we literally cannot opt out of, (2) have private data that we didn't choose to share with them, and (3) have broken actual laws but haven't received as much as a slap on the wrist for it.

Why do you suggest one can “opt out” of facebook? They profile non-members and encourage users to disclose personal data of non-members by installing apps or helping them to “find my friends” based on sharing such data (e.g. address books). #1 and #2 apply to facebook as well. We might find out about #3.

Re: Facebook Can’t Be Fixed, It Needs to Be Broken Up

#58

Post by doomlaser »

paxys wrote: post #45

Broken up into what exactly? If you don't like Facebook don't use it. How about the Senate and the internet outrage machine spend time on companies like Equifax instead, who (1) we literally cannot opt out of, (2) have private data that we didn't choose to share with them, and (3) have broken actual laws but haven't received as much as a slap on the wrist for it.

Zuckerberg's talking point from his AP photographed note sheet (https://i.imgur.com/3UP1b4X.jpg) is a good one.

If you break up the major US tech platforms, it cedes leadership of those sectors to Chinese competitors. Something to think about in discussions about breaking up Facebook, Amazon, and Google.

Re: Facebook Can’t Be Fixed, It Needs to Be Broken Up

#59

Post by KozmoNau7 »

paxys wrote: post #45

Broken up into what exactly? If you don't like Facebook don't use it. How about the Senate and the internet outrage machine spend time on companies like Equifax instead, who (1) we literally cannot opt out of, (2) have private data that we didn't choose to share with them, and (3) have broken actual laws but haven't received as much as a slap on the wrist for it.

You also cannot opt out of Facebook, they keep shadow profiles on basically everyone.

Re: Facebook Can’t Be Fixed, It Needs to Be Broken Up

#60

Post by elchief »

Mononokay wrote: post #40
gibybo wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What would be a better way to deal with monopolies? Surely the breakup of Bell is better than if they were allowed to continue as a monopoly right?

Not at all, actually! Ever heard of Verizon, AT&T, and Centurylink? All of them came from the Bell breakup. Bell used to do things that were cool as fuck ; post-breakup, prices rose for everyone, and innovation stopped really happening. Monopolies aren't inherently bad - especially not ones like Bell, where they're beneficial to everyone.

What the actual fuck? Long distance prices dropped 99.9% after the breakup
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