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Facebook Research Warned of ‘Tipping Point’ Threat to Core App

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Re: Facebook Research Warned of ‘Tipping Point’ Threat to Core App

#161

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For me this only started happening after I offered feedback aka "Don't show me ads like this any more." Of course I realized shortly thereafter: "Do I really want better targeted ads on my Instagram feed?" It's a little too late now but if I had to do it over again I would let it guess, mostly poorly, and that makes it easier to filter out the sponsored content.

You can always give it incorrect data to train with :) I've been muting ads from the twitter account of every ad I've seen on twitter and the tweets I get are really, really weird and often more interesting than the tweets it gave me to begin with (because now I'm mostly down to the ads that some random person spent $5 promoting as a joke). But there was a weird 2 month period where twitter was trying to determine wh…

Along these lines I don't have a Facebook, have tracker blockers, and other stuff. Spotify used to give me the strangest ads. I'd get some for super cuts. Then an ad about hair loss (I'm under 30 and my dad still doesn't have gray hair). Then ads in Spanish from Jared's (not even dating anyone. Plus these seemed to be targeted at women). Also I'd get TONs of ads for Spotify premium. Those were literally all the ads I got. (stopped using Spotify because after I started paying, maybe those ads worked, their Linux app broke and they said they didn't care about fixing it)

Re: Facebook Research Warned of ‘Tipping Point’ Threat to Core App

#162

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Facebook app, on iPhone at least, requires you to opt in to giving it microphone access. I've seen the myth that Facebook is targeting ads based on what it hears debunked several times. Do you have a source that shows that it is in fact listening? I think it's more likely that the same reason someone is talking about something (they're in a demographic interested in that thing) is the reason that Facebook gives y…

I am so frustrated by this "debunking", because it defies logic and experience. Let's say Facebook NEVER listens to you... I'm 100% on board with them and their honesty. It still doesn't matter. If you let ANY third party app listen to you, and identify you, for example the latest Candy Crush game, then your information along with preferences are being uploaded to databases for re-targeting. When I do a big campaign…

You're not wrong. "Data laundering" is a thing. There's a lot of industry concern around the quality/accuracy of 3rd party data segments from various brokers, DMPs and DSPs, but often times they are complete black boxes in terms of their source data.

Re: Facebook Research Warned of ‘Tipping Point’ Threat to Core App

#163

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You should be, the Facebook app explicitly does listen to the mic unless you opt out. It has also come out that Google and Amazon are storing people's personal voice requests, and aside from that the mics are always on waiting to hear the trigger words. This means by default that the apps are listening and analyzing everything, though how much of the non word-triggered speech gets recorded is unknown. Facebook's init…

The Facebook app, on iPhone at least, requires you to opt in to giving it microphone access. I've seen the myth that Facebook is targeting ads based on what it hears debunked several times. Do you have a source that shows that it is in fact listening? I think it's more likely that the same reason someone is talking about something (they're in a demographic interested in that thing) is the reason that Facebook gives y…

> The Facebook app, on iPhone at least, requires you to opt in to giving it microphone access.

I just double-checked, and I have mine turned off. So, "requires"?

Re: Facebook Research Warned of ‘Tipping Point’ Threat to Core App

#165
post #141

I miss why this considered bad news. Facebook spent billions pickup up Whats-app and Instagram (and probably a fair chunk developing and maintaining messenger). This wasn't solely to pick up untold millions of new users who'd never used "original blue facebook" - if it had been, you'd need a facebook account to use Whats-app. Point was to ensure you didn't stray from the blue-app, onto something Facebook didn't own/c…

Facebook’s superpower was that everyone was on it. If half their users are on Insta and the other half on WhatsApp and the other half left for other random networks, then they’re just a holding company for brands with less network effects.

Re: Facebook Research Warned of ‘Tipping Point’ Threat to Core App

#166
post #55

I can say what has reduced my Facebook use, if anybody in a relevant position at the company is reading. It's the content Facebook shows me. A decade or so ago, most of the content I saw on Facebook was original content from people I know. Most posts were either text written by someone I knew, or a photo taken by someone I knew. Perhaps not everybody shares this position, but what I most want from Facebook is to keep…

That is exactly what made me leave FB in the first place. 90 percent of it was the sheer amount of videos and articles posted over content friends shared. If I wanted news I would have come to Ycombinator or Reddit. I miss seeing what my old friends are up to, but I wouldn't have seen their updates anyway

Re: Facebook Research Warned of ‘Tipping Point’ Threat to Core App

#167
post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Confirmed. Last time I checked, every 6th post was an ad. Just checked and it’s now every 5th. There’s several large magazines that are 50% ad content. I bet that’s the ceiling.

Just checked mine. Every third post was a sponsored ad. This is why I have mostly stopped going on Instagram.

I see. It’s at least every fifth for me. An there’s some cases where it’s 3 or 4. Depends on what content they’re sandwiching.

Second post is always an ad. There’s an ad before they tell you you’re all caught up. And it looks like followed tags effect that ratio as well.

Re: Facebook Research Warned of ‘Tipping Point’ Threat to Core App

#168

I was talking to my 15yo niece, and I already suspected that Facebook is losing young people. So I asked on which platforms she spends her time. "No Facebook, mainly WhatsApp groups, and also private Instagram". Facebook is dead, long live Facebook. I must say that their aquisition strategy is impressive.

Isn’t it fairly well known at this point that FB isn’t used by young people?

Yes, but the impressive thing for me was that she and her group of friends swithed to other Facebook owned platforms. Not SnapChat or some other competitor.

Re: Facebook Research Warned of ‘Tipping Point’ Threat to Core App

#169
post #55

I can say what has reduced my Facebook use, if anybody in a relevant position at the company is reading. It's the content Facebook shows me. A decade or so ago, most of the content I saw on Facebook was original content from people I know. Most posts were either text written by someone I knew, or a photo taken by someone I knew. Perhaps not everybody shares this position, but what I most want from Facebook is to keep…

I want them to give less ads to people who don't click on them.

It won't effect their statistics and a larger group get's ( perhaps) a little bit less demotivated to go on Facebook.

The people that click on all says ads, nothing changes.

Re: Facebook Research Warned of ‘Tipping Point’ Threat to Core App

#170
post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can't export chats on Signal iOS, which sucks.

What does it mean to "export chats" and why would you want to do it?

1. Switch to a new phone. 2. Want to find something previously messaged to someone. Say, a link. Or find dates of something. 3. Cannot.
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