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The New Facebook Design Sucks

jyssicaschwartz.medium.com

101–109 of 109 posts

Re: The New Facebook Design Sucks

#101
post #35
post #2

Less information density = more time required to read the same amount of content = more "engagement". This is the exact same reason behind the algorithmic timeline: since you can't easily tell whether you've reached the end (up to where you left off last time), you keep scrolling more, thus more time spent and more opportunities for ads to show up. This trend will continue until users revolt against this by refusing…

Is this why reddit made its new UI's layout much less information dense?

Most likely. It's also less scary to less literate people. Not tech literate, literate in general.

Re: The New Facebook Design Sucks

#102
post #2

Less information density = more time required to read the same amount of content = more "engagement". This is the exact same reason behind the algorithmic timeline: since you can't easily tell whether you've reached the end (up to where you left off last time), you keep scrolling more, thus more time spent and more opportunities for ads to show up. This trend will continue until users revolt against this by refusing…

Algorithmic timelines have objective advantages: they can keep the most frequent posters from drowning everyone else. That's of course not to say they aren't maliciously misused.

If someone goes on a racist rant you can quickly scroll past that entire streak with a chronological timeline. With an algorithmic one it's not so easy.

Re: The New Facebook Design Sucks

#103

I have no opinion on the Facebook designs but I'm so tickled to see this post. What a blast from the past! I thought "the new Facebook design sucks" posts died out ten years ago :-D

Ha, I remember being in high school and having the same debate. I think users reject dramatic change but slowly get used to it. The exception is “new Reddit”, which is still widely disliked in favor of https://old.reddit.com .

> I think users reject dramatic change but slowly get used to it.

Your post almost made me feel like they had a choice. Personally I quit facebook two years ago and it's been a great two years.

Re: The New Facebook Design Sucks

#104
post #71

Facebook outlived its usefulness 8 or 9 years ago. If you're still using it in 2020, then you kind of deserve whatever you get.

If people are still using it in 2020, FB definitely provides something useful to their lives. Your tiny internet bubble does not represent the ~8 billion people living on Earth.

Ironically, facebook is the one creating tiny internet bubbles.

Re: The New Facebook Design Sucks

#105
post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This. The sooner people start watching Social Dilemma or read Surveillance capitalism the better. The only way this gets better is by STOP using it.

No one in Social Dilemma stopped until they were multi millionaires if not billionaires.

They arguably haven't stopped since social dilemma is on Netflix.

Re: The New Facebook Design Sucks

#106

People always complain about new layouts because we don't like change. The change didn't bother me much this time around. I switched to the new layout 4-6 months ago, turned on dark mode and never looked back. Facebook has always had a confusing interface, it feels easier to use nowadays. Then again all I do is check out groups and use messenger so I'm not exactly a Facebook power user.

Talking about Facebook sure seems to be a divisive subject. I simply stated a fact and after that my personal experience, I'm unsure why that warrants a downvote?

Re: The New Facebook Design Sucks

#107
post #35
post #2

Less information density = more time required to read the same amount of content = more "engagement". This is the exact same reason behind the algorithmic timeline: since you can't easily tell whether you've reached the end (up to where you left off last time), you keep scrolling more, thus more time spent and more opportunities for ads to show up. This trend will continue until users revolt against this by refusing…

Is this why reddit made its new UI's layout much less information dense?

Yes, and to fit in more advertising.

Re: The New Facebook Design Sucks

#108
post #9
post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Very possible that the majority of people who truly care about these things "haven't logged on Facebook much in the past couple years". I very much fall into that category. There are so many awful things about it that the UI is the least of my reasons for drastically limiting usage.

I killed my Facebook accounts a while ago but walked past my partner's station while she was doing some Facebook stuff. I was a bit surprised how bad it looked... Tonka Toys meets White Mode AOL. Probably right about the A/B testing. Glad I don't have to care.

Having a dark mode available is one of its redeeming qualities in my opinion.

Re: The New Facebook Design Sucks

#109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Facebook rolls out UI changes in less valuable markets to gather data to verify their changes don't decrease engagement.

Oh wow this is interesting / something to remember for my own life. So basically, they might try something out first in [small country] and if it works go to [medium country] and then if it stills works roll out to everyone?

Yes, Google will iterate on the search results / new search result features in smaller markets also.
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