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Facebook is nearing a reputational point of no return

economist.com

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Re: Facebook is nearing a reputational point of no return

#101

Post by jdhn »

breadzeppelin__ wrote: post #29
shoto_io wrote: post #3

No. That’s what people like us and all the main stream media hope for. But: most people I know don’t have the slightest clue that Insta and WhatsApp belong to the FB group. And even worse: most of them don’t give a shit about the reputation of FB. They just want to send messages and share pictures through those apps.

To go a bit further MSM's ad revenue is being hollowed out by Facebook et al. Why would anyone pay to advertise in Economist when they can advertise to "people interested in economics, earning over 150k, last thought about cigarettes three weeks ago" etc. Similarly, if you were an advertising exec at pfizer, would you choose to pay millions of dollars to advertise your meds to a continuously shrinking audience on som…

>it seems like most of the critiques of social media coming from big / old media are just symptoms of having their revenue bled away

I feel that so many people blindly hate Facebook that they overlook this point. The loudest critics of social media are the old vanguards of news who are upset that the new kid on the block took their ad money.

Re: Facebook is nearing a reputational point of no return

#102

Post by goatlover »

geodel wrote: post #46
mchanson wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Article doesn't disagree with your take: "The firm risks joining the ranks of corporate untouchables like big tobacco. If that idea takes hold, Facebook risks losing its young, liberal staff. Even if its ageing customers stick with the social network, Facebook has bigger ambitions that could be foiled if public opinion continues to curdle."

Where will that young liberal staff go work for? I suspect once too much of good life perks are not available at FB maybe their outlook itself change a bit.

Some other tech giant with similar issues that are not getting as bad a press at the moment.

Re: Facebook is nearing a reputational point of no return

#103

Post by snowwrestler »

shoto_io wrote: post #3

No. That’s what people like us and all the main stream media hope for. But: most people I know don’t have the slightest clue that Insta and WhatsApp belong to the FB group. And even worse: most of them don’t give a shit about the reputation of FB. They just want to send messages and share pictures through those apps.

You’re essentially arguing that your group of acquaintances is a bellwether, or at least strongly predictive of national or global outcomes for one of the biggest companies in the world. I don’t know your acquaintances, but in general that seems pretty unlikely to me.

The threat to Facebook is not mass consumer hate and abandonment. It’s that no one likes them enough to stand up for them anymore, which empowers the relatively few people who seek advantage against them.

A lot of things in politics and policy become possible with relatively small shifts in public sentiment.

Re: Facebook is nearing a reputational point of no return

#104

Post by _bfhp »

Bhilai wrote: post #93
jwond wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Glenn Greenwald wrote an article arguing that yes, it is a power grab. https://greenwald.substack.com/p/democrats-and-media-do-not-...

Glenn Greenwood in my opinion is not a neutral party here. In recent times he clearly has chosen sides.

I apologize for OP, let's all stick to unbiased, objective reporting like the New York "Enhanced Interrogation" Times in the future

Re: Facebook is nearing a reputational point of no return

#105

Post by tapoxi »

vmception wrote: post #40
donatj wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I mean as a 30 something who knows their evil, that’s what I use it for too. I’ve gone to close my account a bunch of times, but for so many old friends it’s my only link to them, I could not bring myself to do it.

You can recreate your social graph at any time by telling it your phone number, or email, or friending the same people. Any app is doing that and will find other friends on that app with shared contacts. You can even do it in a future FB account. With that knowledge it is easy for me to delete FB account, even if there are active group chats there.

This is basically what I did. Downloaded my data, said "message me on Signal/iMessage/SMS, here's my phone number" and deleted my account.

I haven't missed anything, and friends/family that lost my phone number usually reached out to someone else to get it. They also don't mind using other platforms to get in touch with me.

Surprisingly, my mother formed a Signal group with my extended family and that's how we chat now. She's not exactly tech savvy, but found it very easy to use.

Re: Facebook is nearing a reputational point of no return

#107

Post by dasil003 »

teg4n_ wrote: post #83
kongin wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Facebook has gotten worse with its young liberal staff. And I don't mean in the dark patterns for more clicks sense, I mean in the cpu cycles to do a basic operation. Maybe it's time for the old crusty developers making $60k on embedded systems to take a shot at it.

It's not like the web has a high entry barrier, how come these embedded systems developers turn web developers that are so great haven't made anything? Am I missing something? Are there secret web apps that are oh so good but just not darn popular enough?

I’d say inertia and unawareness of the FAANG salary market on the supply-side, and ageism and preference for demographic diversity over experiential diversity on the demand-side.

Re: Facebook is nearing a reputational point of no return

#108

Post by jdhn »

JumpCrisscross wrote: post #56
shoto_io wrote: post #3

No. That’s what people like us and all the main stream media hope for. But: most people I know don’t have the slightest clue that Insta and WhatsApp belong to the FB group. And even worse: most of them don’t give a shit about the reputation of FB. They just want to send messages and share pictures through those apps.

> most of them don’t give a shit about the reputation of FB This is close to a straw man argument. Nobody claims users will abandon Facebook. The article posits, instead, strengthening headwinds. Headwinds in hiring (there is already a double-digit premium Facebook must pay for talent). From recurring whistleblowing, and its impact on morale and productivity. Headwinds in projects and partnerships, like Libre/Diem be…

>there is already a double-digit premium Facebook must pay for talent

Really? Are they forced to pay more because people are actively avoiding the company, or because they have to pay more for top talent due to competitors?

Re: Facebook is nearing a reputational point of no return

#109

Post by hunterb123 »

rscoots wrote: post #97
hunterb123 wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I mean, it's a stupid plan. A whistleblower to advocate for censorship? Do they think the people are that stupid? I guess like most things they don't need the majority of public on board, just a bit of plausible deniability. If anyone was really concerned about the algorithms, they'd make transparency requirements, not censorship requirements. If anyone was really concerned about the results of teenagers in the study…

Actually this messaging has achieved significant impact in the past 3 years. They might not have the majority of the public on board, but they do have the majority of Dems: https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/08/18/more-americ... Unfortunately for them it seems to be having the opposite affect on Republicans, but not to the same degree.

They always have the Dems on board. Every little plot they do.

Christine Blasey Ford, Eric Ciamarella, it never ends. They'll find one person to exploit or pay off (respectively) and create a show around them.

Their base will get riled up, the R base will see through it but be ignored and dehumanized.

Also, FB is more conservative overall in the US as it attracts an older audience. Dems are more likely to be on Twitter and other social media.

Re: Facebook is nearing a reputational point of no return

#110

Post by MadeThisToReply »

bjt2n3904 wrote: post #51
whitepaint wrote: post #21

I don't really know much about US politics, but could this recent attack on Facebook be a political move and a power grab? Attack FB so they block certain groups / certain topics and promote what the regulators want? I listened to the whistle-blower's testimony and I didn't hear any reasonable solutions (in my opinion at least; I am a software developer myself). Also, it seems there might be some regulations imposed.…

It absolutely can be, and I think it is. The left has blamed the election of Trump on Facebook, chiefly for spreading "misinformation". Facebook should have responded to this charge by asserting they are not arbiters of truth, but they happily took up that mantle. But it's not enough, and it never will be. The goal is to regulate Facebook into oblivion. Others may disagree with my assessment of motivation. Plenty oth…

> The goal is to regulate Facebook into oblivion.

No, the goal is to regulate Facebook so that the Democratic party controls what you are and aren't allowed to see on Facebook. It's entirely about power and control and anything else is just lies and distortion.

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