Facebook loses users for the first time • Hacker News Board

Re: Facebook loses users for the first time

#191

Post by sasaf5 » Thu, Feb 03, 2022, 2:41 AM UTC

dustintrex wrote: post #86

GCA10 wrote: post #58

Peak coffee consumption (per capita/US): 1946 Peak cigarette consumption (per capita/US): 1963 Peak oil production (global): unknown, maybe 2020-2030 Peak Facebook: ?? That's an incomplete peer group, but I find it interesting that at some point, society does start to unplug from addictive substances. The tapering off is quite slow, though. Unclear whether heavy users cut back, or new generations just don't develop t…

Facebook has been primarily displaced by Tiktok, which is considerably more addictive than FB. It's like zonking out in front of cable TV in the olden days, if the cable TV had access to an essentially unlimited content library of short-form dopamine hits, was capable of determining exactly what you like, and showing you exactly that forever.

I get hypnotized by tiktok even by seeing it over other people's shoulders. HN and reddit already makes me feel guilty. I am not even starting with that one.

Re: Facebook loses users for the first time

#192

Post by zepto » Thu, Feb 03, 2022, 2:41 AM UTC

MarcelOlsz wrote: post #35

dkackman11 wrote: post #5

This is good news. Facebook has proven itself to be a negative influence on people and countries.

Perfect Facebook: Break off groups, silo it. I've been off FB for almost a decade but I'm at the point where I have to actually use it for the first time, as it's where all the types of events I want to go to exclusively get organized. For amateur racing at least, it's pretty much all Facebook.

Groups used to be broken off into a separate iOS app. That time period was blissful. Then they removed that app because it allowed users to escape the newsfeed.

Re: Facebook loses users for the first time

#193

Post by kurizu4444 » Thu, Feb 03, 2022, 2:41 AM UTC

good.

Re: Facebook loses users for the first time

#194

Post by mmaunder » Thu, Feb 03, 2022, 2:41 AM UTC

And thus begins their gamble. They’re going to have to bet the entire biz on virtual. Most public companies can’t do this, but FB has a unique control structure that gives Zuck the ability to bet the farm.

Re: Facebook loses users for the first time

#195

Post by epa » Thu, Feb 03, 2022, 2:43 AM UTC

If you think about how metrics works, they probably had friendly fraud pumping their numbers -- think about them counting bots as new users when in fact it was just bots. Zuck sells Nov'2021 because he knows this info (insider trading works this way), earnings come out and news is released from the prior quarter.

Re: Facebook loses users for the first time

#196

Post by openknot » Thu, Feb 03, 2022, 2:44 AM UTC

kajaktum wrote: post #116

People like to hate on Facebook, but how is any other social media different? They are all free services that profit from your personal information. Some just have better PR than the other.

Hacker News and other relatively smaller forums are different. They are free social media networks that aren't optimized to maximize engagement, promote outrage, or instill a fear of missing out.

Re: Facebook loses users for the first time

#197

Post by bagels » Thu, Feb 03, 2022, 2:44 AM UTC

paxys wrote: post #102

higgins wrote: post #15

I wonder if they tried to buy wordle... What's the hottest social network they could buy?

Twitter (and I'm only half joking). Clubhouse. Discord. Pinterest.

When is Clubhouse running out of money?

Re: Facebook loses users for the first time

#198

Post by eatsyourtacos » Thu, Feb 03, 2022, 2:45 AM UTC

wheelinsupial wrote: post #123

kumarvvr wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think it has more to do with alternatives (except perhaps in case of cigarettes which have direct measurable health effects) availability rather than society starting to unplug from addictive substances. Peak coffee is in 1946, but what have consumers moved onto from then? Alcohol, Tea, Energy drinks, Soft Drinks ?

Here is an article [1] that shows consumption of coffee and soft drinks in 1946/47 and 2005. Adding coffee and soft drinks together there has been an increase of approx 32% in consumption since 1946. Coffee 1946: 46.4 gallons per person Coffee 2005: 24.2 gallons per person Soft drinks 1947: 10.8 gallons per person Soft drinks 2005: 51.5 gallons per person Total caffeinated consumption in 46/47: 57.2 gallons / person…

>Coffee 1946: 46.4 gallons per person

>Coffee 2005: 24.2 gallons per person

24.2 gallons per person.. so that is 24.2 gallon / 365 days * 128 oz/gallon / 8oz/cup = 1.06 cup / day.

1 cup per day? That seems crazy low. I guess that must include kids/young adults..

Re: Facebook loses users for the first time

#199

Post by systemvoltage » Thu, Feb 03, 2022, 2:46 AM UTC

giobox wrote: post #124

toxican wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's almost impressive how much of Instagram is just ads. I keep it around to follow a few people, but it seems like more than half of what scrolls by is either ads or totally off-base account recommendations (Which are themselves, essentially ads)

Instagram is arguably fast becoming the 21st century version of the glossy fashion magazines my parent's generation often read to kill time, where every second page would be a full page advert for a perfume or a watch.

I disagree with everyone about Instagram on HN. Instagram is amazing to me. But, I also love Pinterest which most people here hate (may be because of search results spamming). Where else can you curate a feed of vintage airline tickets? Or vaporwave aesthetics?

Also, ads that I see on IG are always promoting small businesses and never scammy. Actually it is a source of discovery for me.

All friends that I have love IG, been using it since 2013 daily. Visual culture is far more interesting than crap on FB or ephemeral social toxicity on TikTok/Snapchat. My IG contacts/feed never discuesses politics or activism.

Re: Facebook loses users for the first time

#200

Post by Gustomaximus » Thu, Feb 03, 2022, 2:46 AM UTC

kumarvvr wrote: post #140

josefrichter wrote: post #131

My 16yo daughter says FB is for old people and nobody in her age group is using it.

I guess the business model of social media companies is coming to fore. FB has a captive audience, that is aging with facebook and will continue using it. It is clear why FB purchases IG / WA. They are paying money to capture audiences with money earned from FB. Going ahead, the cycle will repeat. Once the teens in IG grow into adults, FB will use money from that to buy / make another platform. In this context, the m…

Or perhaps your daughter will start using it in here early 20's when life gets busier and people dont have the same interaction expectations?

I dont know the answer but as a non-FB user I do see limitations when people organise events or group chats on messenger. If my wife wasn't connected to most of my friends I'd probably miss out on a bunch of relevant things. So for youth not on FB, I guess time will bring them back into the fold.