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Facebook loses users for the first time

washingtonpost.com

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Re: Facebook loses users for the first time

#261

Post by dont__panic »

UltraViolence wrote: post #188
monkeybutton wrote: post #2

Its already frustrating enough having to use Facebook just to look up a restaurant's information, the set times for a concert, or whatever about a local business or event. If all that stuff starts to disappear behind a meta-verse wall, I might just leap off the nearest bridge instead.

Given the efficacy of Facebook's targeted advertising this may be inevitable. Some random website containing a restaurant's information simply isn't worth maintaining if all your customers use Facebook anyway.

All of your customers will continue to be Facebook users if you post things on a Facebook page that only Facebook users can view. And Facebook users are an apparently diminishing portion of the population, as per the article this thread is discussing...

Not a good plan for any business, I would think. Would be nice to see more businesses on Mastodon or (gasp!) just run their own websites again. Can you imagine how difficult it must be for a business to buy a domain, hosting, and slap together a static site in this day and age?

Re: Facebook loses users for the first time

#262

Post by irrational »

Waterluvian wrote: post #126
monkeybutton wrote: post #2

Its already frustrating enough having to use Facebook just to look up a restaurant's information, the set times for a concert, or whatever about a local business or event. If all that stuff starts to disappear behind a meta-verse wall, I might just leap off the nearest bridge instead.

Why have I never ever run into this problem in the ten years of not having Facebook? Admittedly I use Google for the answers. But I’ve never once needed FB. Is this a regional thing? Some areas exclusively use FB for a storefront?

This is my question too. I’ve never used Facebook, yet I’ve never had any trouble finding the information I am looking for. Is it just very very specific places?

Re: Facebook loses users for the first time

#263

Post by rdtwo »

Pasorrijer wrote: post #253
irrational wrote: post #248

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have never used Facebook and I’ve never had trouble finding that kind of information on non-Facebook sites. Are you just used to looking on Facebook first?

There are many businesses (Restaurants, doggy daycare) that no longer have websites but have transitioned solely to a Facebook page for cost and technical ease of maintenance reasons.

Yeah it’s terrible and I’m sure it’s costs then a lot of business

Re: Facebook loses users for the first time

#264

Post by irrational »

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…

How is the coffee one even possible? I don’t drink coffee, but almost everyone else I know does. There is a Starbucks on every corner. Every coffee shack always has lines.

Re: Facebook loses users for the first time

#265

Post by [deleted] »

hn_throwaway_99 wrote: post #211
kumarvvr wrote: post #140

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

Except there are 2 major differences: 1. Even if FB isn't forced to divest their recent acquisitions, the regulatory environment will make it much more difficult to do the equivalent of buying Instagram in the future. 2. Any good ideas on how I can short "The Metaverse"? I still think the Metaverse is bullshit and will continue to be bullshit for the near future. The very first time I got on Facebook I was pretty ent…

[deleted]

Re: Facebook loses users for the first time

#266

Post by Osiris »

I use Facebook almost exclusively for local motorcycle groups and my BJJ gym.

For small, local groups, Facebook is a great free way to setup events (like group rides) and share hobbies.

My motorcycle group used to use Meetup but it has a fee and has much lower engagement.

I've stopped using it as a way to communicate with family and friends because of the toxicity related to political divisions. I had to leave a family group messenger chat when two of my brothers started calling my oldest brother vulgar names while talking about my Aunt and Uncle dying of COVID.

Re: Facebook loses users for the first time

#267

Post by gammarator »

vorpalhex wrote: post #223
dustintrex wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

TikTok, for it's many faults, is at least not ragebait farming. It is distracting junk. Facebook feels more malicious in my mind.

Not yet. If Facebook can produce so many conspiracy theorists and so much radicalization, what will TikTok be capable of?

Re: Facebook loses users for the first time

#268

Post by Osiris »

itisit wrote: post #170
petilon wrote: post #132

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But they use Instagram instead. Either way Zuck wins.

Actually TikTok is now the leader with teens. [0] And I don't believe the CCP would allow a sale to a US-based company, least of all Facebook/Meta. [0] https://www.cnbc.com/2021/11/18/tiktok-usage-topped-instagra...

Isn't TikTok just videos though (I don't use it so I'm guessing)?

It doesn't really seem useful for sharing the same kind of information that people use Facebook for (mostly text based information, questions, etc).

Re: Facebook loses users for the first time

#269

Post by notreallyserio »

Waterluvian wrote: post #126
monkeybutton wrote: post #2

Its already frustrating enough having to use Facebook just to look up a restaurant's information, the set times for a concert, or whatever about a local business or event. If all that stuff starts to disappear behind a meta-verse wall, I might just leap off the nearest bridge instead.

Why have I never ever run into this problem in the ten years of not having Facebook? Admittedly I use Google for the answers. But I’ve never once needed FB. Is this a regional thing? Some areas exclusively use FB for a storefront?

It's possible you're not in the same market as us. Lots of small businesses have no interest in running and updating a website, especially when there's a free alternative that most of their customers have access to.

Re: Facebook loses users for the first time

#270

Post by harikb »

fouc wrote: post #79
rudyfink wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, it feels like a return to the walled-garden days of America Online, Prodigy, CompuServe, etc. Essentially, they seem to be want to create a separate network that they control--one that is not "internet-ed" to other networks in an open fashion.

That's an interesting comparison, I never before thought of AOL, Prodigy, and CompuServe as belonging to the walled-garden.

It was a walled garden in a slightly different sense. AOL tried their best to force companies to buy AOL “keyword” so that the clueless user doesn’t have to type .com or .net at the end. If you want a comparison, that is like Google putting “I am feeling lucky” as the only option and then auctioning off that result.
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