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Facebook's TikTok-like redesign marks sunset of social networking era

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Re: Facebook's TikTok-like redesign marks sunset of social networking era

#171

Post by HeyItsMatt »

SrslyJosh wrote: post #6

Nobody hates Facebook users more than Facebook, I guess. :-/ I've tried to type out several pithy comments, but the bottom line (to me) is that Facebook just doesn't respect its users or care about their needs. Can you imagine if brick-and-mortar businesses tried to do this? You go out for a Big Mac, but it's not on the menu anymore because Taco Bell had a few really good quarters, so McDonald's decided to pivot to t…

Facebook doesn't respect it's users, it's staff, or it's retail investors. As the companies stock is currently structured it exists as Mark Zuckerberg's personal plaything and no one can get rid of him until he runs out of cash.

Re: Facebook's TikTok-like redesign marks sunset of social networking era

#172

Post by irjustin »

mysterydip wrote: post #29
jallen_dot_dev wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sounds awful, but it could be worse. At least the Facebook-managed McDonald's is trying to chase after what most people seem to want. A Google-managed McDonald's would just shut down, even though everyone loves McDonald's, because somebody at Google figured starting a new fast food chain is the best path to a promotion.

I don't think it's what people want, per se. I think it's what some metrics say people want. Might be good for "engagement", but bad for retention in the long term. People were on facebook for the features facebook had.

> I don't think it's what people want, per se. I think it's what some metrics say people want

This is true and realistically this is what any business should be chasing. People don't know what they want is something I sincerely believe in.

I do agree that people are good a voicing problems, but not desires.

Re: Facebook's TikTok-like redesign marks sunset of social networking era

#174

Post by safety1st »

alecb wrote: post #135
safety1st wrote: post #107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To quote the article Facebook really has "unleashed waves of democratic empowerment" among the youth in certain countries where democracy is not present or is under serious assault and the domestic media is censored. If some random dictatorship has strict anti-speech laws Meta is way more lax about following them than the domestic media (who are just going to get arrested if they don't). This really has created a gen…

I agree with most of your point but why be dismissive of the very evident reality of how corroded democracy has become in the Western world in large part because of how Facebook-poisoned certain demographics and their elected representives have become? https://twitter.com/USA_Polling/status/1552006668514369536 Two-thirds of respondents (67.2%, 95% CI 66.1%, 68.4%) perceived “a serious threat to our democracy,” but mo…

Because frankly all of that stuff isn't really a big deal (and I knew I'd get a rise when I brought this up, couldn't help myself).

I've seen a coup staged firsthand, directly experienced it happening in a country I lived in, watched the tanks rolling down the road to the government district which they proceeded to occupy, and everything that came before and after.

In the US there are a lot of people with loony opinions out there, but fundamentally there's a military which is on the side of the elected government. There's an elections process which is too distributed to suspend or corrupt nationally (sure it can get screwed up locally and does). There's also a free media and Internet. These are the pillars that hold up both the good and bad democracies around the world.

People with a lot of anxiety will poke holes in all of those statements, they will list the ways the US is messed up because that's what they know. But it's just not the same as a country where the elected government actually falls. US institutions today are all vastly healthier today than the countries where that happens.

I think it's good to have some degree of anxiety because it pushes us to solve problems but the US just isn't having a civil war or having its civilian government replaced any time soon, I'd stake everything I own on it.

Re: Facebook's TikTok-like redesign marks sunset of social networking era

#175

Post by HeyItsMatt »

quartesixte wrote: post #17
SrslyJosh wrote: post #6

Nobody hates Facebook users more than Facebook, I guess. :-/ I've tried to type out several pithy comments, but the bottom line (to me) is that Facebook just doesn't respect its users or care about their needs. Can you imagine if brick-and-mortar businesses tried to do this? You go out for a Big Mac, but it's not on the menu anymore because Taco Bell had a few really good quarters, so McDonald's decided to pivot to t…

This isn’t “Taco Bell outsold McDonald’s for six months so all of a sudden McD’s sells McTacos.” This is, “McDonald’s realizes about two years too late that no one wants to eat burgers anymore so in a last-ditch attempt they add tacos to the menu.”

You laugh, but there are still franchisee owned stores selling McPizza and *the horror, the horror* McSalads.

Re: Facebook's TikTok-like redesign marks sunset of social networking era

#176

Post by hiimshort »

jallen_dot_dev wrote: post #23
SrslyJosh wrote: post #6

Nobody hates Facebook users more than Facebook, I guess. :-/ I've tried to type out several pithy comments, but the bottom line (to me) is that Facebook just doesn't respect its users or care about their needs. Can you imagine if brick-and-mortar businesses tried to do this? You go out for a Big Mac, but it's not on the menu anymore because Taco Bell had a few really good quarters, so McDonald's decided to pivot to t…

Sounds awful, but it could be worse. At least the Facebook-managed McDonald's is trying to chase after what most people seem to want. A Google-managed McDonald's would just shut down, even though everyone loves McDonald's, because somebody at Google figured starting a new fast food chain is the best path to a promotion.

I've enjoyed the analogy so adding onto it:

Google would open up 5 competing, different burger places next to each other and then close them all down a year later, confused that none of them did well enough. All to open a new Taco stand on the other side of town and claim it's got the same great food you liked before (it doesn't).

Re: Facebook's TikTok-like redesign marks sunset of social networking era

#177

Post by robswc »

antoineMoPa wrote: post #168
robswc wrote: post #77

I know it sounds dumb but its hard to say we haven't moved closer to what only ~10 years ago we considered a "playful exaggeration" on the worst of humans and social media. In WallE, everyone is floating around in chairs having their content spoon-fed to them with a generous amount of ads mixed in. If you've ever scrolled or seen someone scroll, its kinda close. Just mindlessly moving their thumb up and down, taking…

I like the comparison with Wall-E, but I'm not sure TikTok is worse than watching/zapping television for an hour (regarding your 10% of last hour question). That's what a couple of generations of adults has been doing with their evenings already. Also, your 15 minutes timer seems like a good idea! I should try that.

Oh yea, I think TV is just as bad in a lot of ways. It could arguably waste more time as the "nonsense" can be longer... but at least there's no magic DVR that is playing you carefully selected channels designed to keep you hooked, haha.

I totally get that ppl have been doing this forever... it just seems tiktok has taken it up another level. A real time/attention sucker on a truly massive and global scale beyond TV/Youtube.

And yep! I think 15 minutes is perfect. I think there is benefit to just having funny/mindless/interesting videos lined up to unwind at the end of the day or on a break... its just I can't imagine how some ppl rack up close to "part-time job" hours on it haha.

Re: Facebook's TikTok-like redesign marks sunset of social networking era

#178

Post by owlninja »

stevenjgarner wrote: post #158
owlninja wrote: post #136

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Anecdotally I quit Facebook in 2016 but of my friends and family that still use it, I would say most simply use it for marketplace. They may still view the updates that people still post to see what's going on but it doesn't seem to be near as about keeping in touch (I'm in the US).

For those of us in families that are spread over the globe in a dozen time zones and separated in different countries, what other methods of connection even come close to social media? Facebook (and the rest) have provided a way for us to vicariously experience glimpses into each other's lives and in many cases reconnect with people who we never would have otherwise.

I can understand this for sure! In my experience Facebook degraded and a lot of people that just posted pictures with small updates moved to Instagram. Again, anecdotally, I have a pocket of friends in Prague and they mostly used Instagram. But now Instagram is moving the same way with a clutter of suggested posts or 'reels' - or whatever their version is.

Re: Facebook's TikTok-like redesign marks sunset of social networking era

#179

Post by agrajag »

antoineMoPa wrote: post #168
robswc wrote: post #77

I know it sounds dumb but its hard to say we haven't moved closer to what only ~10 years ago we considered a "playful exaggeration" on the worst of humans and social media. In WallE, everyone is floating around in chairs having their content spoon-fed to them with a generous amount of ads mixed in. If you've ever scrolled or seen someone scroll, its kinda close. Just mindlessly moving their thumb up and down, taking…

I like the comparison with Wall-E, but I'm not sure TikTok is worse than watching/zapping television for an hour (regarding your 10% of last hour question). That's what a couple of generations of adults has been doing with their evenings already. Also, your 15 minutes timer seems like a good idea! I should try that.

With TikTok I do worry about the short form nature of it and impact on attention spans.

TV is also very passive, but most content still requires thinking about a narrative for an extended period.

Re: Facebook's TikTok-like redesign marks sunset of social networking era

#180

Post by fnordpiglet »

mysterydip wrote: post #29
jallen_dot_dev wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sounds awful, but it could be worse. At least the Facebook-managed McDonald's is trying to chase after what most people seem to want. A Google-managed McDonald's would just shut down, even though everyone loves McDonald's, because somebody at Google figured starting a new fast food chain is the best path to a promotion.

I don't think it's what people want, per se. I think it's what some metrics say people want. Might be good for "engagement", but bad for retention in the long term. People were on facebook for the features facebook had.

Well, what people want if you define people as humans between the age of 18 and 24 and ignore the rest.
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