Out of all big tech companies Meta comes across as the biggest tech debt clusterfuck. Their public software is dangerously close to becoming the Yahoo of the 2020s.
Instagram ‘down’, suspending accounts for no apparent reason
61–68 of 68 posts
Re: Instagram ‘down’, suspending accounts for no apparent reason
#62Earlier quoted context omitted.
Yeah no average person cares about the difference between proprietary and free (as in freedom). If it does a thing, they'll use it. If it does a thing extremely poorly, but it's marketed well, they'll use it. If it does a thing, and they get censored continually, they'll use it. If it does a thing, but only via one method (you can't do it your way), they'll use it. If it does a thing while spying on their data, they'…
So... people will use _anything_ as long as it works. Are you saying that the "free (as in freedom)" alternatives to proprietary solutions don't work?
Not OP but I'm saying yes. I don't see people paying for hosting. Mastodon instances already have to beg for donations to keep up. There are no ads, no sponsored posts etc. so users have to donate. Most people won't pay for a services like this just like how most people don't pay for Discord, Reddit, or Instagram.
Re: Instagram ‘down’, suspending accounts for no apparent reason
#63I'm just hoping that if enough of these "incidents" happen, people will eventually stop using proprietary social media applications and use something free (as in freedom) and decentralized like Mastodon.
Here is how almost every conversation I've had with non-tech people about using any alternative web platform. me: have you ever tried X? it's an alternative for Y them: isn't that for racists or drug dealers or something?
If they've ever heard of it.
Sometimes though, it's true. I remember experimenting with Freenet a long time ago and discovering it was being heavily used for CSAM. I've never uninstalled something so fast.
Re: Instagram ‘down’, suspending accounts for no apparent reason
#64Earlier quoted context omitted.
Yeah no average person cares about the difference between proprietary and free (as in freedom). If it does a thing, they'll use it. If it does a thing extremely poorly, but it's marketed well, they'll use it. If it does a thing, and they get censored continually, they'll use it. If it does a thing, but only via one method (you can't do it your way), they'll use it. If it does a thing while spying on their data, they'…
So... people will use _anything_ as long as it works. Are you saying that the "free (as in freedom)" alternatives to proprietary solutions don't work?
As soon as you have to either pay for it or host it yourself, the extreme majority of the public will reject it.
Re: Instagram ‘down’, suspending accounts for no apparent reason
#65Earlier quoted context omitted.
Yeah no average person cares about the difference between proprietary and free (as in freedom). If it does a thing, they'll use it. If it does a thing extremely poorly, but it's marketed well, they'll use it. If it does a thing, and they get censored continually, they'll use it. If it does a thing, but only via one method (you can't do it your way), they'll use it. If it does a thing while spying on their data, they'…
So... people will use _anything_ as long as it works. Are you saying that the "free (as in freedom)" alternatives to proprietary solutions don't work?
They generally require more time and effort investment, and they don't ultimately offer what most people want from social media. #1 of which is to be where everyone else is; there's a very strong "winner takes all" effect. The only reason different networks exist is different enough policies and culture, despite their desire to turn into one another by copying each other's features.
Re: Instagram ‘down’, suspending accounts for no apparent reason
#66Earlier quoted context omitted.
Here is how almost every conversation I've had with non-tech people about using any alternative web platform. me: have you ever tried X? it's an alternative for Y them: isn't that for racists or drug dealers or something?
If they've ever heard of it. Sometimes though, it's true. I remember experimenting with Freenet a long time ago and discovering it was being heavily used for CSAM. I've never uninstalled something so fast.
If something lets you do things you can't do on the mainstream social network, that will be the dominant kind of thing done on the alternative.
Re: Instagram ‘down’, suspending accounts for no apparent reason
#67I'm just hoping that if enough of these "incidents" happen, people will eventually stop using proprietary social media applications and use something free (as in freedom) and decentralized like Mastodon.
Here is how almost every conversation I've had with non-tech people about using any alternative web platform. me: have you ever tried X? it's an alternative for Y them: isn't that for racists or drug dealers or something?
if only they weren't right 95% of the time. Anyone they know that uses alternative web platforms uses them for those exact reasons, and they're generally pretty correct in that assumption, who else would be motivated to use them to any discernible degree?
Re: Instagram ‘down’, suspending accounts for no apparent reason
#68It happened to me this morning. And going from this Reddit thread and twitter it’s pretty widespread and also random. https://reddit.com/r/Instagram/comments/yibnws/does_this_nor... And Instagram support on twitter responded https://twitter.com/InstagramComms/status/158708556379401830...
It happened to me, too, about twelve hours ago. I had just sent a request to follow a musician’s private account, something I’ve never done before. I then received a notice that my account had been permanently suspended for violating community guidelines. I went through a few steps to protest that suspension, including replying with codes sent to my e-mail address and phone. There was no immediate response from Instagram, but when I checked a few minutes ago the app was working for me again.
I haven’t posted anything to Instagram in several years, but I do follow a few dozen accounts of friends and of people producing content of interest to me. I thought it strange that Instagram’s AI would suspend my account for such innocuous behavior—I even click on ads occasionally—but there seems to have been a wider glitch.