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Why Meta is tanking and how Zuckerberg can fix it

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61–70 of 79 posts

Re: Why Meta is tanking and how Zuckerberg can fix it

#61
post #24

facebook is bad because it is run with an iron fist by a single person. Eventually Zuckerberg was surrounded by yesmen. This is almost impossible to avoid. With wealth inequality on the rise, the yesman industry has developed a lot of tradecraft that has made them better at the extraction of that wealth. This creates mania, and with no oversight, the entire company is subject to his manic whims.

Strange. I think Facebook is bad because they've turned a decent, useful product into a cash-generation machine... to the detriment of the original product. So much so that many have decided that it's not worth dealing with the cash-generating cancer to access the compromised functionality of the core product. Zuck is in a unique position where he has full control over Facebook. He could declare today that Facebook d…

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Re: Why Meta is tanking and how Zuckerberg can fix it

#62
post #50

Zuckerberg seems to really think that VR is the next ”big thing” like the iPhone. I’m curious what people here think about that. I’m currently on the skeptical side for a couple of reasons. The tech isn’t there. These headsets are bulky and ugly, only very dedicated users are willing to wear them for hours a day. Maybe someday they’ll be the size of Google glass, but it’s certainly too early to bet your company on it…

Idk about VR but I think AR could possibly become a winner (assuming fundamental problems like battery life and headset weight are solved)

Everyone has this mindset that VR must be coupled with greater immersion. I think the real “value unlock” will be when it’s just for casual side browsing alongside daily life, like how most people use smartphones

Will the tech ever get there? Will this even be good for daily life? Probably not. But it might be addictive enough to displace smartphone usage.

Immersion is too intense. Nobody wants to be immersed for more than maybe an hour, so VR will always just be a toy

Re: Why Meta is tanking and how Zuckerberg can fix it

#63
post #24

facebook is bad because it is run with an iron fist by a single person. Eventually Zuckerberg was surrounded by yesmen. This is almost impossible to avoid. With wealth inequality on the rise, the yesman industry has developed a lot of tradecraft that has made them better at the extraction of that wealth. This creates mania, and with no oversight, the entire company is subject to his manic whims.

My coworker just told us a story in this morning's meeting about signing up for Facebook. He created an account about a week ago, but didn't upload anything, post, or put in any optional information. Yesterday he received an email notifying him that his account was suspended because it 'violated community guidelines'. The just lost what would have been a new customer, over what, exactly? Who knows...

Re: Why Meta is tanking and how Zuckerberg can fix it

#64
post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How many people will pay 2x the price of Disney+/Spotify/Netflix for a blue check on Twitter?

90% of the people who currently have them is my guess. Though the winds of social favor may shift as Twitter becomes open to more diversity of thought.

I use Twitter more than I should - though in a read-only context - and I don't understand what "diversity of thought" is missing at the moment. You can go on any leftist's Twitter and see replies calling them communist, calling trans people mentally ill, etc. The only stuff getting banned consistently is either incitement, like calling for "death con 3" on a group of people or outright racial/gendered slurs. There are mass-reporting campaigns (targeting individuals from both "sides"), but these are usually overturned and are not entirely Twitter's fault. Sure, better moderation would improve the outcome in mass-reporting cases, but it's less a case of bad policy and more a case of Twitter needing to invest more in moderation. Something I think is less likely now that Twitter is loaded up with debt.

Re: Why Meta is tanking and how Zuckerberg can fix it

#65
post #50

Zuckerberg seems to really think that VR is the next ”big thing” like the iPhone. I’m curious what people here think about that. I’m currently on the skeptical side for a couple of reasons. The tech isn’t there. These headsets are bulky and ugly, only very dedicated users are willing to wear them for hours a day. Maybe someday they’ll be the size of Google glass, but it’s certainly too early to bet your company on it…

Zuckerberg hit the lottery with Facebook. It was a success despite of him. Right place at the right time and all. It wasn't a formula that could be repeated, so Zuckerberg is SOL. The key to playing poker is knowing when to fold. Zuckerberg's vanity won't allow him to do so and ironically enough it's the main reason why he won't succeed again.

Re: Why Meta is tanking and how Zuckerberg can fix it

#66
post #50

Zuckerberg seems to really think that VR is the next ”big thing” like the iPhone. I’m curious what people here think about that. I’m currently on the skeptical side for a couple of reasons. The tech isn’t there. These headsets are bulky and ugly, only very dedicated users are willing to wear them for hours a day. Maybe someday they’ll be the size of Google glass, but it’s certainly too early to bet your company on it…

Idk about VR but I think AR could possibly become a winner (assuming fundamental problems like battery life and headset weight are solved) Everyone has this mindset that VR must be coupled with greater immersion. I think the real “value unlock” will be when it’s just for casual side browsing alongside daily life, like how most people use smartphones Will the tech ever get there? Will this even be good for daily life?…

I guess maybe it'll have a chance with low-profile "Meta glasses". The joy of smartphones is their ubiquity and super low friction to use - until one can easily pull out the AR during a boring moment in a restaurant I can't see it having the same draw.

Re: Why Meta is tanking and how Zuckerberg can fix it

#67
post #50

Zuckerberg seems to really think that VR is the next ”big thing” like the iPhone. I’m curious what people here think about that. I’m currently on the skeptical side for a couple of reasons. The tech isn’t there. These headsets are bulky and ugly, only very dedicated users are willing to wear them for hours a day. Maybe someday they’ll be the size of Google glass, but it’s certainly too early to bet your company on it…

My take on VR is that it's great for creating an ambiance that would be very expensive in reality. For instance I can and do watch movies in large fancy VR theaters while at home I have a regular TV. Certainly, there are lots of quibbles around that with sound, resolution, when you have multiple people, etc.

I keep trying to use it for work but it's just not there yet. I find it easier to talk to strangers in person than in VR for some reason. It seems to me like it's going to be a long slog until VR is ubiquitous. I think it was too soon for Meta to bet the company on.

Re: Why Meta is tanking and how Zuckerberg can fix it

#68
post #12
post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're more optimistic than I am that charging for verification would be an effective way to make money for Twitter. More likely I think it'll just lead to far fewer blue checks and no significant change of revenue.

And it may also make the blue ticks meaningless, if just anyone can pay and get them.

Not meaningless, paid blue checkmark would mean that somebody has a business interest in their use of Twitter (which means they're marketing to me). Now I know exactly which accounts to not follow.

Re: Why Meta is tanking and how Zuckerberg can fix it

#69
post #36
post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's how universities with donor and alumni preference work. They let in notable people more easily and people that test well may even get a scholarship, and others can bribe to be included in the club.

Bribing your way into an elite college costs a lot more than $20/month, though. As a society, we also confer prestige on a lot of things that basically amount to spending a prohibitively large sum of money: running a foundation; being an angel investor; owning a sports team, champion racehorse, Lamborghini, etc. But if just anybody can afford something and the only barrier to entry is cost, then it has no social curr…

> Bribing your way into an elite college costs a lot more than $20/month, though.

So will the checkmark once they price discriminate on wealth or follower count.

Re: Why Meta is tanking and how Zuckerberg can fix it

#70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Idk about VR but I think AR could possibly become a winner (assuming fundamental problems like battery life and headset weight are solved) Everyone has this mindset that VR must be coupled with greater immersion. I think the real “value unlock” will be when it’s just for casual side browsing alongside daily life, like how most people use smartphones Will the tech ever get there? Will this even be good for daily life?…

I guess maybe it'll have a chance with low-profile "Meta glasses". The joy of smartphones is their ubiquity and super low friction to use - until one can easily pull out the AR during a boring moment in a restaurant I can't see it having the same draw.

> until one can easily pull out the AR during a boring moment in a restaurant I can't see it having the same draw

Agreed

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