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The Facebook experiment has failed

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Re: The Facebook experiment has failed

#141

Post by sergiosgc »

threeseed wrote: post #96
foobarbazqux wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> And so, every few weeks it seems, we get these posts from some techie who believes that his (it's always a man) experiences with social media are universal. On the other hand, technical people are like rats. They're the first to pile on to fresh meat (there was even a prominent website by this name...), and they're the first to flee when the place is burning down.

Your argument made sense in the years past where there only were technical people on the internet. But now it is less so. People are comfortable making their own choices on the internet and don't need the recommendations or advice of technical people like they did it in the past. Look at the success of Pinterest or Instagram for example. Neither grew because of technical people.

Pinterest and Instagram grew out from the base of early smartphone adopters. These is as techy a group as you can find...

Re: The Facebook experiment has failed

#142

Post by alphang »

calinet6 wrote: post #128
graue wrote: post #35

People really just don't seem to understand that experiences with social media are specific to the individual. I guess it's understandable. I see the same Google Maps as everyone else does. I see the same Hacker News as everyone else who visits HN. But Facebook isn't like that. Your Facebook timeline is based entirely on your friends and how you interact with Facebook. And so, every few weeks it seems, we get these p…

Brilliant. This is a perfect analysis of this article. People are using Facebook because they want to, not because some weird social power is forcing them to. My friends love it, my parents love it, heck my grandma thinks it's absolutely magical. We get to share things and communicate with family in a way we've never been able to ever. It's not replacing the deep connections and interpersonal relationships—you need t…

Funny you should mention 'forcing them to':

"I'll wake up in the morning and go on Facebook just ... because," Casey says. "It's not like I want to or I don't. I just go on it. I'm, like, forced to. I don't know why. I need to. Facebook takes up my whole life." http://kottke.org/13/05/wanting-to-be-liked

Re: The Facebook experiment has failed

#144

Post by gizzlon »

lostlogin wrote: post #120
bigiain wrote: post #119

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Seems to me that perhaps "reply all abuse" is indicative of poorly chosen recipient lists. (Which doesn't help if it wasn't you who sent the original mail…)

Yeah, I'm a recipient. Professional body that has god knows how many members who use the reply all to ask each other for coffee. I tried binning their emails but that caused havoc with bills/body requirements. It's awful.

Sounds more like a people problem than a email problem :)

Re: The Facebook experiment has failed

#145

Post by Larrikin »

hkmurakami wrote: post #60
graue wrote: post #35

People really just don't seem to understand that experiences with social media are specific to the individual. I guess it's understandable. I see the same Google Maps as everyone else does. I see the same Hacker News as everyone else who visits HN. But Facebook isn't like that. Your Facebook timeline is based entirely on your friends and how you interact with Facebook. And so, every few weeks it seems, we get these p…

I'm not a heavy FB user, but having lived in various places around the world, it's one of the few ways I can passively keep in touch with what my dear friends have been up to half way around the globe. That is real value that Facebook does deliver, something I must admit despite my wide ranged mistrust and distaste for various other aspects of the service.

I travel a lot and have done multiple study abroads on different continents when I was in college. I find this to be a gift and a curse of Facebook. Its great when they are genuinely interesting people that you share lots of interest with. But its awful when you have a good night or even a good week with the person and then you friend them on Facebook only to find out later you don't have much in common with them. It really dampers your mood when you look back at the old pictures and you're having a good time with someone you deleted because of all their irrelevant wall spam and complaints. Some relationships are much better when they are fleeting and you only have the good memories.

Re: The Facebook experiment has failed

#146

Post by tinha »

zt wrote: post #73
nostromo wrote: post #51

Lately I've noticed something odd. When I find a story I find interesting, I email it to some of my closest friends and we talk about it in email. It feels very 2003, but it works and feels more private and intimate. Similarly, when I take a picture I want to share with my family, I sms it to them. Facebook is still great, but it's different than what it used to be. It's (for me) evolved into my less-close friends' v…

My best friend and I actually run a ~100 person listserv to this end. We call it "Feed Your Brain" and people send out interesting articles, music, poetry, etc, they find on the internet. Sometimes there is a great discussion or debate, sometimes not. It is very private and intimate and it feels closer to early Reddit or HN than anything else I have found.

I use a private group on Facebook to share and talk with my closest friends.

Re: The Facebook experiment has failed

#149

Post by curiousdannii »

SideburnsOfDoom wrote: post #56
graue wrote: post #35

People really just don't seem to understand that experiences with social media are specific to the individual. I guess it's understandable. I see the same Google Maps as everyone else does. I see the same Hacker News as everyone else who visits HN. But Facebook isn't like that. Your Facebook timeline is based entirely on your friends and how you interact with Facebook. And so, every few weeks it seems, we get these p…

Yep - this is an old thing, it applies to twitter, LiveJournal or to any other social network where you pick who you read. It's more about your choices than anything else: If you don't like the content you're reading, read different people. However ... Facebook is probably the only social network where I feel a high level of obligation to add people like Aunt Jemima, and Bill who I went to college with, years ago. It…

But that obligation doesn't mean anything about what you read. Add them and ignore them if you want.

Re: The Facebook experiment has failed

#150

Post by antoko »

alphang wrote: post #142
calinet6 wrote: post #128

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Brilliant. This is a perfect analysis of this article. People are using Facebook because they want to, not because some weird social power is forcing them to. My friends love it, my parents love it, heck my grandma thinks it's absolutely magical. We get to share things and communicate with family in a way we've never been able to ever. It's not replacing the deep connections and interpersonal relationships—you need t…

Funny you should mention 'forcing them to': "I'll wake up in the morning and go on Facebook just ... because," Casey says. "It's not like I want to or I don't. I just go on it. I'm, like, forced to. I don't know why. I need to. Facebook takes up my whole life." http://kottke.org/13/05/wanting-to-be-liked

replace "facebook" with "HN" in the quote above... How many of us could have said that?

Are we forced to be here?

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