Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Economists study what happens when people stop using Facebook

calnewport.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

11–20 of 167 posts

Re: Economists study what happens when people stop using Facebook

#11

Post by Barrin92 »

Calvin02 wrote: post #7

HN's Facebook obsession is so unproductive. Let it go already. Focus on building your own thing. Yes, people use Facebook. No, you don't have to. Edit: yes, please downvote this comment. Let the HN naval gazing continue.

>Yes, people use Facebook. No, you don't have to.

I know several people who essentially need to maintain facebook and other social media presence to be employed because they work in social media adjacent fields or journalism, where social networks are nowadays the main source to do basic things like get into contact with sources and so on.

So no many people are actually dragged into these networks rather involuntarily. The same is also true when it comes to people's dating lives if one looks at the behaviour of particularly young people.

Re: Economists study what happens when people stop using Facebook

#12

Post by thrwaway69 »

Calvin02 wrote: post #7

HN's Facebook obsession is so unproductive. Let it go already. Focus on building your own thing. Yes, people use Facebook. No, you don't have to. Edit: yes, please downvote this comment. Let the HN naval gazing continue.

Not the first thing hn has a strong obsession with though. (Google? WeWork?)

I bet many of the people here grind their teeths when they see mark Zuckerberg earning billions doing what they didn't and now can't because of Facebook Monopoly on social media apps. They patched up every way to connect inside their walled garden and grab the existing users.

As a side note, make a Facebook account and never log in beside the first time with zillions of anti tracking plugins. People who will otherwise ask for your Facebook can just search your name (they do this first before asking) and send a friend request, and I doubt anyone would ask why you didn't accept their friend request because

A. You might not like them or so will they think. They will be afraid to open up that they are bothered by you not accepting the friend request. After some time, if you remain friendly irl or on other platform they will think maybe you forgot or something. They will make up a reason for you that satisfies them of the image they have of you for not accepting the friend request.

B. They simply send too many friend request to remember whether someone accepted or not.

Re: Economists study what happens when people stop using Facebook

#15

Post by mastazi »

For me the greatest improvement came from stopping using Twitter and Reddit rather than Facebook or Instagram (I quit using all four within the last year, Youtube is the only social media service that I'm still regularly consuming, I'd like to quit that too), of course this is based on my personal situation and the way I personally use all of those media. In my specific case I have the impression that Twitter and Reddit are somehow more addictive and they used to have the largest detrimental impact on my mental health. With Facebook, that impact is moderate and with Instagram I would say almost non existent.

Re: Economists study what happens when people stop using Facebook

#16

Post by wideasleep1 »

ryannevius wrote: post #3

TL;DR from the abstract of the actual study: > In a randomized experiment, we find that deactivating Facebook for the four weeks before the 2018 US midterm election (i) reduced online activity, while increasing offline activities such as watching TV alone and socializing with family and friends; (ii) reduced both factual news knowledge and political polarization; (iii) increased subjective well-being; and (iv) caused…

" (ii) reduced both factual news knowledge and political polarization; "

I interpret that as 'reduced propaganda and it's resultant effects". Much like giving up television.

Re: Economists study what happens when people stop using Facebook

#17

Post by sincerely »

whiddershins wrote: post #13

I can’t overstate how transformative a 2 year Facebook hiatus has been. Maybe I was an extreme case, but it had a horrible effect on me and I would never consider using it regularly again.

Instagram has so many low-quality ads that show up so frequently when scrolling through the feed/stories that it's like they don't even WANT me to get addicted

Re: Economists study what happens when people stop using Facebook

#18

Post by JoeyJoJoJunior »

whiddershins wrote: post #13

I can’t overstate how transformative a 2 year Facebook hiatus has been. Maybe I was an extreme case, but it had a horrible effect on me and I would never consider using it regularly again.

In what way did it have a horrible effect for you?

Re: Economists study what happens when people stop using Facebook

#19

Post by Calvin02 »

saagarjha wrote: post #8
Calvin02 wrote: post #7

HN's Facebook obsession is so unproductive. Let it go already. Focus on building your own thing. Yes, people use Facebook. No, you don't have to. Edit: yes, please downvote this comment. Let the HN naval gazing continue.

People who use Facebook often ask you to use Facebook, too…

That’s a stupid argument. Plenty of people now state that they aren’t active on social networks.

HN just has an unhealthy obsession with Facebook.

Get over it already.

Re: Economists study what happens when people stop using Facebook

#20

Post by Calvin02 »

Barrin92 wrote: post #11
Calvin02 wrote: post #7

HN's Facebook obsession is so unproductive. Let it go already. Focus on building your own thing. Yes, people use Facebook. No, you don't have to. Edit: yes, please downvote this comment. Let the HN naval gazing continue.

>Yes, people use Facebook. No, you don't have to. I know several people who essentially need to maintain facebook and other social media presence to be employed because they work in social media adjacent fields or journalism, where social networks are nowadays the main source to do basic things like get into contact with sources and so on. So no many people are actually dragged into these networks rather involuntaril…

I could have sworn that HN told me that Twitter is for journalists and not Facebook.

Regardless, they presumably maintain a Facebook presence because that’s where people are, but that’s not where you have to be. Shocking, I know.

Post reply on HN