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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

#211

I feel like half the comments here about "facebook dying" and how "facebook can't compete with tiktok" are missing the big picture about facebook. For a lot of people, facebook basically is the internet. The same way AOL was a long time ago. Everyone they want to talk to as they go about their day is there. Basically every business in the US that bothers with an online presence at all either has a facebook page or ex…

It's not just Facebook. For some people Instagram is the internet. For others Reddit is the internet. For others YouTube. Lots of people log into one app or website and get all their news, culture, politics, entertainment, sports in that one place.

It's interesting that you call it the new Aol, to me it's the new Yahoo.com.

Maybe in hindsight it's always been this way?

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

#212

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…

> the bottom line (to me) is that Facebook just doesn't respect its users or care about their needs. Wouldn't a consequence of this be that Facebook would be losing users in drovers? And yet the data seem to disagree. This is a type of take that feels very "inside baseball" and fueled more by the feelings of its proponents than any kind of empiricism.

That's a fair point.

I think another perspective is that this is a case of businesses chasing (or being forced to chase) endless 'growth'.

Facebook is likely optimising to increase engagement and revenue.

But in my humble opinion the Facebook of the early 2000s was close to perfect in terms of use. Obviously leaving the product the same wasn't going to drive that revenue and make the careers of all the employees.

I wish Facebook remained as the platform I could jump on a couple of times a week to see what distant friends and my Grandma was up to. For a while they somehow managed to have just the right balance where it seemed like everyone on the planet would eventually sign up.

It felt like this was a huge step forward in how the world communicated.

Logging onto Facebook in 2022 is a cesspit of flashy videos and clickbait posts. What a disappointment.

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

#213
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…

7+ hours makes me picture a copy of On the Shortness of Life bursting into bright hot flame and disintegrating.

Not that I’m much better.

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

#214
post #74

It’s crazy to think the social media era may finally be ending. There’s really no viable platform anymore where you can just go passively keep up with what friends and acquaintances are doing. Everything is about feeding you content you didn’t ask for but may be targeted enough to catch your attention. And for what? To show you some ads here and there? To collect data that can be used to… sell more ads and products?…

It's been an interesting path. It went from the early days where you'd post just about anything, then people tightened up on what felt "good enough" and some of the charm was lost. I got the sense that people became more anxious about what reached that "good enough" mark. A friend who was making a living from putting up Instagram content just abruptly started turning down money and stopped posting. No one should be fretting about sharing content because they worry about how their grid looks - it's idiotic. I think that slowdown in content in part (also, fending off rivals) brought about Stories.

I grew to appreciate Stories as a way to tell the behind-the-scenes story of the main feed highlight shot/video. And the ability to save those screens into actual stories (of an outing or a project).

Then they ramped up ads, added Reels and wrecked the way the main feed works with integrating Reels. Reels feels like the step too far. Revert the main feed UI, let me switch off all suggested content (not just for 30 days, you bastards), tone down the ads, and I'll be OK.

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

#215

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…

They're building it back better.

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

#216

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…

It'd be more like if McDonald's used the same ingredients and stuffed them into taco and burrito shapes and lazily renamed themselves to something like mcdonaria, had their employees say hola when you walk in and their receipts say gracias...

The issue is Facebook misunderstand both their customers and their competition so they're just blindly smashing things together

I blame modern tech hiring processes that filter out people who aren't conforming enthusiastic obedient cheerleaders.

You get a sustain and self-extinguish product instead of one that can respond to what the necessity of the times demand

You must have passionate grumps otherwise you're just shaking pom-poms as you run over a cliff.

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

#217

I feel like half the comments here about "facebook dying" and how "facebook can't compete with tiktok" are missing the big picture about facebook. For a lot of people, facebook basically is the internet. The same way AOL was a long time ago. Everyone they want to talk to as they go about their day is there. Basically every business in the US that bothers with an online presence at all either has a facebook page or ex…

No.

Facebook DOES NOT OWN social networking. Facebook improved on an existing design at the right time, PERIOD! Now, as before, the world has moved on, and the bubble has burst. The laggards in 3rd world countries will flock to the next service to disrupt social media, just like before. Facebook innovated at a time when mobile phones were being delivered to these countries. Not because they were a superior service or somehow godlike in its ability to hold mindshare. Tiktok, by its very nature, is its own worse enermy. Chinas economy is crumbling as we speak, and its not going to be long before the CCP will get caught with their hands in the cookie jar. No one makes money in China without authority from the superme leader. And No one can be more famous then the supreme leader. Tiktok, tiktok; Huawi 2.0.

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

#218

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'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).

Apple would sell exactly one kind of burger, which is great but costs $20. The wrapper is rose gold or space grey. Only Apple-certified condiments can be applied to the burgers, and a packet of ketchup is $5. Each year the faithful queue outside for the privilege of obtaining the latest burger.

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

#219
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…

Doomscrolling. Once you're aware of it, you see it everywhere.

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

#220

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…

It'd be more like if McDonald's used the same ingredients and stuffed them into taco and burrito shapes and lazily renamed themselves to something like mcdonaria, had their employees say hola when you walk in and their receipts say gracias... The issue is Facebook misunderstand both their customers and their competition so they're just blindly smashing things together I blame modern tech hiring processes that filter…

> their customers

Just so we're clear, the users are NOT the customers. I think Facebook absolutely understands their customers -- the companies that spend the most advertising and marketing through Facebook.

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