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Facebook – You are the Product

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Re: Facebook – You are the Product

#31

Post by olympus »

I'm here to fix some ignorance, since the source of the "you are the product" idea is not these books.

Metafilter user blue_beetle first put this idea online when he said "If you are not paying for it, you're not the customer; you're the product being sold" in response to the Digg revolt of 2010. The idea apparently existed for a few decades prior regarding TV advertising. I prefer to think blue_beetle was the one who brought it into the zeitgeist.

http://www.metafilter.com/95152/Userdriven-discontent

http://quoteinvestigator.com/2017/07/16/product/

Edit: Alex3917 posted a similar idea on HN on 6 May 2010, beating blue_beetle by a couple months. Gotta give credit where it's due: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15030959

Re: Facebook – You are the Product

#32

Post by ProAm »

notadoc wrote: post #5

I stopped using Facebook years ago and I could not recommend it more. I found it to be mental pollution at best and and a total waste of time. If you want to 'keep in touch' with people, call or text them. Make an effort to actually interact with the people who matter to you.

> call or text them

There is no difference between a call or text and a message on FB, the medium doesn't change the context.

Re: Facebook – You are the Product

#33

Post by spacelizard »

akeck wrote: post #6

I wonder if, in the future, being able not to be on any social media will be an higher class privilege.

The real privilege that derives from this is being able to live without being bombarded with advertising. To be able to have a meaningful conversation with a business that isn't predicated on them trying to analyze your behavior as part of a demographic group. To not be bucketed into a predefined economic segment based on your life experiences.

Re: Facebook – You are the Product

#34

Post by mandie »

bauerd wrote: post #16
edison85 wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is it actually possible to keep messenger without Facebook? Because Facebook is a complete time wasting, spam filled, mind dulling echo chamber platform that I keep going back to due to habit. If I log out or deactivate I completely don't care after a few days, but messenger is essential to me.

Yes, and I didn't know that either until I tried it out. My regular FB account is "deactivated", but Messenger works just fine. They seem to have decoupled both products some time ago.

They removed that possibility some time ago. Now if you disable your Facebook account, it's reactivated as soon as you log into Messenger. Tried it just a few days ago.

Re: Facebook – You are the Product

#35

Post by kome »

akeck wrote: post #6

I wonder if, in the future, being able not to be on any social media will be an higher class privilege.

Am I lower or upper class by not being on Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram or Twitter?

I am on last.fm tho ;) but not with my real name.

Re: Facebook – You are the Product

#36

Post by guyzero »

olympus wrote: post #31

I'm here to fix some ignorance, since the source of the "you are the product" idea is not these books. Metafilter user blue_beetle first put this idea online when he said "If you are not paying for it, you're not the customer; you're the product being sold" in response to the Digg revolt of 2010. The idea apparently existed for a few decades prior regarding TV advertising. I prefer to think blue_beetle was the one wh…

As much as I give blue-beetle credit for having one of the earliest print references for that exact turn of phrase, I had definitely heard it before then. I don't think he really brought it into the zeitgeist, but then again I haven't talked to the entire zeitgeist about it yet.

Re: Facebook – You are the Product

#37

Post by d-sc »

ProAm wrote: post #32
notadoc wrote: post #5

I stopped using Facebook years ago and I could not recommend it more. I found it to be mental pollution at best and and a total waste of time. If you want to 'keep in touch' with people, call or text them. Make an effort to actually interact with the people who matter to you.

> call or text them There is no difference between a call or text and a message on FB, the medium doesn't change the context.

A call or text is a different interaction than scrolling through an infinite newsfeed designed to keep you addicted.

Re: Facebook – You are the Product

#38

Post by axus »

ProAm wrote: post #32
notadoc wrote: post #5

I stopped using Facebook years ago and I could not recommend it more. I found it to be mental pollution at best and and a total waste of time. If you want to 'keep in touch' with people, call or text them. Make an effort to actually interact with the people who matter to you.

> call or text them There is no difference between a call or text and a message on FB, the medium doesn't change the context.

The medium is not the message?

Re: Facebook – You are the Product

#40

Post by olympus »

akeck wrote: post #6

I wonder if, in the future, being able not to be on any social media will be an higher class privilege.

I think it already is. I recently deleted my FB and Twitter accounts. I had to keep my LinkedIn account because a recruiter told me that if I didn't have at least some online persona then I was weird and wouldn't be hired. I guess I'm not rich enough to delete all my social media.
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