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Facebook Is Stealing Your Family’s Joy

nytimes.com

31–40 of 65 posts

Re: Facebook Is Stealing Your Family’s Joy

#31
post #23

Facebook is enhancing my family’s joy. My family is spread across the world. Because of Facebook, I know what my sister in law is up to, and have things to talk about with her when I see her. I know what my nieces do over the summer at the cabin, and have a connection to them. These hit pieces are ridiculous. If you don’t like Facebook, don’t use it.

> If you don’t like Facebook, don’t use it.

I don't use it. It doesn't prevent them from using me anyway though. They're happy asking my friends for their contacts list (so they can get my phone number) and setting cookies through their "Like" buttons embedded everywhere without ever asking for my permission.

The only way to stop that company is to kill it, and these "ridiculous" pieces might very well be the only solution (technical people have been sounding the alarm for ages and nothing happened, so maybe something will happen when a mainstream publication decides to attack them).

Re: Facebook Is Stealing Your Family’s Joy

#32
post #23

Facebook is enhancing my family’s joy. My family is spread across the world. Because of Facebook, I know what my sister in law is up to, and have things to talk about with her when I see her. I know what my nieces do over the summer at the cabin, and have a connection to them. These hit pieces are ridiculous. If you don’t like Facebook, don’t use it.

> If you don’t like Facebook, don’t use it. I don't use it. It doesn't prevent them from using me anyway though. They're happy asking my friends for their contacts list (so they can get my phone number) and setting cookies through their "Like" buttons embedded everywhere without ever asking for my permission. The only way to stop that company is to kill it, and these "ridiculous" pieces might very well be the only so…

So use an ad blocker. It's about thirty seconds to set up, and very user-friendly. Even with the default lists, they do a great job.

The reason I take issue is the word you used above: "attack". I think its use is telling. The New York Times has broken newsworthy information that was against Facebook, which I think is their job and a good thing to do. Newspapers, however, aren't really supposed to "attack" things. This is part of the reason there is such distrust in the media; many news publications are indeed attacking various things and not even trying to hide it.

Re: Facebook Is Stealing Your Family’s Joy

#33
post #30

Okay, the anti-Facebook sentiment (particularly by the New York Times) has gotten ridiculous. "They're stealing your joy"? Seriously? I understand they're not perfect and that they sell data. Because I understand this, I have chosen not to give them my data by not using their service. I get everyone has a bias, but the NYT isn't even trying to conceal it at this point. For what it's worth, my family has connected wit…

> I have chosen not to give them my data by not using their service

But they still get your data by stalking you in every app that embeds their SDK and by conning your less privacy-savvy friends into sharing their contacts list (with you in it) with them.

I can keep going for a long time - I don't think there's actually any limit as to how far this cancerous company will go as far as violating the world's privacy. If it's technically possible, Facebook will do it, regardless of laws, morals, etc.

Re: Facebook Is Stealing Your Family’s Joy

#34

Another hit piece by NYTimes against Facebook. Personally, sharing good news across Facebook/Instagram and receiving acknowledgements has been a very satisfying experience for me. More than that, as a consumer of Facebook, I also really appreciate when my friends post their achievements/milestones as it lets me stay up to date with what is going on in their lives. Facebook allows you to scale the sharing of your happ…

>Personally, sharing good news across Facebook/Instagram and receiving acknowledgements has been a very satisfying experience for me.

This is precisely the problem. They’re using that little dopamine hit to lure you into accepting the other awful things that make up 90% of what they do. Facebook is a drug dealer, and the most powerful one to ever exist at that. They sell dependence as empowerment. Dehumanization as connection. Social media is a cancer on the human soul.

Re: Facebook Is Stealing Your Family’s Joy

#35
post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> If you don’t like Facebook, don’t use it. I don't use it. It doesn't prevent them from using me anyway though. They're happy asking my friends for their contacts list (so they can get my phone number) and setting cookies through their "Like" buttons embedded everywhere without ever asking for my permission. The only way to stop that company is to kill it, and these "ridiculous" pieces might very well be the only so…

So use an ad blocker. It's about thirty seconds to set up, and very user-friendly. Even with the default lists, they do a great job. The reason I take issue is the word you used above: "attack". I think its use is telling. The New York Times has broken newsworthy information that was against Facebook, which I think is their job and a good thing to do. Newspapers, however, aren't really supposed to "attack" things. Th…

So following your logic the solution to knife crime would be to tell everyone to wear armor instead of putting the criminals in jail?

> Newspapers, however, aren't really supposed to "attack" things

I would consider it an attack if they were publishing lies. But I don't see any lies here - Facebook has dug their own grave and is now rightfully getting what they deserve.

Re: Facebook Is Stealing Your Family’s Joy

#36
post #30

Okay, the anti-Facebook sentiment (particularly by the New York Times) has gotten ridiculous. "They're stealing your joy"? Seriously? I understand they're not perfect and that they sell data. Because I understand this, I have chosen not to give them my data by not using their service. I get everyone has a bias, but the NYT isn't even trying to conceal it at this point. For what it's worth, my family has connected wit…

> I have chosen not to give them my data by not using their service But they still get your data by stalking you in every app that embeds their SDK and by conning your less privacy-savvy friends into sharing their contacts list (with you in it) with them. I can keep going for a long time - I don't think there's actually any limit as to how far this cancerous company will go as far as violating the world's privacy. If…

I agree that they will keep finding loopholes, but I'm afraid the idea of privacy has been blown wide open. Someone else will fill the gap if Facebook is stopped. This is precisely why I am so nervous about facial recognition and all biometrics: once the field exists, it does not matter how much it is regulated. Government does not have the ability to stop it. Some one will circumvent it.

Re: Facebook Is Stealing Your Family’s Joy

#37
post #16
post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just curious, when did you join Facebook/social media? For myself and many other young people, social media began as online chatting through programs like AIM, MSN, YAHOO, or even in games like RuneScape, where we could meet new people or more commonly, talk and show off to our friends from school. Myspace felt like an absolute leap in online expression for us, and the idea of "Top Friends" had a real impact on our d…

My parents actually made me create a facebook account when I was 14. Before that I never actually used the internet for socializing, it was more a tool for fetching compilers and programming tutorials and occasionally doing research for school projects. For me at least the web was something you visited with a goal in mind, retrieved the information you wanted after a short search, and left. Perhaps that's typical of…

I think what you're experiencing is actually very atypical.

Re: Facebook Is Stealing Your Family’s Joy

#38
post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I have chosen not to give them my data by not using their service But they still get your data by stalking you in every app that embeds their SDK and by conning your less privacy-savvy friends into sharing their contacts list (with you in it) with them. I can keep going for a long time - I don't think there's actually any limit as to how far this cancerous company will go as far as violating the world's privacy. If…

I agree that they will keep finding loopholes, but I'm afraid the idea of privacy has been blown wide open. Someone else will fill the gap if Facebook is stopped. This is precisely why I am so nervous about facial recognition and all biometrics: once the field exists, it does not matter how much it is regulated. Government does not have the ability to stop it. Some one will circumvent it.

When/if Facebook is stopped it will be because of these issues like privacy violations and the damage they're doing to society by promoting crap content or getting people addicted to scrolling endlessly for such crap.

Whoever replaces it will have to not repeat those mistakes in order to survive.

Re: Facebook Is Stealing Your Family’s Joy

#39
post #23

Facebook is enhancing my family’s joy. My family is spread across the world. Because of Facebook, I know what my sister in law is up to, and have things to talk about with her when I see her. I know what my nieces do over the summer at the cabin, and have a connection to them. These hit pieces are ridiculous. If you don’t like Facebook, don’t use it.

Wouldn't it have been more fun to talk to them on the phone about that stuff?

Re: Facebook Is Stealing Your Family’s Joy

#40
post #23

Facebook is enhancing my family’s joy. My family is spread across the world. Because of Facebook, I know what my sister in law is up to, and have things to talk about with her when I see her. I know what my nieces do over the summer at the cabin, and have a connection to them. These hit pieces are ridiculous. If you don’t like Facebook, don’t use it.

At what cost?
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