I removed the Facebook and Twitter/X apps from my phone, so I don't get notifications. I still log into the websites occasionally, but I never get prompted by my phone, which I think is the real hook.
Deactivating Facebook for just a few weeks reduces belief in fake news
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Re: Deactivating Facebook for just a few weeks reduces belief in fake news
#32I have kept my Facebook account for the primary purpose of making sure relatives don't share pictures of our kids' faces, and check it very rarely. Recently though, the change has been incredible. People I know in real life, including my own parents, have been "Liking" very obviously AI generated posts. A HUGE amount of the "Recommended" posts I see are obvious AI images. It's gotten really, really bad, in just the p…
"relatives don't share pictures of our kids' faces" - serious question: why ? I have seen that from friends too, and I respect it - but I don't understand what bad outcome that prevents.
Re: Deactivating Facebook for just a few weeks reduces belief in fake news
#33Earlier quoted context omitted.
In this context, I am referring to the bill you'd get from AWS, not your internet utility provider.
YouTube achieves this, but the wider web never has very successfully.
I consider the "host your own software" approach akin to being a linux user, so I am already accustomed to being in a minority. People love frictionless UX which the FOSS lifestyle really can never provide. So perhaps we can settle for a solution that meets the needs of enthusiasts, even if the masses choose "junk".
Re: Deactivating Facebook for just a few weeks reduces belief in fake news
#34I deleted my Facebook in 2015 simply because I kept getting in arguments with people, and spending a not-insignificant amount of time every day fighting with people I barely knew. I figured that that was probably not healthy so I deleted it. I missed it for about a day, and then I pretty actively didn't want to ever use it again.
I'm a little burnt out entirely on social media; the closest thing to a social media that I still use is HN, and I do argue on here a bit but not nearly as much.
Re: Deactivating Facebook for just a few weeks reduces belief in fake news
#35I have kept my Facebook account for the primary purpose of making sure relatives don't share pictures of our kids' faces, and check it very rarely. Recently though, the change has been incredible. People I know in real life, including my own parents, have been "Liking" very obviously AI generated posts. A HUGE amount of the "Recommended" posts I see are obvious AI images. It's gotten really, really bad, in just the p…
"relatives don't share pictures of our kids' faces" - serious question: why ? I have seen that from friends too, and I respect it - but I don't understand what bad outcome that prevents.
Because they are children who can’t and haven’t consented to have their likeness posted all over social media, to be used as training data on an ever growing corpus of privacy destroying tech.
Additionally, pedophiles and creeps do actually exist.
I love that I get this question all the time, when from where I sit, the question should be to all the other parents: "Why do you insist on posting your children and their entire lives on social media?"
Re: Deactivating Facebook for just a few weeks reduces belief in fake news
#36> Those who went off Facebook responded worse to news tests, but they were also less likely to believe widespread misinformation
This means that they were just less aware generally. It doesn't look like they suddenly stopped believing the misinformation they were already exposed to, they were just prevented from being exposed to more of it.
> I was really surprised to see this effect, which was large enough to be marginally detectable,”
"marginally detectable" doesn't really inspire confidence in their results.
> The result regarding Trump favorability is very interesting. It does not reach the level pre-specified by the scientists, but because the standard of evidence they had is very high.
Lots of things seem true when you lower the standard of evidence far enough
I wouldn't doubt that getting off facebook means people will see less misinformation, and it'll probably do wonders for their mental health in general, but I'd take this entire thing with a massive grain of salt.
Re: Deactivating Facebook for just a few weeks reduces belief in fake news
#37Earlier quoted context omitted.
Regarding, loneliness, did you consider going to the library. Sometimes there are book reading clubs and you may meet like-minded people. Meetup app also helps connecting with people with similar outdoor activities such as hiking.
>Meetup app also helps connecting with people with similar outdoor activities such as hiking. Hah! It's funny that you mention that. Like OP, I've also kicked social media and heavy internet use to the curb. I also happen to love multi-day backpacking trips, but one of the things I love the most about them is the complete solitude I can have for days on end! Something about being completely disconnected like that is…
>>love multi-day backpacking trips
Nice! I also dream of going on such trips. Do you have any good websites that I can use. I am starting out and prefer trails that are flat.
Re: Deactivating Facebook for just a few weeks reduces belief in fake news
#38It is still unclear to me how we expect these platforms to filter "misinformation" given that 1) It's not in Meta's interest 2) who gets to decide what is and is not fake news ie "who watches the watchman"? and 3) the human base desire to gorge on junk, of one form or another.
> given that 1) It's not in Meta's interest Somewhat glib answer is it needs to be in their interest. Section 230 means the social media platforms are insulated from liability for the content they publish and promote. It was conceived in a world where those platforms were perceived as (relatively) neutral infrastructure for publishing and sharing content. But it's a long time since they were neutral. The algorithms u…
I, too, am not a lawyer but I believe that FB _ought_ to be "insulated from liability for the content they publish and promote" because I don't want them to be arbiters of truth. Humans need to decide for themselves whats true and off-loading this responsibility to Meta through contrivance of law is a Black Mirror episode come to life.
Re: Deactivating Facebook for just a few weeks reduces belief in fake news
#39My facebook experience is dramatically different than others I guess.
The only fake stuff I see are sports memes and AI images fooling boomers. Otherwise my timeline is its mostly ads, friends sharing pictures and updates from their personal life, or posts from the groups I've joined.
Twitter and TikTok are where the narratives flow.
Re: Deactivating Facebook for just a few weeks reduces belief in fake news
#40When people say "fake news" it means different things to different people. "Hunter Biden's laptop is a Russian plant" was considered the truth and anything to the contrary "fake news". It wasn't just a mistake, it was a hard lie. Having any single entity determine what is "fake" and what is "real" is incredibly dangerous. We can't even agree if 72F degrees is the correct room temperature - let alone complex things li…
On the other hand, allowing political propaganda with no factual basis to be broadcast indiscriminately is arguably more dangerous.
https://rwandanstories.org/genocide/hate_radio.html
The real money quote from that article: "David Rawson, the US ambassador, said that its euphemisms were open to interpretation. The US, he said, believed in freedom of speech."