Facebook going down meant more than just a social network being unavailable • Hacker News Board

Re: Facebook going down meant more than just a social network being unavailable

#351

Post by sneak » Wed, Oct 06, 2021, 3:25 PM UTC

maratc wrote: post #350

sneak wrote: post #306

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Someone who can't spend 2 minutes to install a free private messaging app to maintain a social or personal connection to me isn't someone who gives a shit about me (and whom I'm presumably better off without). Friends don't ask friends to submit to Facebook surveillance.

Would you be willing to install "a free private messaging app", Facebook Messenger, in order to "maintain a social or personal connection" to a person in your family?

Facebook messenger is not private.

Re: Facebook going down meant more than just a social network being unavailable

#352

Post by oska » Wed, Oct 06, 2021, 8:14 PM UTC

whitepaint wrote: post #165

oska wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is so disingenuous. From day one, Facebook have done all in their power to make themselves a monopoly while simultaneously trying to avoid all of the legal restrictions that normally apply to a utility service.

Yeah, FB has made incredibly smart business choices.

FB is a toxic, sociopathic company, led by a sociopath. Full stop. Talking about its 'incredibly smart business choices' is like talking about the 'smart moves' a serial killer took to avoid capture for years & years. Interesting to some perhaps, but obviously not worthy of any admiration.

Re: Facebook going down meant more than just a social network being unavailable

#353

Post by maratc » Thu, Oct 07, 2021, 4:41 PM UTC

sneak wrote: post #351

maratc wrote: post #350

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Would you be willing to install "a free private messaging app", Facebook Messenger, in order to "maintain a social or personal connection" to a person in your family?

Facebook messenger is not private.

So I gather you would refuse.

Given your refusal, would you think that, for that person in your family, you would fit the description of "someone who can't spend 2 minutes to install a free [..] messaging app to maintain a social or personal connection"?

Would you think that that person in your family would be presumably better off without you?

Re: Facebook going down meant more than just a social network being unavailable

#354

Post by ClumsyPilot » Thu, Oct 07, 2021, 10:10 PM UTC

baud147258 wrote: post #315

Wowfunhappy wrote: post #295

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Oh, I guess that’s true! But only if the user isn’t on wifi, and only if they don’t have an unlimited (or semi-unlimited) data plan.

even then, with an unlimited (or semi-unlimited) data plan, the provider/ISP would have been paid at some point. Same with wi-fi, except that the user might not be the one paying for the connection between the wi-fi hotspot and internet, but the entity providing the connection to the WA servers would have received some money. In both cases, there's no direct relationship between messages sent/minutes of voice call an…

I would not stop paying for internet access if calls were free and I didn't need what's app. I don't think anyone would

Re: Facebook going down meant more than just a social network being unavailable

#355

Post by cudgy » Fri, Oct 08, 2021, 8:31 AM UTC

scrollaway wrote: post #188

cudgy wrote: post #175

Earlier quoted context omitted.

“ It's easy to feel blasé about the internet, but it's also played a huge role in making information easily accessible. I learned about electronics from online tutorials. Taught myself programming. Also learned a lot about home repairs and renovations. Made a lot of contacts, landed jobs, etc. I met my partner through a dating app.” All of this was possible before the internet.

No, it wasn't. If you genuinely believe it was, i suppose you're just incredibly unaware of how gated information was before the internet. The poster said "easily accessible". The wealth of knowledge and information i have at my fingertips today was before hidden behind public libraries I'd have to plan a trip to, in courses i would have to attend, in the brains of experts i would have to interview in person, i would…

Quite the exaggeration if I may say so. How were you born then? Did your parents meet on the internet? All of the mentioned tasks were not casual in nature. Most books are far better and more in depth than tutorials found online, so for true expertise you will most likely seek long form information found in books.

Sure, some online information may be “more accessible” but is it necessarily better information?

Re: Facebook going down meant more than just a social network being unavailable

#356

Post by cudgy » Fri, Oct 08, 2021, 8:36 AM UTC

krapp wrote: post #184

cudgy wrote: post #175

Earlier quoted context omitted.

“ It's easy to feel blasé about the internet, but it's also played a huge role in making information easily accessible. I learned about electronics from online tutorials. Taught myself programming. Also learned a lot about home repairs and renovations. Made a lot of contacts, landed jobs, etc. I met my partner through a dating app.” All of this was possible before the internet.

>All of this was possible before the internet. Sure, and before the invention of the telephone and telegraph you could just write someone a letter, and before the invention of the printing press you could just hire a scribe. Before the automobile you could just ride a horse. Before the cotton gin, just put some slaves in a field. Nothing is new under the sun. Having all of this information available at one's fingerti…

Revolutionary? By what measure? The pace of true core innovation has slowed by many measures. The largest and most valued businesses today are largely marketing organizations masquerading as “tech” companies.

Finally, I would argue that more, easily accessible information is not necessarily better information.