Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Facebook’s documents about Instagram and teens, published

wsj.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

51–60 of 112 posts

Re: Facebook’s documents about Instagram and teens, published

#51

Post by marcellus23 »

thrav wrote: post #18
haswell wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> But the culture of materialism and obsession with status was there well before social media has come into the picture. This is a pretty gross generalization of an entire country filled with diverse people, a significant number of whom do not match this description at all, now or before social media. On what are you basing this? This sounds like the kind of conclusion you might draw by using social media as a measur…

My evidence is only anecdotal, but as someone who grew up in, and lived all over America, and lived abroad, I couldn’t agree more with OP. My friends in London, and their friends, many of whom grew up quite wealthy, were nearly indistinguishable from anyone else in London. They rarely bought anything (except drugs), even on vacation (I traveled with a few a couple different times). In America, people proudly declare…

So you observed a difference between one set of people you know and another, and you're expanding that to the entire countries those people are from?

Re: Facebook’s documents about Instagram and teens, published

#52

Post by GhettoComputers »

swebs wrote: post #50
GhettoComputers wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is the name “social media” doublespeak? Comparing the online or digital equivalent or approximation as a simulation of reality has either created a false hyperreality at best but usually that of a poor imitation.

It is still reality. You're talking to real people, not NPCs.

Define reality, and what real people/NPC is.

Re: Facebook’s documents about Instagram and teens, published

#53

Post by mch82 »

swebs wrote: post #47

Someone already posted the archive of the WSJ article. But also the actual leaked documents don't seem to be paywalled. https://s.wsj.net/public/resources/documents/teen-girls-body... https://s.wsj.net/public/resources/documents/teen-mental-hea... https://s.wsj.net/public/resources/documents/appearance-base... https://s.wsj.net/public/resources/documents/social-comparis... https://s.wsj.net/public/resources/documents…

This collection of links to the actual decks is quite helpful. Thank you.

Re: Facebook’s documents about Instagram and teens, published

#54

Post by echoradio »

alexfromapex wrote: post #24

Will these Senate hearings be theater only, like previous ones with large corporations and the government? Where is the action and what laws are improving these situations?

Until society and governments considers mental health as equal to physical health (improving, but still working on it) I don’t see any government acting to curb online environments in the same way tobacco companies were dealt with.

It’s easy to show a photo or X-ray of a diseased lung and see damaged caused by smoking. It’s not as easy to convey the emotional damage caused by depression, until it’s unfortunately too late.

Re: Facebook’s documents about Instagram and teens, published

#55

Post by echoradio »

stadium wrote: post #22

What is the relationship between individualistic cultures vs collectivist cultures, and social media? US is on the extreme end of the spectrum for individualism. Is social media toxic for that culture, and more benign for collectivist cultures?

Great question! Which countries would be ideal for study, do you think?

Re: Facebook’s documents about Instagram and teens, published

#56

Post by bawolff »

freewilly1040 wrote: post #40

I see a lot defending the researchers involved, talking about how great they are and how none of Facebook’s misdeeds are their fault. At some point though, when data is consistently not shared, and any findings not favorable to the company are buried, what these people do is not “research”. It’s propaganda. They serve to give Facebook the appearance of valuing neutral judgement on the impact of their platform, and to…

That describes how a lot of research gets done. Its not just fb, oil companies are notorious for that sort of thing as well.

Re: Facebook’s documents about Instagram and teens, published

#57

Post by BrianOnHN »

freewilly1040 wrote: post #39
BrianOnHN wrote: post #20

Nobody knows how good, or bad, they have it until they see how someone else lives. Isn't that explanation enough? Yes, the change is because of social media, and everything else that's made other peoples lives' more visible.

Now apply a distortion that allows everyone to to make their life seem much better than it actually is, and it’s not difficult to believe these platforms cause mental health problems.

100. There were plenty of campaigns over the past decades to "expose the fakeness" of Hollywood actors that are portrayed as role models. For the same reasons we're discussing now.

Where are these campaigns now? The ones designed to "expose the fakeness" of your BFFs insta.

Policy & regulation are a dead end. I suppose Facebook et al know this, that's why our ATTENTION is there.

The real change comes in the form of massive settlement to fund these PSAs and further gambling-tobacco-esque taxing to keep those campaigns funded.

Re: Facebook’s documents about Instagram and teens, published

#58

Post by GhettoComputers »

chiefalchemist wrote: post #45
GhettoComputers wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What is my lazy, poor taste or political opinion? You are attacking my post with no evidence or counter points, a emotional response that isn't based on anything other than hearsay, the first section is a strawman, and the second is how your sample bias should dismiss any other experiences. Is it not hypocritical to dismiss the effect of social media on suicide, such as by cyber bullying? My experience with social me…

I think the point is, there are plenty of signals that increase suicide rate. Without full and proper analysis (e.g., control group, etc.) tying social media to suicide rate is correlation. And as presented, that comes off as opinion. Note: I'm not taking sides. I'm only wanting to answer your question :) please don't shoot the messenger.

I can see that viewpoint. Data is imperfect but it isn’t a random correlation like cell phones associated with fungal infection. There is no shortage of self reported data, but cyber bullying attacks directly cause suicide attempts for instance. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6791504/

Re: Facebook’s documents about Instagram and teens, published

#59

Post by GhettoComputers »

freewilly1040 wrote: post #40

I see a lot defending the researchers involved, talking about how great they are and how none of Facebook’s misdeeds are their fault. At some point though, when data is consistently not shared, and any findings not favorable to the company are buried, what these people do is not “research”. It’s propaganda. They serve to give Facebook the appearance of valuing neutral judgement on the impact of their platform, and to…

Reminds me of doctors that studied cigarettes and suggested smoking with asbestos filters.

Re: Facebook’s documents about Instagram and teens, published

#60

Post by spunker540 »

GhettoComputers wrote: post #9

https://www.apa.org/monitor/2019/03/trends-suicide > The suicide rate increased 33 percent from 1999 through 2017, from 10.5 to 14 suicides per 100,000 people (NCHS Data Brief No. 330, November 2018). Rates have increased more sharply since 2006. Suicide ranks as the fourth leading cause of death for people ages 35 to 54, and the second for 10- to 34-year-olds. It remains the 10th leading cause of death overall. >But…

If social media is to blame for the rise in suicide, why has it only affected American teens when it is a global trend?
Post reply on HN