The best way to think about Facebook is that it is a time filler. I don't know where I read it but an average FB session lasts around 75-90 seconds. People use it when they are in a line or when they are in an elevator. It is a great way to stay in touch with what your friends are doing or communicate with them. I find it very difficult to understand what is to hate about that. Sure there is data usage with which some people are upset but you can just go ahead and disable that in settings (assuming you are comfortable with less relevant ads).
Also, it is time to #undeleteFacebook. You know you are missing it!
I'm sorry to say, but you sound like a product ad. You raise the data usage problem, but then just dismiss it and give a non-solution, knowing perfectly well the extensive Facebook tracking cannot be completely disabled since they even track people without accounts.
> Also, it is time to #undeleteFacebook. You know you are missing it!
No, it isn't and no, I'm really not. I don't need a "time filler". The mind needs some time off. It pays off to give it that time and perhaps be a bit more mindful instead of populating every moment with crap.
Do you know others tracks you as well? It is not only FB. Google does exactly the same tracking as FB regardless of whether you have an account. So are you applying the same principles of privacy there? Hell, even Twitter tracks you wherever it can regardless of your account.
It is all good to come here and spread hatred about FB. But if you have principled stand against privacy, you won't use any of the major services that are supported by ads. Stop using Google Search, Maps, GMail, Instagram, Whatsapp, Twitter & YouTube.
Yes, I do. I avoid anything made by Google as much as I can and I don't regularly use any of the mentioned services. I host my own mail server, use uMatrix and uBlock to block tracking, strongly prefer Firefox over Chromium and so on.
However, even if I wasn't doing all of that, it would make sense to reject any one of those, even if I wasn't rejecting them all. You have to start somewhere and Facebook is as good a place to start as any. The existence of many bad actors doesn't mean we should be paralyzed because we cannot achieve a perfect solution all at once.
In that case, you are not using Facebook because you don't like their service. Not because you don't like their stand on privacy. Since, if it is the latter, then all of them are equally bad. Also, don't specifically call out Facebook in that they are tracking without your account since everyone does the same as well.
I strongly feel like I am not getting some part of your argument, because what
you are saying feels like a non sequitur.
I do in fact refuse to use Facebook primarily because of their stance (and
actions) related to privacy. I don't especially like their service either, but
the service itself has its merits.
Not all internet actors are equally bad. The largest corporate actors with
the currently largest internet presence are bad. This is an argument against
using the services offered by those actors. Is there any point in trying to
quantify which one is the worst? The seven services you named are all owned by
three entities, with Facebook owning two on that list (WhatsApp and Instagram).
That firmly ranks it as one of the worst.
I will certainly call out Facebook specifically in a thread specifically about
Facebook. And again, even cutting out one of those is better than cutting out
none since you have to start somewhere.
There are negative aspects to it, to be sure. Some people get addicted. Some believe everything they read online. Some post embarrassing stuff that undoes their lives, etc. There's also a lot of tracking and data mining by FB done outside FB (I have no problem if they track everything in their own products).
But my point is orthogonal to that. My point is FB is alive and well, and the recent scandals, as damaging as they seemed PR-wise, have done basically nothing to it.
The way people are so regularly sucked into tapping away on their phones is one of the reasons I don’t like it.
Haven’t used it in over 3 years, and I don’t miss it. It got to the point of why I was wondering why I’d sit there flicking through the news feed only to read about what someone’s aunt Joan was going on a racist rant about.
Instagram hasn’t been any better with the rise and incouragement of influencer culture.
They’re increasingly subversive in their tactics which is something I’ve always disliked in any company.
They get to a certain size and have to keep pushing for growth as they need to further maintain their growth rates to prove they’re still worth investment money.
Where does that end?
In a heavily diluted form they would both be fine, but the dark patterns in their designs are prevalent, in spite of what good they might have offered the world.
I don’t give Coca Cola a pass because their drink tastes good and can make people happy at times. They’ve cordoned off entire towns water supplies through shady dealings. Know what I mean?
The best way to think about Facebook is that it is a time filler. I don't know where I read it but an average FB session lasts around 75-90 seconds. People use it when they are in a line or when they are in an elevator. It is a great way to stay in touch with what your friends are doing or communicate with them. I find it very difficult to understand what is to hate about that. Sure there is data usage with which some people are upset but you can just go ahead and disable that in settings (assuming you are comfortable with less relevant ads).
Also, it is time to #undeleteFacebook. You know you are missing it!