4 ms·

This is silly. Yes, if you're not the one paying, then you're the product. However, I do get things in return - I get to connect with people I don't get to see

by kdamken 11y ago

This is silly. Yes, if you're not the one paying, then you're the product. However, I do get things in return - I get to connect with people I don't get to see too often anymore and see what they're up to in their lives. Everyone and their grandma has one, so I know if I'm trying to find someone they're on there. It also reminds me of people's birthdays, which I'm pretty terrible with otherwise. People do get things out of facebook. Why else would they be on it all the time, checking it at least a couple times a day?

Zelphyr 11y ago
From what I observe[1] they're on it all the time because its a diversion. TV is another worthless diversion[2] but at least the TV networks don't (yet) sell your private information. But ultimately there is very little on Facebook that I see as critical or something I can't get from a myriad of other sources. 1: Watching my wife peruse FB but I suspect she is an example of a typical user. 2: I'll grant that worthless diversions have their place when used sparingly. But neither FB nor TV are used sparingly by most people unfortunately.
- arihant 11y ago
  Not everything worthless to you is worthless to everyone. TV might be a worthless distraction to you, but not everyone. I don't understand how the sell your information argument comes in either. They run their own custom ad network. They aren't even leasing that infrastructure to anyone. I challenge you, to please go pay Facebook and buy information about where I was on Sunday in the evening. If they sell you that, I'll pay you five times the amount. If you can't buy it, they aren't selling it.
  - Zelphyr 11y ago
    Your argument would be right if it weren't of a very large straw man persuasion. Nobody is saying an individual is being sold your personal information. But when Coke comes along and wants it, Facebook is selling. But even that's not a problem, really. Who cares if Coke knows where you were on Sunday evening? What about Allstate though? Or Humana? One commenter noted above that our personal information isn't valuable without our attention and he's right. Don't you think that an auto insurance company would just love to know that one of their customers is a fan craft beer and was out partying with Jane Doe on Saturday and that Jane Doe has a DUI? Now they're raising rate on the guy who happened to pay passing attention to craft beer. I concede that we don't have evidence that Facebook sells that kind of detailed information on an individual. In fact, I believe they probably don't. Right now. I guarantee you that if comes down to keeping your information private and keeping their stock price up, you might as get a For Sale sign tattoo'd to your forehead.
    - arihant 11y ago
      No they won't sell the information to Coke. What Facebook does as an advertiser is basically make money off of derivative of surface personal information or a large number of people. Coke would be able to target their ads to you, but will not know anything else about you. The whole business model of Facebook is targeting, that's the derivative they get out of your information. If they start selling the information, everyone would have the derivative. In your example, if Facebook sells information to Coke, Coke can use any cheap internet advertiser on the street. Why would it buy facebook ads anymore? No company would sell their only value prop, you've got it backwards. There is slight amount of information leak in terms of ad targeting and public profiling. Insurance companies can just put up fake beer ads and try to extrapolate how many 25 year olds are clicking in each area. But that's what you get for not living in a cave. The same insurance company can also sit on the highway and count beer trucks. They can also sit outside a shop and see how many 25 year olds are buying beer.
- prostoalex 11y ago
  Selling information is a one-time transaction. In case this was happening, the revenue stream for Facebook would dwindle by now as (a) anybody who wanted some private information would already own some and (b) some players who bought it before might try to recoup their costs by re-selling it, so other potential buyers would buy some "gently used" private information from Nike, Coca-Cola or Progressive Insurance. Yet, two things are happening. 1) Advertisers keep coming back for more. 2) FB revenues (primarily derived from advertising) are up, not down. How come?
- jeffreyrogers 11y ago
  > but at least the TV networks don't (yet) sell your private information. It's only a matter of time haha, I'm aware of at least one startup that is trying to do targeted TV advertising.

by kdamken 11y ago

Zelphyr 11y ago

From what I observe[1] they're on it all the time because its a diversion. TV is another worthless diversion[2] but at least the TV networks don't (yet) sell your private information. But ultimately there is very little on Facebook that I see as critical or something I can't get from a myriad of other sources. 1: Watching my wife peruse FB but I suspect she is an example of a typical user. 2: I'll grant that worthless diversions have their place when used sparingly. But neither FB nor TV are used sparingly by most people unfortunately.

arihant 11y ago
Not everything worthless to you is worthless to everyone. TV might be a worthless distraction to you, but not everyone. I don't understand how the sell your information argument comes in either. They run their own custom ad network. They aren't even leasing that infrastructure to anyone. I challenge you, to please go pay Facebook and buy information about where I was on Sunday in the evening. If they sell you that, I'll pay you five times the amount. If you can't buy it, they aren't selling it.
- Zelphyr 11y ago
  Your argument would be right if it weren't of a very large straw man persuasion. Nobody is saying an individual is being sold your personal information. But when Coke comes along and wants it, Facebook is selling. But even that's not a problem, really. Who cares if Coke knows where you were on Sunday evening? What about Allstate though? Or Humana? One commenter noted above that our personal information isn't valuable without our attention and he's right. Don't you think that an auto insurance company would just love to know that one of their customers is a fan craft beer and was out partying with Jane Doe on Saturday and that Jane Doe has a DUI? Now they're raising rate on the guy who happened to pay passing attention to craft beer. I concede that we don't have evidence that Facebook sells that kind of detailed information on an individual. In fact, I believe they probably don't. Right now. I guarantee you that if comes down to keeping your information private and keeping their stock price up, you might as get a For Sale sign tattoo'd to your forehead.
  - arihant 11y ago
    No they won't sell the information to Coke. What Facebook does as an advertiser is basically make money off of derivative of surface personal information or a large number of people. Coke would be able to target their ads to you, but will not know anything else about you. The whole business model of Facebook is targeting, that's the derivative they get out of your information. If they start selling the information, everyone would have the derivative. In your example, if Facebook sells information to Coke, Coke can use any cheap internet advertiser on the street. Why would it buy facebook ads anymore? No company would sell their only value prop, you've got it backwards. There is slight amount of information leak in terms of ad targeting and public profiling. Insurance companies can just put up fake beer ads and try to extrapolate how many 25 year olds are clicking in each area. But that's what you get for not living in a cave. The same insurance company can also sit on the highway and count beer trucks. They can also sit outside a shop and see how many 25 year olds are buying beer.
prostoalex 11y ago
Selling information is a one-time transaction. In case this was happening, the revenue stream for Facebook would dwindle by now as (a) anybody who wanted some private information would already own some and (b) some players who bought it before might try to recoup their costs by re-selling it, so other potential buyers would buy some "gently used" private information from Nike, Coca-Cola or Progressive Insurance. Yet, two things are happening. 1) Advertisers keep coming back for more. 2) FB revenues (primarily derived from advertising) are up, not down. How come?
jeffreyrogers 11y ago
> but at least the TV networks don't (yet) sell your private information. It's only a matter of time haha, I'm aware of at least one startup that is trying to do targeted TV advertising.