5 ms·

I am a conservative and I see nothing wrong with this. It is their software and their servers, after all. I want a collapse in trust in the major social netwo

I am a conservative and I see nothing wrong with this. It is their software and their servers, after all. I want a collapse in trust in the major social networks. This is the internet we are talking about. Let them suppress, and let them see what happens.

reitanqild 10y ago
> This is the internet we are talking about. Let them suppress, and let them see what happens. As long as it gets out you mean?
- carsongross 10y ago
  This is the internet we are talking about.
brokentone 10y ago
From an extremely pure free-market conservative/capitalist approach, sure, there is nothing wrong with this, they can do what they want. From a basic governmental regulation (Hayek) monopoly approach, FB is the incumbent and it will be extremely difficult for anyone else to gain a foothold here. Regulation ought to make it easier for others to approach the space. They are the single biggest voice in the news at this point, and whatever stances they support has an inestimable advantage in ways that far outstrip campaign finance contributions or lobbying. They may have to be governmentally disrupted to keep their power from becoming too great. From a consumer labeling perspective, Facebook is profiting off improperly calling articles "trending" that are just their preferred way to view the world. I just wonder if these articles go far enough to collapse any trust.
- acheron 10y ago
  FB is the incumbent and it will be extremely difficult for anyone else to gain a foothold here "Will MySpace Ever Lose Its Monopoly?" (2007): https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2007/feb/08/business.comment https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2007/feb/08/business....
  - brokentone 10y ago
    I don't think I need to explain the myriad reasons MySpace lost.
    - ci5er 10y ago
      You certainly do not. To your point, back in the day, I was having lunch with David Boies (yeah, I know, name dropping, but relevant) and re: Microsoft he said that his position was that EVERY company should have the opportunity to become a monopoly, but then to not be able to use that power of monopoly to deny that chance to others. My concern with regulatory or judicial constraints here is -- they're always too late. Be it IBM in the 60s or ATT in the 80s or Microsoft in the late-90s/early-2ks, by the time the government gets around to doing anything, the company is already being eroded from beneath. I think the only (national) example I can think of, in the US, is AT&T, which was able to keep their position because of government licensure. i.e. Natural monopolies don't occur as often as people claim. Incumbency buys patrimony. Maybe this should go to GP: IF a monopoly arises, AND that entity takes advantage of their monopoly position (reduced quality for price, outrageous margins) almost always, a challenger will appear. And get funded.
ChemicalWarfare 10y ago
If this was a partisan media outlet like CNN, NBC/MSNBC, ABC, etc etc ad nauseam or FOX news (is there any other conservative network?), then yeah this would be expected. The issue here is for the 'unsuspecting user' Facebook doesn't present itself as a partisan resource. There's nothing 'wrong' with this per se as long as the user understands who they are dealing with, which articles like this one help in that respect.
- deleted 10y ago
  [deleted]
- protomyth 10y ago
  > FOX news (is there any other conservative network?) Not on TV. Fox Business has quite a lot of libertarians (and some really, really devote Trump supporters). CNN did hire some conservatives who are actual conservatives recently (e.g. Mary Katharine Ham), but it really doesn't change the editorial.
- paulddraper 10y ago
  They're not unsuspecting anymore.

reitanqild 10y ago

> This is the internet we are talking about. Let them suppress, and let them see what happens. As long as it gets out you mean?

carsongross 10y ago
This is the internet we are talking about.

brokentone 10y ago

From an extremely pure free-market conservative/capitalist approach, sure, there is nothing wrong with this, they can do what they want. From a basic governmental regulation (Hayek) monopoly approach, FB is the incumbent and it will be extremely difficult for anyone else to gain a foothold here. Regulation ought to make it easier for others to approach the space. They are the single biggest voice in the news at this point, and whatever stances they support has an inestimable advantage in ways that far outstrip campaign finance contributions or lobbying. They may have to be governmentally disrupted to keep their power from becoming too great. From a consumer labeling perspective, Facebook is profiting off improperly calling articles "trending" that are just their preferred way to view the world. I just wonder if these articles go far enough to collapse any trust.

acheron 10y ago
FB is the incumbent and it will be extremely difficult for anyone else to gain a foothold here "Will MySpace Ever Lose Its Monopoly?" (2007): https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2007/feb/08/business.comment https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2007/feb/08/business....
- brokentone 10y ago
  I don't think I need to explain the myriad reasons MySpace lost.
  - ci5er 10y ago
    You certainly do not. To your point, back in the day, I was having lunch with David Boies (yeah, I know, name dropping, but relevant) and re: Microsoft he said that his position was that EVERY company should have the opportunity to become a monopoly, but then to not be able to use that power of monopoly to deny that chance to others. My concern with regulatory or judicial constraints here is -- they're always too late. Be it IBM in the 60s or ATT in the 80s or Microsoft in the late-90s/early-2ks, by the time the government gets around to doing anything, the company is already being eroded from beneath. I think the only (national) example I can think of, in the US, is AT&T, which was able to keep their position because of government licensure. i.e. Natural monopolies don't occur as often as people claim. Incumbency buys patrimony. Maybe this should go to GP: IF a monopoly arises, AND that entity takes advantage of their monopoly position (reduced quality for price, outrageous margins) almost always, a challenger will appear. And get funded.

ChemicalWarfare 10y ago

If this was a partisan media outlet like CNN, NBC/MSNBC, ABC, etc etc ad nauseam or FOX news (is there any other conservative network?), then yeah this would be expected. The issue here is for the 'unsuspecting user' Facebook doesn't present itself as a partisan resource. There's nothing 'wrong' with this per se as long as the user understands who they are dealing with, which articles like this one help in that respect.

deleted 10y ago
[deleted]
protomyth 10y ago
> FOX news (is there any other conservative network?) Not on TV. Fox Business has quite a lot of libertarians (and some really, really devote Trump supporters). CNN did hire some conservatives who are actual conservatives recently (e.g. Mary Katharine Ham), but it really doesn't change the editorial.
paulddraper 10y ago
They're not unsuspecting anymore.