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Do folks on HN actually think this is the only psychological metric Facebook is tracking, and that this is something new? A slightly obsessive, insecure state
by sf0i 9y ago
Do folks on HN actually think this is the only psychological metric Facebook is tracking, and that this is something new?
A slightly obsessive, insecure state of mind makes for the most engaged Facebook user. If they can give people a bit of a nudge in that direction, it’s great for business. Suicide, while resulting in increased engagement among friends and relatives, is bad for business overall — you’re losing users, and people might start to really question what you’re doing to their heads.
It’s amazing that this gets turned into a feelgood story by the press, rather than an investigation into what Facebook has known about their users’ mental states and for how long. This is like congratulating a tobacco company on warning people not to smoke 3 packs a day.
I want their PR team.
- killjoywashere 9y agoIn general, I agree with you. That said, from the perspective of an actually dead teenager, where their friends turn in evidence that, in retrospect, maybe they were having a hard time, it's hard not to want something like this.