4 ms·

There is a very simple alternative to Facebook: don’t use Facebook. That’s the competition. There is nothing quite the same but there are lots of other things t

There is a very simple alternative to Facebook: don’t use Facebook. That’s the competition. There is nothing quite the same but there are lots of other things to do online.

tyingq 9y ago
There is a strong draw for many of us. It's the only reasonable way I have to see pictures and updates from my family that's pretty far flung across the world. Convincing all my kids, grandkids, siblings, cousins, in laws, nieces, nephews, etc to move away from FB isn't really practical. I do use FB mostly read only, but there isn't really a way for me to leave.
- killjoywashere 9y ago
  you would live a longer, healthier life without those pictures, at least as presented in that medium. How many pictures of kids covered in chocolate cake do you need?
  - tyingq 9y ago
    I'm guessing you don't have adult children, nieces, nephews or grandkids? There isn't any number of pictures, stories, etc of them I wouldn't look at and that wouldn't please me more than anything else. To be fair, I shared your attitude in my 20's. My mother would snail mail a yearly newsletter with printed pictures and I yawned at the effort.
    - killjoywashere 9y ago
      Fair enough, mine are 16 and 13, so perhaps I'm a little child-worn right now.
- thejerz 9y ago
  > but there isn't really a way for me to leave. You speak as if you have no agency in the situation. But, you do have agency. Using, or not using, facebook is 100%, entirely your choice. There was a happy (happier?) world before 2005, where families shared photos and stayed in touch, without Mark Zuckerberg.
  - tyingq 9y ago
    Yes, I have the agency to lose touch with people I care about, because it's not practical for me to convince them all to use a different medium. It is the FB moat. It's real.
    - Moru 9y ago
      I decided to do this a long time ago. I use the phone the normal way and other real social settings to keep up with my friends. I'm at my stress limit already since long so this wasn't such a hard decision. My well beeing and my familys goes before anything else. Avoid a burnout, it's very damaging to your world when it hits you.
    - hailk 9y ago
      So people who don't use facebook aren't in touch with people they care about? There is no moat, only an FB blindfold. It's just a product. If it's not serving you well, drop it. Better ones will arrive faster than we blink.
      - tyingq 9y ago
        That's just so black and white. I could muster an effort and get some of what I get from FB via other angles, sure. And yes, there are some relatives that aren't on FB, but for me, that's the exception, not the rule. But it is just so naive to assume I wouldn't miss out on notable pictures and news of people I love by opting out. Facebook does have some value. We're not just purely idiots. We get the trade-off. Hard opting out would have real downsides for me.
    - ionised 9y ago
      If you care about these people as much as you think, not having Facebook is not going to prevent you from continuing to do that.
      - tyingq 9y ago
        That's not fair. Forcing them to update me, and only me, via a second channel isn't "care".
- reitanqild 9y ago
  After a few months of nagging I've now moved all messaging of facebook properties and over to other channels, mostly to Telegram. It took time but everybody is happy now : ) I still sometimes miss the family blig we used to have but updates are more frequent and the threshold for contributing is lower than it used to be.
12312313 9y ago
I think why many won't is because the fear of missing out. They fear they would lose contact with many "friends" that they have. Be it distant relatives, or friends of friends. That in itself is the problem with Facebook: that's their draw. People overvalue the opportunity cost of missed opportunities if they quit Facebook.

There is a very simple alternative to Facebook: don’t use Facebook. That’s the competition. There is nothing quite the same but there are lots of other things to do online.

tyingq 9y ago

There is a strong draw for many of us. It's the only reasonable way I have to see pictures and updates from my family that's pretty far flung across the world. Convincing all my kids, grandkids, siblings, cousins, in laws, nieces, nephews, etc to move away from FB isn't really practical. I do use FB mostly read only, but there isn't really a way for me to leave.

killjoywashere 9y ago
you would live a longer, healthier life without those pictures, at least as presented in that medium. How many pictures of kids covered in chocolate cake do you need?
- tyingq 9y ago
  I'm guessing you don't have adult children, nieces, nephews or grandkids? There isn't any number of pictures, stories, etc of them I wouldn't look at and that wouldn't please me more than anything else. To be fair, I shared your attitude in my 20's. My mother would snail mail a yearly newsletter with printed pictures and I yawned at the effort.
  - killjoywashere 9y ago
    Fair enough, mine are 16 and 13, so perhaps I'm a little child-worn right now.
thejerz 9y ago
> but there isn't really a way for me to leave. You speak as if you have no agency in the situation. But, you do have agency. Using, or not using, facebook is 100%, entirely your choice. There was a happy (happier?) world before 2005, where families shared photos and stayed in touch, without Mark Zuckerberg.
- tyingq 9y ago
  Yes, I have the agency to lose touch with people I care about, because it's not practical for me to convince them all to use a different medium. It is the FB moat. It's real.
  - Moru 9y ago
    I decided to do this a long time ago. I use the phone the normal way and other real social settings to keep up with my friends. I'm at my stress limit already since long so this wasn't such a hard decision. My well beeing and my familys goes before anything else. Avoid a burnout, it's very damaging to your world when it hits you.
  - hailk 9y ago
    So people who don't use facebook aren't in touch with people they care about? There is no moat, only an FB blindfold. It's just a product. If it's not serving you well, drop it. Better ones will arrive faster than we blink.
    - tyingq 9y ago
      That's just so black and white. I could muster an effort and get some of what I get from FB via other angles, sure. And yes, there are some relatives that aren't on FB, but for me, that's the exception, not the rule. But it is just so naive to assume I wouldn't miss out on notable pictures and news of people I love by opting out. Facebook does have some value. We're not just purely idiots. We get the trade-off. Hard opting out would have real downsides for me.
  - ionised 9y ago
    If you care about these people as much as you think, not having Facebook is not going to prevent you from continuing to do that.
    - tyingq 9y ago
      That's not fair. Forcing them to update me, and only me, via a second channel isn't "care".
reitanqild 9y ago
After a few months of nagging I've now moved all messaging of facebook properties and over to other channels, mostly to Telegram. It took time but everybody is happy now : ) I still sometimes miss the family blig we used to have but updates are more frequent and the threshold for contributing is lower than it used to be.

12312313 9y ago

I think why many won't is because the fear of missing out. They fear they would lose contact with many "friends" that they have. Be it distant relatives, or friends of friends. That in itself is the problem with Facebook: that's their draw. People overvalue the opportunity cost of missed opportunities if they quit Facebook.