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> Facebook gives me the opportunity to maintain contact with my family who live on the other side of the world, as I walk the streets of São Paulo, for free. [.

> Facebook gives me the opportunity to maintain contact with my family who live on the other side of the world, as I walk the streets of São Paulo, for free. [...] The alternative (cel phone calls and sms) I use email to keep in contact with my family. CC everyone, then reply all. No Facebook required.

joe_the_user 8y ago
Well, as I far as I can tell, a significant portion of negative qualities attributed to Facebook also can be, have been, attributed to email. It seems like the situation of Facebook-anger today involves some people looking at particular interface of details that allegedly make Facebook in particular "more addictive" than email (or whatever unspecified social activity) but with this group with this narrow critique being joined by those with a broader critique of social media that essentially calls for nothing but face-to-face contact. We face a difficult question of "at what point is a communication medium a tool of its users and at what point does a communication medium merely act on the users without them being truly conscious agents". I don't think we can really address this question by demonizing Facebook (the problem has existed since the dawn of mass media, with nearly all these media forms accused of doing terrible things and with the accusations at least have some support). Just for example, Zuckerberg may indeed have made some terrible choices but Facebook seems to signal a desire to take on this difficult question.
- civility 8y ago
  > Well, as I far as I can tell, a significant portion of negative qualities attributed to Facebook also can be, have been, attributed to email. I disagree, for me this isn't about being addictive. Email doesn't quietly let websites I visit add themselves to my apps list and periodically reset/redefine my permissions so everyone can see my (and my friend's/family's) personal information. If Facebook was just addictive I would still use it (I ditched it over 10 years ago).
msie 8y ago
Facebook messaging has less support issues than email plus ...emojis.
- civility 8y ago
  Support issues with email? Everyone I know can handle email just fine. I consider the lack of emojis a bonus. Old school smileys are just fine by me. :-) (Actually, emojis work just fine with gmail, but I won't be embracing them any time soon)
  - planb 8y ago
    > Everyone I know can handle email just fine. Then you don't know "normal" people. Try managing a school mailing list for a while to learn all the different ways email fails for the average user.
lmm 8y ago
Please stop CCing me about that party that I can't make. I don't need to know who's bringing what, I already know that I can't make it and hearing about all the details over and over again is just going to make me sad. Also you missed my sister off the last reply, please re-add her and resend your message, again. But without me in the CC list.

joe_the_user 8y ago

Well, as I far as I can tell, a significant portion of negative qualities attributed to Facebook also can be, have been, attributed to email. It seems like the situation of Facebook-anger today involves some people looking at particular interface of details that allegedly make Facebook in particular "more addictive" than email (or whatever unspecified social activity) but with this group with this narrow critique being joined by those with a broader critique of social media that essentially calls for nothing but face-to-face contact. We face a difficult question of "at what point is a communication medium a tool of its users and at what point does a communication medium merely act on the users without them being truly conscious agents". I don't think we can really address this question by demonizing Facebook (the problem has existed since the dawn of mass media, with nearly all these media forms accused of doing terrible things and with the accusations at least have some support). Just for example, Zuckerberg may indeed have made some terrible choices but Facebook seems to signal a desire to take on this difficult question.

civility 8y ago
> Well, as I far as I can tell, a significant portion of negative qualities attributed to Facebook also can be, have been, attributed to email. I disagree, for me this isn't about being addictive. Email doesn't quietly let websites I visit add themselves to my apps list and periodically reset/redefine my permissions so everyone can see my (and my friend's/family's) personal information. If Facebook was just addictive I would still use it (I ditched it over 10 years ago).

msie 8y ago

Facebook messaging has less support issues than email plus ...emojis.

civility 8y ago
Support issues with email? Everyone I know can handle email just fine. I consider the lack of emojis a bonus. Old school smileys are just fine by me. :-) (Actually, emojis work just fine with gmail, but I won't be embracing them any time soon)
- planb 8y ago
  > Everyone I know can handle email just fine. Then you don't know "normal" people. Try managing a school mailing list for a while to learn all the different ways email fails for the average user.

lmm 8y ago

Please stop CCing me about that party that I can't make. I don't need to know who's bringing what, I already know that I can't make it and hearing about all the details over and over again is just going to make me sad. Also you missed my sister off the last reply, please re-add her and resend your message, again. But without me in the CC list.