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I think what pisses me off the most about FB is they used to be legitimately good, then over time slowly boiled the frog, less and less privacy, more features p

I think what pisses me off the most about FB is they used to be legitimately good, then over time slowly boiled the frog, less and less privacy, more features people don't want, so people begrudgingly put up with it now rather than truly enjoy it. They can't leave, not that everyone they know is on FB due to the first mover phenomenon. And if they were honest with themselves or us, they'd admit that. And even if people get sick of FB and migrate to another platform, guess what, they own Instagram and Whatsapp. Someone in Facebook at a high level is a psychopath, or maybe multiple people

snarf21 7y ago
I would argue they were never good. He called people who gave FB data "... dumb f#@$s" back when he was 19. It was just that in the beginning they weren't pushing the monetization yet. Now that is all it is about and people are starting to understand how they are being exploited. The only thing that has changed is that you are aware. I still don't think any of the people in my family give a crap. They are more than happy in their echo chamber and free service.
- Mirioron 7y ago
  I echo your statement. I knew of Facebook rather early on and even back then it seemed like a bad idea to sign up. What I find interesting, though, is that Facebook feels like an entirely unknown part of the internet for me as a result. A lot of the links and what not on Facebook are like closed doors for me.
  - inflatableDodo 7y ago
    I find the biggest issue to be events. About the only thing I have been excluded from by not using facebook is some of the more hippy end of events where sometimes the only access is through facebook and people are seemingly too high to realise that this may in fact be somewhat against their own stated ethos.
- ravenstine 7y ago
  Facebook was indeed always like that, and it even became apparent as time went on. Yet people did not care until the media decided that Facebook was bad (instead of acting like their minds were blown by it 24/7), and even at that most people continue to use it. Facebook could be spying on people in the shower and they'd continue using it because their platform is one of a plethora of distractions that allow people to not have to think about the truth while practicing both apathy and recreational outrage.
  - daniel-cussen 7y ago
    A friend tried getting off Facebook back in 2011. It was basically impossible, it took a lot of deliberate effort and even then it merely interrupted your account activity.
    - JohnFen 7y ago
      That was about when I cancelled my Facebook account. I wouldn't describe the process as "basically impossible" at all.
username223 7y ago
Agreed. Back when FB started, it was a convenient way to keep in touch with school friends. You could go over to their pages and see what they were up to lately. Then they added a chronological news feed, and while some people objected, I didn't mind. By the time I left last year, it was an inscrutable Skinner box full of ads. The thing that really pisses me off, though, is the way Google has gone downhill. I remember when they launched, in a world of Lycos and Alta Vista, how refreshing it was to have a simple text box for search, that took you to a list of blue links. After awhile, there were clearly-labeled text ads along the right side, which was much better than the flashing banners on other sites. Now, the ads are mixed in with the search results and designed to confuse, and Google boosts its own properties into the carousel on top. I still sometimes use Google, but always vaguely dreading what new clutter or dark pattern they have added to the SERP since my last visit. In both cases, a once-useful product was A/B-tested to within an inch of its life, maximizing engagement/surveillance while keeping it just bearable enough for not too many users to leave.
welly 7y ago
Why can't they leave? Lots of us have and have continued to lead successful lives. I've been off and on Facebook for a number of years, but left last year and have absolutely no desire, or need, to subscribe again.
inflatableDodo 7y ago
>over time slowly boiled the frog The important detail about the story concerning boiling frogs, is that to stop them from jumping out, first of all their brains were removed. Though I am not sure whether in this instance it makes the metaphor more accurate, or less. https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2009/07/guest-post-wisdom-on-frogs/21789/ https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2009/07/guest...
JohnFen 7y ago
> is they used to be legitimately good I don't think that's true. The history of Facebook and Zuckerberg really makes it hard to make the case that either of them were ever anything approaching ethical or good.

snarf21 7y ago

I would argue they were never good. He called people who gave FB data "... dumb f#@$s" back when he was 19. It was just that in the beginning they weren't pushing the monetization yet. Now that is all it is about and people are starting to understand how they are being exploited. The only thing that has changed is that you are aware. I still don't think any of the people in my family give a crap. They are more than happy in their echo chamber and free service.

Mirioron 7y ago
I echo your statement. I knew of Facebook rather early on and even back then it seemed like a bad idea to sign up. What I find interesting, though, is that Facebook feels like an entirely unknown part of the internet for me as a result. A lot of the links and what not on Facebook are like closed doors for me.
- inflatableDodo 7y ago
  I find the biggest issue to be events. About the only thing I have been excluded from by not using facebook is some of the more hippy end of events where sometimes the only access is through facebook and people are seemingly too high to realise that this may in fact be somewhat against their own stated ethos.
ravenstine 7y ago
Facebook was indeed always like that, and it even became apparent as time went on. Yet people did not care until the media decided that Facebook was bad (instead of acting like their minds were blown by it 24/7), and even at that most people continue to use it. Facebook could be spying on people in the shower and they'd continue using it because their platform is one of a plethora of distractions that allow people to not have to think about the truth while practicing both apathy and recreational outrage.
- daniel-cussen 7y ago
  A friend tried getting off Facebook back in 2011. It was basically impossible, it took a lot of deliberate effort and even then it merely interrupted your account activity.
  - JohnFen 7y ago
    That was about when I cancelled my Facebook account. I wouldn't describe the process as "basically impossible" at all.

username223 7y ago

Agreed. Back when FB started, it was a convenient way to keep in touch with school friends. You could go over to their pages and see what they were up to lately. Then they added a chronological news feed, and while some people objected, I didn't mind. By the time I left last year, it was an inscrutable Skinner box full of ads. The thing that really pisses me off, though, is the way Google has gone downhill. I remember when they launched, in a world of Lycos and Alta Vista, how refreshing it was to have a simple text box for search, that took you to a list of blue links. After awhile, there were clearly-labeled text ads along the right side, which was much better than the flashing banners on other sites. Now, the ads are mixed in with the search results and designed to confuse, and Google boosts its own properties into the carousel on top. I still sometimes use Google, but always vaguely dreading what new clutter or dark pattern they have added to the SERP since my last visit. In both cases, a once-useful product was A/B-tested to within an inch of its life, maximizing engagement/surveillance while keeping it just bearable enough for not too many users to leave.

welly 7y ago

Why can't they leave? Lots of us have and have continued to lead successful lives. I've been off and on Facebook for a number of years, but left last year and have absolutely no desire, or need, to subscribe again.

inflatableDodo 7y ago

>over time slowly boiled the frog The important detail about the story concerning boiling frogs, is that to stop them from jumping out, first of all their brains were removed. Though I am not sure whether in this instance it makes the metaphor more accurate, or less. https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2009/07/guest-post-wisdom-on-frogs/21789/ https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2009/07/guest...

JohnFen 7y ago

> is they used to be legitimately good I don't think that's true. The history of Facebook and Zuckerberg really makes it hard to make the case that either of them were ever anything approaching ethical or good.