5 ms·

Honestly what is being missed? I dont use facebook and believe i have not missed any important moment for humanity. At least none that I can think of.

Mediterraneo10 7y ago
Lots of stuff is being missed. Here are two examples that I can think of off the top of my head: 1) There are Facebook groups not only for cities, but sometimes even for individual neighborhoods within those cities. People gossip with their neighbours, complain about local politicians, or announce community events. These groups may represent a goldmine for the study of local history. 2) A lot of the travel community has abandoned standalone forum websites like Lonely Planet’s Thorn Tree or Horizons Unlimited for Facebook groups. The way people have traveled in the past is something that tends to interest later generations, as one can see from books that still get published about 19th-century round-the-world travelers or the Istanbul-Kathmandu trail of the ’60s and ’70s. Yet much of the detail of travel in the last decade or so risks being lost if Facebook goes.
- buboard 7y ago
  There is too much noise in facebook, and there is just so much data that it would overwhelm archive.org. I think whatever is important leaks to other, more public social media like reddit. Gossip and petty politics is not important.
  - Mediterraneo10 7y ago
    "Gossip and petty politics is not important." Any historian would disagree with you. The gossip and petty politics revealed in small-town newspapers, people’s correspondence, or diaries represents a resource they find valuable for understanding the history of a place. With the death of small-town newspapers, Facebook city and neighborhood groups have partly filled the slot that they used to represent. Yes, there is now Reddit, but there are several years where Facebook has a wealth of content for community events but Reddit had not yet grown large enough to cover them.
  - mopsi 7y ago
    > Gossip and petty politics is not important. Robert Caro's experience in uncovering the watershed moment in Lyndon B. Johnson's career might change your views. "The Secrets of Lyndon Johnson’s Archives" https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/01/28/the-secrets-of-lyndon-johnsons-archives https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/01/28/the-secrets-of...
    - buboard 7y ago
      You 'd need to have an archive of private conversations for such things (not just on facebook). I think the NSA/FBI will take care of that
      - deleted 7y ago
        [deleted]
baby 7y ago
Usually joining groups for your city, or for communities you belong too, is always a good way to get up-to-date news, tips, or meet people.

Mediterraneo10 7y ago

Lots of stuff is being missed. Here are two examples that I can think of off the top of my head: 1) There are Facebook groups not only for cities, but sometimes even for individual neighborhoods within those cities. People gossip with their neighbours, complain about local politicians, or announce community events. These groups may represent a goldmine for the study of local history. 2) A lot of the travel community has abandoned standalone forum websites like Lonely Planet’s Thorn Tree or Horizons Unlimited for Facebook groups. The way people have traveled in the past is something that tends to interest later generations, as one can see from books that still get published about 19th-century round-the-world travelers or the Istanbul-Kathmandu trail of the ’60s and ’70s. Yet much of the detail of travel in the last decade or so risks being lost if Facebook goes.

buboard 7y ago
There is too much noise in facebook, and there is just so much data that it would overwhelm archive.org. I think whatever is important leaks to other, more public social media like reddit. Gossip and petty politics is not important.
- Mediterraneo10 7y ago
  "Gossip and petty politics is not important." Any historian would disagree with you. The gossip and petty politics revealed in small-town newspapers, people’s correspondence, or diaries represents a resource they find valuable for understanding the history of a place. With the death of small-town newspapers, Facebook city and neighborhood groups have partly filled the slot that they used to represent. Yes, there is now Reddit, but there are several years where Facebook has a wealth of content for community events but Reddit had not yet grown large enough to cover them.
- mopsi 7y ago
  > Gossip and petty politics is not important. Robert Caro's experience in uncovering the watershed moment in Lyndon B. Johnson's career might change your views. "The Secrets of Lyndon Johnson’s Archives" https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/01/28/the-secrets-of-lyndon-johnsons-archives https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/01/28/the-secrets-of...
  - buboard 7y ago
    You 'd need to have an archive of private conversations for such things (not just on facebook). I think the NSA/FBI will take care of that
    - deleted 7y ago
      [deleted]

baby 7y ago

Usually joining groups for your city, or for communities you belong too, is always a good way to get up-to-date news, tips, or meet people.