3 ms·

I say forget "the network". If your so-called friends don't have your email address, they aren't your friends.

hackingthenews 6y ago
I would agree with this for phone numbers, but not email.
ISL 6y ago
Especially in the case of Instagram, it's a de facto RSS reader for a lot of really good content, if you curate it right. I'm happy to say that the network I have built through Instagram has taken my photography to new levels and facilitated social interactions I'd never have had otherwise. It is very fair to want to take the good (network/community) and leave the bad (walled-garden and tracking).
- Lammy 6y ago
  My RSS reader doesn't spy on and profile me while I use it
- moron4hire 6y ago
  You're assuming a similar, or even the same, network can't be found outside of <site-x>. I suspect this is a subset of what I call "The Fallacy of The Best", the idea that things can objectively be quantified as "the best" and that there is significant value that cannot be realized without "the best". In reality, the products and services you choose have relatively little impact on the quality of experience you have, both because there is little substantial difference between most things on the main, and because the effort you put into things is far more important.
Mediterraneo10 6y ago
Many people need to feel part of a social circle in order to be happy. Many if not most of those members of our social circle are going to be friends merely out of convenience or inertia, but that is an unpleasant fact that we avoid thinking about directly. Leaving social media can be traumatic because you are suddenly brought face to face with the fact that many relationships in your life are a bit of a lie – people don’t really care about you all that much. And sure, you are left with a handful of “real friends” who are still willing to engage with you even though you are now the weirdo of the bunch who doesn’t use social media, but still. I sometimes wonder if the psychological toll of continuing to use social media is less than that of quitting social media.
komali2 6y ago
> If your so-called friends don't have your email address, they aren't your friends. I don't think that's fair to say in 2020. I'm not arguing for facebook's goodness here, just its ubiquity. When it comes time for me to organize a friends-only event (i.e., not a meetup or community event), I'm not aware of anything better than FB for the task. Say a party with 50 people at it - not all those people have my phone number or email address, but we're still close enough that I could tell you where they grew up. Maybe we chat on messenger sometimes. I'm actively looking for alternatives. I think I'll disable my FB to still have access to messenger, but mostly I need a replacement for Events. Marketplace is pointless - I get way more hits on my craigslist posts anyway. Photos is stupid, I just put my stuff on photos.google.com and share the URL with people. Hah, though I am just now remembering Instagram is owned by FB.

I would agree with this for phone numbers, but not email.

ISL 6y ago

Especially in the case of Instagram, it's a de facto RSS reader for a lot of really good content, if you curate it right. I'm happy to say that the network I have built through Instagram has taken my photography to new levels and facilitated social interactions I'd never have had otherwise. It is very fair to want to take the good (network/community) and leave the bad (walled-garden and tracking).

Lammy 6y ago
My RSS reader doesn't spy on and profile me while I use it
moron4hire 6y ago
You're assuming a similar, or even the same, network can't be found outside of <site-x>. I suspect this is a subset of what I call "The Fallacy of The Best", the idea that things can objectively be quantified as "the best" and that there is significant value that cannot be realized without "the best". In reality, the products and services you choose have relatively little impact on the quality of experience you have, both because there is little substantial difference between most things on the main, and because the effort you put into things is far more important.

Mediterraneo10 6y ago

Many people need to feel part of a social circle in order to be happy. Many if not most of those members of our social circle are going to be friends merely out of convenience or inertia, but that is an unpleasant fact that we avoid thinking about directly. Leaving social media can be traumatic because you are suddenly brought face to face with the fact that many relationships in your life are a bit of a lie – people don’t really care about you all that much. And sure, you are left with a handful of “real friends” who are still willing to engage with you even though you are now the weirdo of the bunch who doesn’t use social media, but still. I sometimes wonder if the psychological toll of continuing to use social media is less than that of quitting social media.

komali2 6y ago

> If your so-called friends don't have your email address, they aren't your friends. I don't think that's fair to say in 2020. I'm not arguing for facebook's goodness here, just its ubiquity. When it comes time for me to organize a friends-only event (i.e., not a meetup or community event), I'm not aware of anything better than FB for the task. Say a party with 50 people at it - not all those people have my phone number or email address, but we're still close enough that I could tell you where they grew up. Maybe we chat on messenger sometimes. I'm actively looking for alternatives. I think I'll disable my FB to still have access to messenger, but mostly I need a replacement for Events. Marketplace is pointless - I get way more hits on my craigslist posts anyway. Photos is stupid, I just put my stuff on photos.google.com and share the URL with people. Hah, though I am just now remembering Instagram is owned by FB.