4 ms·
I think there's an argument for breaking up Facebook for antitrust reasons. I used to be fine with the "Just don't use Facebook" argument. I quit it myself sev
by J-dawg 6y ago
I think there's an argument for breaking up Facebook for antitrust reasons.
I used to be fine with the "Just don't use Facebook" argument. I quit it myself several years ago.
But recently I've found myself being genuinely inconvenienced by not being on Facebook. My gym for example, uses a Facebook group as its main forum. Several sports clubs and businesses I use now have a Facebook page as their main "web site". Friends tell me that Facebook marketplace is overtaking Gumtree as the best place to buy and sell. I am missing out on participating in all of these groups.
I don't blame any of these organisations for opting to use Facebook. They're all too small to employ anyone to maintain a website. Facebook no doubt gives them a great CMS and makes everything easy.
But it seems completely wrong that I have to submit to Facebook, with its real name policy and abuse of my data, to participate in these groups.
The markets for startups in any of these areas must be hugely stifled by Facebook's monopoly. Who would be brave enough to start a business building a CMS for gyms at this point?
I'm not a lawyer, but I don't see how this is different from Microsoft bundling a browser with an OS. In many ways it's worse.
- socialentity 6y ago"Because it inconveniences you" is not a good reason to break up companies, imo. Maybe those small businesses will learn that Facebook is not the best option. There are other cheap ways to get a web presence. Facebook is not even a web presence, as it is a walled garden. Also, how would you even break it up? A separate "events platform" would be pretty useless without the Facebook social graph. What would be the point? Just plain disallow Facebook to have useful features, making things more difficult for people?