5 ms·

Eliminate all news, politics, and other public policy groups and apps. Return to being just a way to connect with friends and family. Maybe this is just me bei

Eliminate all news, politics, and other public policy groups and apps. Return to being just a way to connect with friends and family. Maybe this is just me being a late adopter of facebook (2012 or 2013 here), but... when was this magical time without politics and news? Was this in the time of game requests? Was there really no one sharing news stories back then? No groups discussing religion and philosophy and current events? No one organizing protests? No one commenting about how they disapproved of a lifestyle or couldn't ever harm a little, innocent unborn baby? Really?? I'm gonna guess you simply didn't see it from friends and family back then or didn't consider some of it to be political. It could be that people themselves share it more often now, but if that's the case, that's simply because the world has changed into such a world. But don't get me wrong, this isn't something facebook has done, as some folks have always been political and some loud about it.

htrp 5y ago
2004 or so .... Facebook was limited to updates about what your friend circle did in college.
- ok123456 5y ago
  In a single textarea element. It was more like a graffiti wall where any of your friends could edit.
karmajunkie 5y ago
My first post was in 2004, and shortly thereafter my second was something railing on Bush. you’re right, facebook has always been inseparable from politics and current events.
6gvONxR4sf7o 5y ago
> when was this magical time without politics and news? Before occupy Wall Street, maybe? Or before the recession? When it was just a college thing, it was great. I distinctly remember facebook during college being the same content makeup I get today when actually talking to friends. Photos from the weekend, conversation, invitations to the beach, jokes, etc. And you got these big albums, so it wasn’t IG’s carefully curated perfect-life-looking shininess. > Really?? Yeah. > I'm gonna guess you simply didn't see it I think you joined after the good years.
- Broken_Hippo 5y ago
  I think you joined after the good years. Yeah, it always seemed like it wasn't worth it since I really didn't have many friends to speak of. I mostly joined to keep touch with family when moving overseas. I'm not sure about 'after the good years' since I've honestly met some wonderful folks and had always seen people act out the worst part of facebook in real life - racism, anti-gay, and anti-poor sentiments haven't been strangers to Indiana's small-to-medium towns. You know, making it hard to believe it wasn't on facebook too.
  - 6gvONxR4sf7o 5y ago
    Presumably, you’re trying to imagine facebook 2021 without the shittiness, or facebook 2012 without the shittiness. Facebook 2005, however, was an entirely different product. Sure, people were shitty then. But the product didn’t bring it out. Maybe it’s a way of saying the virtual vs IRL behavior gap was really small back then, and each “product improvement” widens it.
    - deleted 5y ago
      [deleted]
AlbertCory 5y ago
No, sorry, you're right. Some of my "friends & family" did insist on posting politics all the time. I muted or unfriended all of them. You'd be surprised how many people never do that stuff.

htrp 5y ago

2004 or so .... Facebook was limited to updates about what your friend circle did in college.

ok123456 5y ago
In a single textarea element. It was more like a graffiti wall where any of your friends could edit.

karmajunkie 5y ago

My first post was in 2004, and shortly thereafter my second was something railing on Bush. you’re right, facebook has always been inseparable from politics and current events.

6gvONxR4sf7o 5y ago

> when was this magical time without politics and news? Before occupy Wall Street, maybe? Or before the recession? When it was just a college thing, it was great. I distinctly remember facebook during college being the same content makeup I get today when actually talking to friends. Photos from the weekend, conversation, invitations to the beach, jokes, etc. And you got these big albums, so it wasn’t IG’s carefully curated perfect-life-looking shininess. > Really?? Yeah. > I'm gonna guess you simply didn't see it I think you joined after the good years.

Broken_Hippo 5y ago
I think you joined after the good years. Yeah, it always seemed like it wasn't worth it since I really didn't have many friends to speak of. I mostly joined to keep touch with family when moving overseas. I'm not sure about 'after the good years' since I've honestly met some wonderful folks and had always seen people act out the worst part of facebook in real life - racism, anti-gay, and anti-poor sentiments haven't been strangers to Indiana's small-to-medium towns. You know, making it hard to believe it wasn't on facebook too.
- 6gvONxR4sf7o 5y ago
  Presumably, you’re trying to imagine facebook 2021 without the shittiness, or facebook 2012 without the shittiness. Facebook 2005, however, was an entirely different product. Sure, people were shitty then. But the product didn’t bring it out. Maybe it’s a way of saying the virtual vs IRL behavior gap was really small back then, and each “product improvement” widens it.
  - deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]

AlbertCory 5y ago

No, sorry, you're right. Some of my "friends & family" did insist on posting politics all the time. I muted or unfriended all of them. You'd be surprised how many people never do that stuff.