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Unfortunately, network effects are in play. Lots of people use facebook for things trivial and important. Local municipalities using it for events, etc. If you'

Unfortunately, network effects are in play. Lots of people use facebook for things trivial and important. Local municipalities using it for events, etc. If you're not on it, you don't have a voice.

ericmay 5y ago
> If you're not on it, you don't have a voice. Depends on what you’re trying to say doesn’t it? But I’d challenge this overall sentiment. I haven’t had Facebook since 2010 or so. Nothing bad happened. I have a large and loving family and lots of close friends that I spend time with. I didn’t lose my voice. If I’m angry I call my representative or show up at their office. If a company does something I disagree with I don’t buy their products and I leave feedback on their website. It’s an illusion that we need Facebook or any other company as a conduit for feedback. We are choosing that path. It’s not one we need to take.
- Gualdrapo 5y ago
  > It’s an illusion that we need Facebook or any other company as a conduit for feedback. We are choosing that path. It’s not one we need to take. But it's a decision we took as a collective. Same as with many other things - we (people) use Facebook/Whatsapp/etcetera because _others_ are using them, not always because we need to. If you as an individual decide to pull the plug off that stuff while people, groups or others around you that you're in touch with are still using them, you're risking to become a digital outcast. (I used Facebook from 2012 until 2018 and yes, it became a little harder to get in touch with people or many things that just assume everyone uses Facebook)
  - ericmay 5y ago
    I wonder at what point I’ll be a digital outcast. What will that look like? Will my wife just sit on the couch and only message me through Facebook? Will my 3 friends I’ve known since high school not send me a text message to get together to play tennis and organize virtual tennis on Meta and not invite me? I think more likely is that this concept is overhyped and fragile. Maybe you can think of something I’m missing here that not having Meta is causing ruin in my life for?
    - mysterydip 5y ago
      A few close contacts are easy to maintain with traditional means. Many of the hobby groups I was a part of have moved to either facebook or discord, and old presences like individual forums or websites have disappeared or are shells of their former selves. If you aren't in a lot of groups, maybe this doesn't affect you the same?
      - ericmay 5y ago
        Yea for some they moved to Slack but not a part of too many hobby groups or if I am I usually just subscribe to email updates. If they don’t do those then yea I’d either get a text message or an invite some other way or just not be part of the group anymore (which goes to show it wasn’t that important in the first place). It’s kind of a filtering mechanism for important interactions.
- Tenoke 5y ago
  I've survived all my life just fine not being able to drive, doesn't mean it wont inconvenience others to not have a license (though yes, even without that they'd 'survive'). It'd definitely be harder to keep abreast of some events I go to without it and I'd never bother keeping the numbers of a lot of people I have on there without it yet can benefit from being able to reach.
  - ericmay 5y ago
    > I've survived all my life just fine not being able to drive, doesn't mean it wont inconvenience others to not have a license (though yes, even without that they'd 'survive'). Don’t think these are very equivalent but I don’t think we should be designing society around cars either. > It'd definitely be harder to keep abreast of some events I go to without it and I'd never bother keeping the numbers of a lot of people I have on there without it yet can benefit from being able to reach. Everyone is different of course but I think for me meditation has helped just let go of people I’ve met. It makes the at-the-time interaction more interesting and meaningful for me because it’s unique and fleeting. It also makes getting someone’s phone number a more significant event because the interaction was so good that I think we should meet again. I also try to just stay in touch locally. Admittedly on the professional side I have LinkedIn for most of that stuff but I’ve had days where I’ve been very close to deleting that too but just haven’t pulled the trigger. I think I’d be better off without it probably but it’s also so useless except as a Rolodex that it’s not doing too much harm. For me when I was at the loneliest and most depressing times in my life I had Facebook. When I met my amazing wife and moved back to Columbus and had a strong social support network and loving family it really made Facebook (or TikTok or w/e) irrelevant.
  - a9h74j 5y ago
    > I've survived all my life just fine not being able to drive Interesting. We have public transportation for those who either choose not to drive or cannot drive, or cannot afford a car, etc. Is Meta starting to act like a government if it can ban you from "driving" in Meta's Metaverse, if Meta's Metaverse becomes a dominant mode? Will there be public funded options with less restrictive access than driving in Meta's Metaverse?
CodeGlitch 5y ago
I'll probably eat my words saying this, but "normal people" ie non techies and non gamers are pretty reluctant to don VR headsets for anything. I predict meta will be a failure if it requires VR hardware. Not to mention the cost.
- threeseed 5y ago
  > I predict meta will be a failure if it requires VR hardware. It doesn't. The idea behind Meta is that it is a multi-device experience all connected to the same backend.
  - CodeGlitch 5y ago
    Fair enough, in that sense we already are experiencing the "metaverse" for many online activities... Except no one refers to it like that.
- falcolas 5y ago
  I’ve gotten my entire set of inlaws to use VR. They loved it. They were quite annoyed that I didn’t bring it for Christmas again this year. If the experience they start with is entertaining and compelling, they’ll use it.
- Closi 5y ago
  Well I guess there are two parts to that: > 1) I predict meta will be a failure if it requires VR hardware. Meta is almost certainly a word that gets banded around by (Ex-)Facebook meaning future communication platforms. In their eyes WhatsApp is part of the metaverse, FB is part of the metaverse, Oculus is part of the metaverse e.t.c. > 2) I predict meta will be a failure if it requires VR hardware. Not to mention the cost. Well the price of VR hardware has already gone from £700 hardware + a £1.5k Computer to £300 for one of the best headsets in 5 years (which does not need a separate computer to run) - so assuming you don't have a gaming computer, the cost is c1/5th of what it was not to long ago. There is no reason to believe that cost will be a barrier in the western world.
- georgeecollins 5y ago
kova12 5y ago
It is an interesting point. Yes, Facebook is a private firm and can do whatever it wants. But municipality is not. We must either ban public agencies from using such platforms or make them accountable to the sane standard as government
- VLM 5y ago
  If you're banned from the public library its not a big deal. If your voting site is moved to the library, then it becomes a big deal. This became an issue in my state (or maybe larger area) WRT convicted pedos and similar convictions being able to vote, being legally barred from being within X feet of schools which are open, and voting sites being at schools. Solution was the kids get voting day off, which hopefully will increase voter participation if someday everyone gets voting day off.
  - pasc1878 5y ago
    Isn't that normal. How can you have a voting place where normal use is ongoing? I am from UK and many voting places are schools and the whole school has the day off. I think this has been true for over a hundred years.
    - VLM 5y ago
      Utilization of the gym/community room/theater stage is never 100% anyway so on election Tuesday we'd spend a very late in the season gym class playing softball outside instead of field hockey in the gym, or stagecraft class would cohabitate with the wood shop for a day thus leaving the auditorium open. Because of various long term migration patterns at least in the USA we also have districts that are practically emptied out despite having huge schools so you could give the voters an entire floor if needed, and other districts that are so packed I know personally of two schools that have two gymnasiums so you just dedicate one gym for one day. School day off has been growing in the USA and I look forward to voting days being a holiday someday. Its a bit tricky because voter participation rates are low in the USA and some voters are uninformed enough to actually think we only have an election every four years, LOL, whereas its more like twice a year plus special elections where I live. Of course if voting could change anything it would be banned, and we're replacing philosophical politics with identity politics so soon all that'll matter at voting time is the genetics of your parents. Already at that point with some demographics. Still, its interesting.

Unfortunately, network effects are in play. Lots of people use facebook for things trivial and important. Local municipalities using it for events, etc. If you're not on it, you don't have a voice.

ericmay 5y ago

> If you're not on it, you don't have a voice. Depends on what you’re trying to say doesn’t it? But I’d challenge this overall sentiment. I haven’t had Facebook since 2010 or so. Nothing bad happened. I have a large and loving family and lots of close friends that I spend time with. I didn’t lose my voice. If I’m angry I call my representative or show up at their office. If a company does something I disagree with I don’t buy their products and I leave feedback on their website. It’s an illusion that we need Facebook or any other company as a conduit for feedback. We are choosing that path. It’s not one we need to take.

Gualdrapo 5y ago
> It’s an illusion that we need Facebook or any other company as a conduit for feedback. We are choosing that path. It’s not one we need to take. But it's a decision we took as a collective. Same as with many other things - we (people) use Facebook/Whatsapp/etcetera because _others_ are using them, not always because we need to. If you as an individual decide to pull the plug off that stuff while people, groups or others around you that you're in touch with are still using them, you're risking to become a digital outcast. (I used Facebook from 2012 until 2018 and yes, it became a little harder to get in touch with people or many things that just assume everyone uses Facebook)
- ericmay 5y ago
  I wonder at what point I’ll be a digital outcast. What will that look like? Will my wife just sit on the couch and only message me through Facebook? Will my 3 friends I’ve known since high school not send me a text message to get together to play tennis and organize virtual tennis on Meta and not invite me? I think more likely is that this concept is overhyped and fragile. Maybe you can think of something I’m missing here that not having Meta is causing ruin in my life for?
  - mysterydip 5y ago
    A few close contacts are easy to maintain with traditional means. Many of the hobby groups I was a part of have moved to either facebook or discord, and old presences like individual forums or websites have disappeared or are shells of their former selves. If you aren't in a lot of groups, maybe this doesn't affect you the same?
    - ericmay 5y ago
      Yea for some they moved to Slack but not a part of too many hobby groups or if I am I usually just subscribe to email updates. If they don’t do those then yea I’d either get a text message or an invite some other way or just not be part of the group anymore (which goes to show it wasn’t that important in the first place). It’s kind of a filtering mechanism for important interactions.
Tenoke 5y ago
I've survived all my life just fine not being able to drive, doesn't mean it wont inconvenience others to not have a license (though yes, even without that they'd 'survive'). It'd definitely be harder to keep abreast of some events I go to without it and I'd never bother keeping the numbers of a lot of people I have on there without it yet can benefit from being able to reach.
- ericmay 5y ago
  > I've survived all my life just fine not being able to drive, doesn't mean it wont inconvenience others to not have a license (though yes, even without that they'd 'survive'). Don’t think these are very equivalent but I don’t think we should be designing society around cars either. > It'd definitely be harder to keep abreast of some events I go to without it and I'd never bother keeping the numbers of a lot of people I have on there without it yet can benefit from being able to reach. Everyone is different of course but I think for me meditation has helped just let go of people I’ve met. It makes the at-the-time interaction more interesting and meaningful for me because it’s unique and fleeting. It also makes getting someone’s phone number a more significant event because the interaction was so good that I think we should meet again. I also try to just stay in touch locally. Admittedly on the professional side I have LinkedIn for most of that stuff but I’ve had days where I’ve been very close to deleting that too but just haven’t pulled the trigger. I think I’d be better off without it probably but it’s also so useless except as a Rolodex that it’s not doing too much harm. For me when I was at the loneliest and most depressing times in my life I had Facebook. When I met my amazing wife and moved back to Columbus and had a strong social support network and loving family it really made Facebook (or TikTok or w/e) irrelevant.
- a9h74j 5y ago
  > I've survived all my life just fine not being able to drive Interesting. We have public transportation for those who either choose not to drive or cannot drive, or cannot afford a car, etc. Is Meta starting to act like a government if it can ban you from "driving" in Meta's Metaverse, if Meta's Metaverse becomes a dominant mode? Will there be public funded options with less restrictive access than driving in Meta's Metaverse?

CodeGlitch 5y ago

I'll probably eat my words saying this, but "normal people" ie non techies and non gamers are pretty reluctant to don VR headsets for anything. I predict meta will be a failure if it requires VR hardware. Not to mention the cost.

threeseed 5y ago
> I predict meta will be a failure if it requires VR hardware. It doesn't. The idea behind Meta is that it is a multi-device experience all connected to the same backend.
- CodeGlitch 5y ago
  Fair enough, in that sense we already are experiencing the "metaverse" for many online activities... Except no one refers to it like that.
falcolas 5y ago
I’ve gotten my entire set of inlaws to use VR. They loved it. They were quite annoyed that I didn’t bring it for Christmas again this year. If the experience they start with is entertaining and compelling, they’ll use it.
Closi 5y ago
Well I guess there are two parts to that: > 1) I predict meta will be a failure if it requires VR hardware. Meta is almost certainly a word that gets banded around by (Ex-)Facebook meaning future communication platforms. In their eyes WhatsApp is part of the metaverse, FB is part of the metaverse, Oculus is part of the metaverse e.t.c. > 2) I predict meta will be a failure if it requires VR hardware. Not to mention the cost. Well the price of VR hardware has already gone from £700 hardware + a £1.5k Computer to £300 for one of the best headsets in 5 years (which does not need a separate computer to run) - so assuming you don't have a gaming computer, the cost is c1/5th of what it was not to long ago. There is no reason to believe that cost will be a barrier in the western world.
georgeecollins 5y ago

kova12 5y ago

It is an interesting point. Yes, Facebook is a private firm and can do whatever it wants. But municipality is not. We must either ban public agencies from using such platforms or make them accountable to the sane standard as government

VLM 5y ago
If you're banned from the public library its not a big deal. If your voting site is moved to the library, then it becomes a big deal. This became an issue in my state (or maybe larger area) WRT convicted pedos and similar convictions being able to vote, being legally barred from being within X feet of schools which are open, and voting sites being at schools. Solution was the kids get voting day off, which hopefully will increase voter participation if someday everyone gets voting day off.
- pasc1878 5y ago
  Isn't that normal. How can you have a voting place where normal use is ongoing? I am from UK and many voting places are schools and the whole school has the day off. I think this has been true for over a hundred years.
  - VLM 5y ago
    Utilization of the gym/community room/theater stage is never 100% anyway so on election Tuesday we'd spend a very late in the season gym class playing softball outside instead of field hockey in the gym, or stagecraft class would cohabitate with the wood shop for a day thus leaving the auditorium open. Because of various long term migration patterns at least in the USA we also have districts that are practically emptied out despite having huge schools so you could give the voters an entire floor if needed, and other districts that are so packed I know personally of two schools that have two gymnasiums so you just dedicate one gym for one day. School day off has been growing in the USA and I look forward to voting days being a holiday someday. Its a bit tricky because voter participation rates are low in the USA and some voters are uninformed enough to actually think we only have an election every four years, LOL, whereas its more like twice a year plus special elections where I live. Of course if voting could change anything it would be banned, and we're replacing philosophical politics with identity politics so soon all that'll matter at voting time is the genetics of your parents. Already at that point with some demographics. Still, its interesting.