5 ms·

It really gets me down when local/state emergency services etc. use it as their primary means of news/updates.

Victerius 5y ago
The federal government should launch its own platform for the US government and state and local governments to push all their updates. Something like Star Wars' Holonet.
ikt 5y ago
Same! What a sad state the internet is in when a megaevil corp is used by local services to provide updates. I thought that was what Twitter was for? I know several pacific islands were going to ban Facebook but apparently it's heavily in use by businesses. Regina Lepping, a young entrepreneur from capital city Honiara, said the announcement had sent many small business owners scrambling to find alternatives to Facebook. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-01-15/solomon-islands-backtracks-on-plan-to-ban-facebook/13060246 https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-01-15/solomon-islands-backt...
- openknot 5y ago
  I've interacted with local businesses that use a Facebook page as a replacement for maintaining a website that they own. The rationale I've read is that their time is best spent providing their quality service versus learning website development (even with a block-based website builder), and hiring a web developer is too pricey, when they can create a Facebook page that is easy to set up. Most importantly, it's easy for them to update and maintain a Facebook page, versus an independent website.
woodruffw 5y ago
This has always irked me. Perhaps it's heavy handed, but I would love a law that (1) requires governments at all levels to use open-access websites (and radio, a local newspaper of record, &c.), and (2) requires services like Facebook to syndicate any news and updates.
- dboreham 5y ago
  This is probably already the case : I can access my local government entities' FB pages without logging in to FB. Google indexes the pages so you don't need the FB search feature to find them.
- Infernal 5y ago
  Interesting that you would name a newspaper of record as a valid outlet for government news/updates. I feel like Facebook could make an argument for being essentially that today - after all, it is where the eyeballs are, which is why people use it for marriage announcements, birth announcements, classifieds, obituaries.... and on and on.
  - woodruffw 5y ago
    A newspaper of record has additional advantages. For example, the newspaper can't accidentally delete or automoderate an already published article, and anybody can cut the article out of the newspaper and save it without having to pay for electricity and digital storage media in perpetuity.
    - openknot 5y ago
      There is also comparatively more at stake when a newspaper gets facts wrong, versus misinformation on a Facebook post. When a newspaper mistakenly publishes false information at the time (which should not happen too often due to internal fact-checking teams or at least a trained editor and journalist), they issue a correction out of journalistic ethics. But when a Facebook post publishes a falsehood, there is far less obligation to issue a correction notice or remove the post.
      - iszomer 5y ago
        Or stealth edit but by then people would have moved on to the next consumable news article.
    - throwaway1777 5y ago
hackerfromthefu 5y ago
Also educational institutions
irrational 5y ago
Where I live they use nextdoor for that purpose. I’m not sure which is worse.
- rtlfe 5y ago
  Nextdoor infinitely worse. It's such a toxic cesspool.
  - irrational 5y ago
    But... they are both toxic cesspools. [Insert office meme of Pam saying both pictures are the same]

The federal government should launch its own platform for the US government and state and local governments to push all their updates. Something like Star Wars' Holonet.

ikt 5y ago

Same! What a sad state the internet is in when a megaevil corp is used by local services to provide updates. I thought that was what Twitter was for? I know several pacific islands were going to ban Facebook but apparently it's heavily in use by businesses. Regina Lepping, a young entrepreneur from capital city Honiara, said the announcement had sent many small business owners scrambling to find alternatives to Facebook. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-01-15/solomon-islands-backtracks-on-plan-to-ban-facebook/13060246 https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-01-15/solomon-islands-backt...

openknot 5y ago
I've interacted with local businesses that use a Facebook page as a replacement for maintaining a website that they own. The rationale I've read is that their time is best spent providing their quality service versus learning website development (even with a block-based website builder), and hiring a web developer is too pricey, when they can create a Facebook page that is easy to set up. Most importantly, it's easy for them to update and maintain a Facebook page, versus an independent website.

woodruffw 5y ago

This has always irked me. Perhaps it's heavy handed, but I would love a law that (1) requires governments at all levels to use open-access websites (and radio, a local newspaper of record, &c.), and (2) requires services like Facebook to syndicate any news and updates.

dboreham 5y ago
This is probably already the case : I can access my local government entities' FB pages without logging in to FB. Google indexes the pages so you don't need the FB search feature to find them.
Infernal 5y ago
Interesting that you would name a newspaper of record as a valid outlet for government news/updates. I feel like Facebook could make an argument for being essentially that today - after all, it is where the eyeballs are, which is why people use it for marriage announcements, birth announcements, classifieds, obituaries.... and on and on.
- woodruffw 5y ago
  A newspaper of record has additional advantages. For example, the newspaper can't accidentally delete or automoderate an already published article, and anybody can cut the article out of the newspaper and save it without having to pay for electricity and digital storage media in perpetuity.
  - openknot 5y ago
    There is also comparatively more at stake when a newspaper gets facts wrong, versus misinformation on a Facebook post. When a newspaper mistakenly publishes false information at the time (which should not happen too often due to internal fact-checking teams or at least a trained editor and journalist), they issue a correction out of journalistic ethics. But when a Facebook post publishes a falsehood, there is far less obligation to issue a correction notice or remove the post.
    - iszomer 5y ago
      Or stealth edit but by then people would have moved on to the next consumable news article.
  - throwaway1777 5y ago

hackerfromthefu 5y ago

Also educational institutions

irrational 5y ago

Where I live they use nextdoor for that purpose. I’m not sure which is worse.

rtlfe 5y ago
Nextdoor infinitely worse. It's such a toxic cesspool.
- irrational 5y ago
  But... they are both toxic cesspools. [Insert office meme of Pam saying both pictures are the same]