3 ms·

What benefit do kids draw from instagram and facebook?

SkipperCat 2mo ago
There's a lot of benefit, but its all to META shareholders...
sneak 2mo ago
Well, Instagram DMs have entirely replaced sms and phone number exchange for an entire generation. This is like saying “what benefit do teenagers draw from having a phone line?”
- drivebyhooting 2mo ago
  That’s really sad. Locked in a walled garden of vampiric carnivorous plants. And for what? A modicum of convenience?
  - shaewest 2mo ago
    Is it really that different from being locked into SMS or Email or Teamspeak or Skype? I hate using SMS, but I'm forced to due to people I know using it, and it's 'openness' changes nothing for me as the end user.
    - drivebyhooting 2mo ago
      Well for one thing SMS isn’t bundled with addictive apps that constantly try to lure you into traps against your better judgement.
      - shaewest 2mo ago
        Yeah but SMS is also a paid product in most places, same with phone calls, and data too, but given most places (Schools, your home, work, libraries) pay for wifi, platform provided messaging is free. Not that the addictive apps are great, but if we're talking locking, it's deciding between 'paying for' and 'receiving for free' with lock in being constant
        lobofta 2mo ago
        So Signal then. It's donation based and works fine.
- ozozozd 2mo ago
  Weird defense, do they not need a phone line for Instagram DMs to work?
gms 2mo ago
Socialising. Same benefit I drew from playing video games with my friends when I was in school. (Though, to be a bit pedantic about it, kids don't use Facebook.)
- pmontra 2mo ago
  I did my socializing in real life but I guess that if kids are not allowed to get out anymore, they must do it with screens.
  - gms 2mo ago
    It’s not mutually exclusive. If you interact with kids today you’ll see that they do both, just like I did with video games and in-person meeting. They’re still human beings.
- alkonaut 2mo ago
  Yeah they use snapchat and TikTok, with a sprinkle of instagram. The problem with these are: they offer two features 1) a social feature. You can send DM:s or comment your friends picture of an ice cream 2) Brain-rot algorithmic short-form video feeds where even the most aware adult can easily get lost for hours. I think this is calculated. If the social vs feed thing were two different apps, parents could easily just allow one and block the other. But now in order to stop the brainrot, I also need to block them from the social bit. I wonder if there is any way to set up a firewall so you block the instagram shorts feeds, tiktok video, snapchat random vids ,etc but still allow snapchat messaging?
  - sajithdilshan 2mo ago
    If someone can create an extension or some other way to block shorts from youtube, reels from instagram I can imagine people would even pay for it
    - alkonaut 2mo ago
      Should be possible with a physical firewall (rule in router, pi-hole, whatever) right? It's not a sellable solution but still... I hope that these fines and the rules on "algorithmic content" will perhaps make this possible to control at the iOS family settings level.
wraptile 2mo ago
It's sad we view social media so negatively these days when it should be incredible tool for both personal and social growth. I grew up with irc and reddit, and it was incredibly useful for me not only find like-minded people but to learn that there's more to life than my small town, there are a variety of different people, ideas and careers out there. Sadly the new generation of networks grew in a different direction but all of this still exists, and it's incredibly disingenuous to say that "there are no benefits for kids". There's still a community for any subject on both Facebook and Instagram except it's all buried under spam and bad intentions.
- olelele 2mo ago
  when the main interface steeulters even adults toward the slot machine interface endless brainrot scrolling I think intervention is due. I used to be able to remove the short videos from youtube but that function is gone. For a while it was "hide for 30 days". It's pretty obvious that the addictive quality of the ultra short slop videos that is prioritized these days.
inigyou 2mo ago
Same benefit you get from HN. And I mean the benefit, not the rationalisation.
TZubiri 2mo ago
communicating with peers would be the main one.

There's a lot of benefit, but its all to META shareholders...

sneak 2mo ago

Well, Instagram DMs have entirely replaced sms and phone number exchange for an entire generation. This is like saying “what benefit do teenagers draw from having a phone line?”

drivebyhooting 2mo ago
That’s really sad. Locked in a walled garden of vampiric carnivorous plants. And for what? A modicum of convenience?
- shaewest 2mo ago
  Is it really that different from being locked into SMS or Email or Teamspeak or Skype? I hate using SMS, but I'm forced to due to people I know using it, and it's 'openness' changes nothing for me as the end user.
  - drivebyhooting 2mo ago
    Well for one thing SMS isn’t bundled with addictive apps that constantly try to lure you into traps against your better judgement.
    - shaewest 2mo ago
      Yeah but SMS is also a paid product in most places, same with phone calls, and data too, but given most places (Schools, your home, work, libraries) pay for wifi, platform provided messaging is free. Not that the addictive apps are great, but if we're talking locking, it's deciding between 'paying for' and 'receiving for free' with lock in being constant
      - lobofta 2mo ago
        So Signal then. It's donation based and works fine.
ozozozd 2mo ago
Weird defense, do they not need a phone line for Instagram DMs to work?

gms 2mo ago

Socialising. Same benefit I drew from playing video games with my friends when I was in school. (Though, to be a bit pedantic about it, kids don't use Facebook.)

pmontra 2mo ago
I did my socializing in real life but I guess that if kids are not allowed to get out anymore, they must do it with screens.
- gms 2mo ago
  It’s not mutually exclusive. If you interact with kids today you’ll see that they do both, just like I did with video games and in-person meeting. They’re still human beings.
alkonaut 2mo ago
Yeah they use snapchat and TikTok, with a sprinkle of instagram. The problem with these are: they offer two features 1) a social feature. You can send DM:s or comment your friends picture of an ice cream 2) Brain-rot algorithmic short-form video feeds where even the most aware adult can easily get lost for hours. I think this is calculated. If the social vs feed thing were two different apps, parents could easily just allow one and block the other. But now in order to stop the brainrot, I also need to block them from the social bit. I wonder if there is any way to set up a firewall so you block the instagram shorts feeds, tiktok video, snapchat random vids ,etc but still allow snapchat messaging?
- sajithdilshan 2mo ago
  If someone can create an extension or some other way to block shorts from youtube, reels from instagram I can imagine people would even pay for it
  - alkonaut 2mo ago
    Should be possible with a physical firewall (rule in router, pi-hole, whatever) right? It's not a sellable solution but still... I hope that these fines and the rules on "algorithmic content" will perhaps make this possible to control at the iOS family settings level.

wraptile 2mo ago

It's sad we view social media so negatively these days when it should be incredible tool for both personal and social growth. I grew up with irc and reddit, and it was incredibly useful for me not only find like-minded people but to learn that there's more to life than my small town, there are a variety of different people, ideas and careers out there. Sadly the new generation of networks grew in a different direction but all of this still exists, and it's incredibly disingenuous to say that "there are no benefits for kids". There's still a community for any subject on both Facebook and Instagram except it's all buried under spam and bad intentions.

olelele 2mo ago
when the main interface steeulters even adults toward the slot machine interface endless brainrot scrolling I think intervention is due. I used to be able to remove the short videos from youtube but that function is gone. For a while it was "hide for 30 days". It's pretty obvious that the addictive quality of the ultra short slop videos that is prioritized these days.

inigyou 2mo ago

Same benefit you get from HN. And I mean the benefit, not the rationalisation.

TZubiri 2mo ago

communicating with peers would be the main one.