Neil Young Will No Longer Use Facebook Because Of Its "Obvious Commitments" To Republicans

[tenderfoot]

It’s increasingly obvious to anyone paying attention that Facebook is not a politically neutral organization. The platform has recently made it clear that it won’t take down political ads, whether or not they’re false. Last month, there was leaked audio of Facebook chief executive talking in a meeting about how an Elizabeth Warren presidency would “suck for us.” Yesterday, NBC News reported that Zuckerberg and Facebook board member Peter Thiel had a previously undisclosed dinner with Donald Trump at the White House last month.

Last month, rock icon Neil Young talked about the possibility of leaving Facebook entirely. On the website of his Neil Young Archives reissue project, Young wrote:

We keep looking at Facebook and wondering if we should be using that platform at all, given the latest news. It’s a problem we face together. FB gives you more than you want and it’s not all good. A lot of it is very bad misinformation about political campaigns and ads that are outright falsehoods. These are fine with Facebook, but not with NYA. If we were to leave Facebook with our social outreach we would lose communications with millions. If we continue to be on Facebook, we are conflicted about who we are.

With that in mind, don’t be surprised if we drop all references and contacts with the platform. We recently ran an article describing how to delete the FB platform. It’s not easy to disengage but it is possible… if you believe them.

Today, Neil Young made it official. In another Neil Young Archives post, Young writes that he and his Archives are no longer going to use the platform:

Facebook is facing criticism for sponsoring the annual gala of the Federalist Society, the powerful right wing organization behind the nomination of the conservative supreme court justice Brett Kavanaugh.

This turn of events, in addition to the false information regularly supplied to the public on Facebook, with its knowledge, has caused us to re-evaluate and change our use policy.

I don’t feel that a social site should be making obvious commitments to one side of politics or the other. It further confuses readers regarding truthfulness in coverage and message.

NYA, no longer interested in further links with FACEBOOK, will be discontinuing use.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause to you.

Thanks,
NY

https://www.stereogum.com/2065635/neil-young-will-no-longer-use-facebook-because-of-its-obvious-commitments-to-republicans/news/

[Newest Reality]

1. Good!

I think that there are many compelling reasons to ditch social media because it is not so much you using Facebook, Facebook is using you.

You are merely a resource being mined, stored and subliminally and even overtly cajoled, nudged and influenced and that's why social media is "free". Capitalism very often relies on loss leaders to make the kill.

[we can do it]

13. Well put.

[Wawannabe]

24. Wow

Had I read your post first I might not have posted. You were very eloquent.

Brilliantly put.

[Newest Reality]

29. Oh...

Well, thank you very much for noting that.

Oh, some creative writing in college, a head full of words and some very busy fingers, I guess

[TheRealNorth]

2. Peter Thiel was there, so you know they are planning out the social media strategy

Screw Fakebook.

[Raster]

3. Thank you, Neil Young!

"oh, it's OK, I only use Farcebook* to stay in touch..."

Farcebook* and Zuckerfuck* are partially responsible for the tRump* pResidency. Farcebook* is not neutral, nor are they our friends.

[Wawannabe]

25. Agree

[phone]

[ProfessorGAC]

45. Used It For A Month About 9 Years Ago

That month was way more than enough
Truly, I only started the account to notify my sister that my doggie had passed on.
Then my wife had a reunion that required comments.
After that, done, for the reason you stated, and I just found it boring.

[barbtries]

4. i'm struggling with this.

all of my family is spread out, and fb has made it possible for me to keep in touch with my extended family. there's no other platform i know of. i hate instagram. twitter's for politics.

but. zuckerberg.

[we can do it]

15. Can't you share email? We do it. I travel and hike National Parks all over.

Don’t use Fakebuk but contact daily with text pics and emails. Much more personal.

[barbtries]

18. there's a lot of us.

i am not interested in shooting out mass emails or asking my loved ones to do so. unlike a lot of people, i love the pictures of food, fun times, babies (never get enough of the babies), and so on. celebrating milestones and accomplishments and so on.

[we can do it]

19. Don't see how "a mass email" is any different than a post.

Takes no more time.

[barbtries]

21. of course it does. nt

[aikoaiko]

46. The two real benefits of FB for me are..

1. The ease of distributing information and pictures. it has become my family's photo album.

2. Using FB has increased my social network with people I wouldn't even know how to contact.

[CaptYossarian]

16. Just stay in touch with your loved ones and don't read the "news" feed.

[barbtries]

17. that's what i do.

i mute or block liberally. my feed is full of local politics, planned parenthood, moms demand answers, susie's senior dogs, and my family.

[Dream Girl]

28. How about you stay in touch with your loved ones without Facebook?

Call, email, text, visit...like you did before. Don't kid yourself about ignoring the news feed. That is not enough. How about not supporting them by giving them your data?

[we can do it]

47. Exactly this.

[defacto7]

36. Read the news or anything else it doesn't matter

because that's not the data they and their buyers are interested in. Just browsing the page creates a log file that tells them where you just came from, where you went after leaving, how long you stayed, what you clicked on, what kind of computer you use, what browser and version you have, where you are, your IP address, what your provider is, if you activated hidden touchscreen or mouse hot spots they place on the page and the list goes on. That's not to mention what they put on your computer or phone that they can retrieve. All this can be cross referenced to make a pretty good profile on you and you don't even need to log in.
So go ahead, read the bad stuff.

[essme]

39. I only have FB

on my home computer. The data they get from me is pretty much limited to what I look at on Amazon- and frankly, the whole semantic web does that.

I do not own a smart phone, and my camera is not equipped with any wifi/ gps connection. I do not own a smart phone.

[defacto7]

40. No need for confession, people do what they do.

I just want people to really know what they're doing without being naive or walking blind. BTW, you'd be surprised what they get from your FB only computer. It's not as much about your real ID as it is your profile and that can come back to haunt sometimes. You should turn off your java script. That can help a little but I doubt FB allows it. I've worked Internet server security for years.

[Skittles]

42. bottom line is you support Facebook

as does EVERYONE with all their excuses

[CaptYossarian]

43. Then they already know I haven't been on FB since the day after Trump stole the election.

I was trying to find a compromise for that person I responded to.

[defacto7]

49. Understood. We all look for compromises when we are cornered.

The industry does its best to see that the loopholes are covered in their interest. It's unfortunate that a useful tool can become a trap of sorts. I wish it weren't so. But in a world that takes advantage of the unknowing I really think we should make decisions with our eyes open rather than clouded by the intentions of manipulators. If I choose to be the prey I want to be the quickest and most aware.

[CaptYossarian]

50. This is all Zuckerberg's fault.

He dresses like an eleven-year old and is shrewd as hell.

[Wawannabe]

26. Yes. Text!

[barbtries]

34. i'm on the old side.

what i really love is getting on the phone and talking, but with many of the people i want to keep in touch with, it's a rare occurrence at best. There are a few I've never even met! really just one, but she's my great niece and I love being able to share her life.

[erronis]

32. Just to clarify - instagram is part of buckface (they bought them.) Just like google/youtube,

microsoft/linkedin, etc.

Twitter's not just for politics but it is also not a very good private messaging site.

There are a lot of other chat-type platforms but all the parties have to use the appropriate clients or know how to use the browser interfaces.

It seems that whenever a new competing technology comes out, the monopolists (including Thiel) buy them out or crush them.

[defacto7]

37. WhatsApp is FB too.

[redstatebluegirl]

5. What about Twitter who has enabled this President to bully people every single day.

[Wawannabe]

27. Never

All bogus.

[marlakay]

6. I wish someone would come up

With a better similar site.

I enjoy sharing photos with friends while not close I have met traveling. I belong to some groups that help me a lot with support.

[Doremus]

9. Perhaps Twitter?

Their CEO has banned political ads.

[Maven]

7. Excellent

I hope that others follow suit.

[BigOleDummy]

8. YAY!

I've been a fan of Mr. Young since….. well, 1969 lol. He's always been "woke" from day 1. I myself ditched facebook a long long time ago and for you who make excuses for still being there, its EASY. There's e-mail to keep in touch with family and friends and theres a marvelous new invention out there called "a telephone" that helps immensely in that regard also. With the added attraction that you can actually interact with those same family and friends in real time !

Facebook itself has shown us , repeatedly, that it is no friend to us as a community or us as a nation or us as people. It seems to be getting more insidious by the day too. WHY do you still give money and time to this...……. "thing" that DOES NOT have your best interests at heart? Do you watch fox news so you can keep up with what good ole uncle Ernie is seeing? Probably not. But still you support the right in your face contempt for us that IS facebook.

I'm sorry but I can see no redeeming values in this corporate moneygrab of rightwing leanings masquerading as a "social media".

Anyway, my rant is done. Well done Mr. Young! Keep on keeping it real and being a lodestar for this old guy. "Comes a Time" indeed.

[StarryNite]

10. Love and respect to Neil Young

[AllyCat]

11. WT: Social Anyone tried it yet?

[subana]

12. wow! that's cool!!

I left facebook a long time ago for similar reasons. Hopefully a majority of people will come to the same conclusion. Having musicians & public personalities do the same will inspire others to do the same thing!

[CaptYossarian]

14. In 2016, I thought I was in a pro-Bernie group. Before the election, I

realized they were just an anti-Hillary smear group designed to divide and conquer the Dems. After that, I saw the pic of Jill Stein sitting at Putin's table, not far from Michael Flynn.

I hope they crucify the whole damned GOP.

[warmfeet]

20. I love Neil.

Just one more reason to love him.

[Wawannabe]

22. BRAVO!

I’ve read a lot of posts here recently about people thinking that people shouldn’t leave Facebook because it’s just a forum where they can do the things that they want to do.

Also, I’ve read recently in an OP in the community help forum that some say DU “is just a forum”, but the thing is - we all need to check our guts! When you use Facebook, you are supporting a RIGHT WING SUPPORTED FORUM! I deleted my FB account March of 2012. The real delete. Took me five years to find DU.

Understand that Facebook is a republican media!
bought and sold outlet
bought and sold
bought and sold
bought and sold thousands of times over!

That punk Zuckerfucker deserves to lose all DUers as users!

We should treat as if a Faux News boycott.

[usaf-vet]

23. I have abandoned it. Its level of intrusion overrides its usefulness.

I have abandoned it. Its level of intrusion overrides its usefulness. Now recently its failure to adequately filter/fact check content leads me to believe that they put their income above the nation's need for an honest platform.

I'm gone with no loss.

Join me. It won't hurt.

[Elwood P Dowd]

30. I left Fakebook when Obama was in office

and I heard Suckabugger and Thiel were hardcore repuke assholes.

Take 'em "Down by The River" Neil......

[ancianita]

31. He's right. I'm leaving FB, too, cuz rust never sleeps.

[zentrum]

33. Very Cool.

Still true to his Kent State anthem. He's great.

[Farmer-Rick]

35. Every filthy rich American has been enabling Trumpy Dumpy

They just love, love, love how Dumpy and the GOP have been redistributing our national wealth to the already filthy rich. And maybe a few stolen babies are sent to them to play with too.

The corruption of wealth knows no bounds. It needs to be removed from their feeble little filthy hands.

[ArcticFox]

38. I'll be joining in

Been planning to leave some day because of privacy issues. With this knowledge, I'll be getting off that platform soonest

[LuckyLib]

41. I joined years ago but only lurk when I rarely use it.

but I want off! What’s the easiest way to get yourself off of their system?

[aikoaiko]

44. Can Democrats, Liberals, and Progressives post content and ads?

It seems neutral to me.

But then, I don't see these evil ads that so many complain about.

[XRubicon]

48. FB has become a right wing propaganda machine

[braddy]

51. Everyone should leave Facebook and everything like it.

[colsohlibgal]

52. I Ignore It Also

The Hell with it ....the harm it has done is incalculable.