If you are part of facebook, you are part of this

[Binkie The Clown]

Facebook is important because of the huge number of users. Every user contributes to that number. If facebook lost its users, it would no longer be so damaging. It follows that every defection from facebook is a step toward improving the world.

[Johnny2X2X]

1. You are the product

I still think people don't see the whole Facebook picture. They want to stay in touch with friends and relatives and don't see what can be harmed because they don't really use it much.

Well Facebook generates revenue by selling you. They sell not just screen time to you, but they sell a detailed psychological profile of you to marketers. Facebook is a way to gather your data and then sell it. And you don't even have to participate much at all for them to be able to compile a detailed profile of you that is worth money to advertisers, corporations, and political parties.

And the way they are gathering the data is nefarious, they're using the profiles of your friends and families to flesh out their profile of you. So even if you just create an account and visit FB once a year, they're still gathering a valuable amount of data about you.

And something else people don't understand about the internet either is that websites are allowed to follow you. As in they track what websites you visit after you leave them. FB/Google/Youtube etc all know your browser history and are divining ways to sell that data or to combine it with your psychological profile to make it more valuable to sell.

We've allowed the internet business model to run amock, this isn't something that can be solved by corporations, only regulation can change this business model now.

[SheltieLover]

2. This!👆

Never had a FB acct & never will. 👍

[Binkie The Clown]

3. I had one for about a year, but when I realized how I was indirctly harming others, I quit. nt

[SheltieLover]

7. I'd realized when I first heard about FB that it was a data mining nightmare waiting to happen

D chose not to enrich their coffers by participating. Yes, I am that much of an idealist. Not that I would have many followers, since I also believe drama is best left to the real performing arts.

[Johnny2X2X]

5. FB is not the only problem

Google does the same exact things. So do Yahoo and Youtube. Heck, Google uses algorithms to search your private email for key words to help build your profile that they then sell or use to market to you.

We have allowed the entirety of the internet to follow a business model that is harmful to humanity. Regulation is needed to adjust that business model to reward things like usefulness and truth rather than reward screen time at any cost. And we absolutely need to give people total control of their own data and profiles. Make it illegal to gather data for anything but features that make things easier for users. Using my data to make Amazon easier for me to find the tings I need and want is OK, using my data to manipulate me and to build a profile of me to sell is not OK.

[SheltieLover]

8. Privacy needs to be a priority imo

Right after the slob & all coconspirators are indicted & locked up.

I've read that the EU has very strict privacy rules, in short a person's information belongs to them.

[hlthe2b]

11. Whataboutism when the clear monster worldwide is without doubt FB is frustrating to me.

Should we require a crack-down on google and others? Hell yes. I want deregulation on the scale that will make the breakup of the Baby Bells look like small potatoes, but we have to go for the worst player first and there is no doubt any longer who that is.

[Sympthsical]

13. Google knows far, far more about you

And they openly brag about how they take all that information, store it, and play with it for their benefit.

And when authoritarian regimes want help, guess who's first in line to lend them a hand?

FB is an easy target, because it's easier to ignore it if you want.

Google is a different kettle of fish, harder to do without. I used this example below, but it's a good one. The endless condemnation about Coke from people downing liters of Pepsi is kind of entertaining.

If it was just informative, that'd be one thing. But the self-righteous shaming of it all. And, again, on a site absolutely marinating in things like Twitter.

I just think it's kind of hilarious. The cognitive dissonance and total lack of self-awareness.

Google makes Facebook look like a side project. But here's the thing, Google has the data and the power to steer the outrage towards FB to keep it off themselves. FB doesn't have that kind of monopolistic power. Furthermore, Google spreads a looooooot more money among the political and media class than FB. By factors. Entire political publications are swimming in Google money.

So I get the easy anti-FB narrative. It's being built for you quite intentionally.

[hlthe2b]

15. I never denied the role of Google, thank you very much. And I find NOTHING about this "hilarious"

THAT is why we can't unite to stop some of this. Because "that one is worse whataboutism" or "I need my high school connections and I use adblockers so I'm not the problem" or "I find it hilarious."

This is destroying our future and I find nothing at all funny about it.

[Sympthsical]

18. No, it's the hypocrisy that's hilarious

Shaming and mocking people when you yourself are doing and using far worse things is a bit much. No one likes it. Not when it's from Christian conservatives, not when it's from our side.

"You're a terrible person for using something I don't bother using that isn't nearly as bad as this other thing I am using constantly."

It's not whataboutism. It's an admonition to focus on a much bigger problem instead of the relentless scolding.

You know, I'll take this FB stuff seriously when every other post on here isn't from Twitter.

Then I'll think it's a serious concern people are seriously concerned about instead of run of the mill trend shaming.

[hlthe2b]

20. What EXACTLY are you accusing me of? Please BE EXPLICIT!

If you are going to call someone out about which you know nothing then you have a responsibility to be clear about the accusation.

I don't use FB, I'm not registered on Twitter, I don't use google and I DO provide technical counsel to others about privacy issues and self-protection of data. So, I work to remain current on risks. And, I am fully able to do all the things you so love about FB securely and privately without ever having used FB. It does take a bit more effort and attention to detail.


So, your accusation?

THAT YOU take this all as one big joke IS the problem.

[hlthe2b]

9. Ditto... I can't even imagine CONTINUING if I ever had an account, but that's me.

[malaise]

19. Ditto

and am I glad

[lagomorph777]

6. Excellent and detailed description.

Which many DUers will completely dismiss and ignore.

[Sympthsical]

12. Google is worse by far.

Almost everyone actively interacts with Google a lot more, sharing even more personal information than Facebook, as our searches and buying habits say a hell of a lot more about us than anything else possibly can. When you and I search the exact same thing on Google, we're going to see different results pages.

Facebook is just where people are taking their self-righteous stand. It's pretty easy not to use. Ah, but Google? Not a peep. What about Twitter? YouTube? Those still ok? Why? Oh, they use those. Well, that's harder to stand there and finger wag about.

If people are going to tut tut, take them all down.

Yes, Twitter, too.

(Except, that's like, half the front page now).

I'm glad you're calling the others out, because the selective boogeyman stuff is so eye roll worthy. It's like watching, "Coke is bad for you!" from people guzzling Pepsi.

On the Internet, we're all picking our poison. I'm just not arguing mine has fewer calories.

[Johnny2X2X]

14. Yup

I'd wager that Google compiles even more valuable profiles of its users than Facebook does.

Targeting FB will change nothing, it's the business model that needs to be changed. FB is egregious for sure, but there is no way they are the worst. I am sure Twitter, Google, and Youtube are absolutely thrilled that everyone focuses only on FB for these issues.

FB does crack me up though sometimes with the posts from people that are blatant attempts to learn your security question answers. "OK, who remembers their 2nd grade teacher? Post here." "Alright, here's a fun one, if your father's middle name starts with the same letter as your mother's maiden name, post them here..." People just voluntarily give their bank security questions to the public, crazy. And FB knows this and could easily stop it, but don't.

[lagomorph777]

4. But...I wanna see pictures of my grandkids; there's no other way to send pictures in the Interwebs!

Plus, I need cat videos.



I've blocked all those political ads, so I'm good.

[hlthe2b]

10. I always chuckle at the quick addition of the "but I use ad-blockers" comment.

as if...

[Tetrachloride]

16. 1. Few of us have a secure and private computer.

1a. Internet privacy takes experience and a bit of investment. Ergo, you have to want it.

1b. or, Quite a bit more investment and you pay someone like me to make adjustments.

2. The exact reverse of the way Facebook etc rew is not the way to take it down.

3. While on the road to taking down facebook, what exactly will improve?

[luv2fly]

17. Yep, I've said it over and over

It's users ARE Facebook, Facebook IS its users.

No users, no Facebook.

Users cannot distance themselves legitimately from the pain Facebook is causing.

[PortTack]

21. Absolutely!! For those still using fb please consider ending your account

[msongs]

22. I see more right winger propaganda on DU than on facebook (where I see hardly any)

[pecosbob]

23. "...every defection from facebook is a step toward improving the world."

[Hortensis]

24. Theoretically. But we've never used FB news or social media.

The time I looked for a news link on my FB page to check out how bad it was for myself, I couldn't find it. And I've never done one of those FB searches that generates its algorhithmic suggestions.

For us it's family and friends trading pictures, greetings, and updates on health and social events. They're the reason we haven't closed our account, but a big one: we're not alone and they matter to us.

[Torchlight]

25. I tend to think Facebook is just a symptom.

Facebook is one of many ubiquitous data-mining and predictive analytics platforms all with the same ultimate goal: finding out everything they can about users and selling that information to the highest bidders.

I also think Facebook is the most obvious, allowing some really capable and skilled companies to fly under the radar that much easier and remain ignored.