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FRONTLINE: The Facebook Dilemma

Hugo Stiglitz

By Hugo Stiglitz
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Guest Lobo

Guest Lobo

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Not to CR this up, but you did post it here.  I am genuinely curious as to what hardcore Democrats think about facebook in this day and age.  It was their darling during Arab Spring, and for Obama fundraisers, and get-out-the-vote efforts.  Turns out it's more materially concerned with profit, data collection, privacy violations, and cattle herding people into easily exploitable categories for its own endgames than nearly every other corporation in global history.  

Under the guise of "connecting people", it has creatively manipulated that platform to its own ends while violating nearly every foundation of what it means to be a human in a social world.  Wait, I just got the attraction.  Nevermind.  ;) 

But seriously, why do they continue to get a pass from liberals in this country?  They couldn't be more diametrically at odds.  

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Hugo Stiglitz

Hugo Stiglitz 23355

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4 minutes ago, Lobo said:

But seriously, why do they continue to get a pass from liberals in this country?  They couldn't be more diametrically at odds.  

$$$

Why did net neutrality get rolled back despite EVERYONE being in favor of it? 

Also, what are liberals exactly supposed to do about Facebook?

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Hugo Stiglitz

Hugo Stiglitz 23355

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1 minute ago, babysdaddy said:

Can't wait for this.  Saw something last week that 45% of people 18-29 deleted FB off their phone in the last year (that is the specific FB app and does not include Instragram, which people are flocking towards).  

Facebook owns Instagram so lolz

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MidTexHorn

MidTexHorn 822

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I don't know a single liberal that likes Facebook. It is rapidly becoming the home of grandma, crazy Aunt Ethel and all of my old family friends who are busy outing themselves as Trumpkins and vaguely racist.

I suppose it still serves a purpose from an advertising perspective that can't be totally ignored, but I think it's on a pretty steep downward spiral.

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Buzzrock

Buzzrock 14859

Posted
Posted
2 minutes ago, Hugo Stiglitz said:

Yeah, corporate corruption runs on both sides.  Liberals aren’t immune from influence by the tech giants.  

But seriously, what are liberals supposed to do? 

Flock to Twitter and complain. How do you not know this?

1 minute ago, Hugo Stiglitz said:

Facebook owns Instagram so lolz

Yeah pretty sure that was his point.

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CooterBrown

CooterBrown 17851

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My circle of friends is slowly abandoning Facebook. It's not so much about Facebook but the realization that you don't keep up with all these people you're "friends" with for a reason...you don't give a shit about them.  Who the fuck wants to get into an argument over a post with someone you haven't seen in 20 years? It's fucking stupid. 

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Captainant

Captainant 27250

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23 minutes ago, Lobo said:

Not to CR this up, but you did post it here.  I am genuinely curious as to what hardcore Democrats think about facebook in this day and age.  It was their darling during Arab Spring, and for Obama fundraisers, and get-out-the-vote efforts.  Turns out it's more materially concerned with profit, data collection, privacy violations, and cattle herding people into easily exploitable categories for its own endgames than nearly every other corporation in global history.  

Under the guise of "connecting people", it has creatively manipulated that platform to its own ends while violating nearly every foundation of what it means to be a human in a social world.  Wait, I just got the attraction.  Nevermind.  ;) 

But seriously, why do they continue to get a pass from liberals in this country?  They couldn't be more diametrically at odds.  

I think the thing is, the Arab Spring showed how social media can be an incredible force for change. The trump era showed how it can be weaponized. Our understanding of what can be done with it has changed drastically, or at least become much more clear. But also liberals tend to work at social media companies, and those companies tend to support democratic party efforts, so it shouldn't be THAT surprising why they're in bed together.

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sushihorn

sushihorn 3233

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20 minutes ago, MidTexHorn said:

I don't know a single liberal that likes Facebook. It is rapidly becoming the home of grandma, crazy Aunt Ethel and all of my old family friends who are busy outing themselves as Trumpkins and vaguely racist.

I suppose it still serves a purpose from an advertising perspective that can't be totally ignored, but I think it's on a pretty steep downward spiral.

It's the new AOL.

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Francisco 2.0

Francisco 2.0 32290

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Facebook is AOL reincarnated.  There are people (my inlaws) who have no idea what the Internet is any longer, for everything---EVERYTHING---they get is from Facebook.  Facebook email, news from Facebook, ads, you name it.  If a video clip isn't on Facebook, it doesn't exist.  If some negative news comes out about the administration, they would never know....for their Facebook feed has no mention of this.  Hell, Trump could be impeached tomorrow, and I wonder if their Facebook feed would report it as reality and not pass it off as fake news.

Hell, their iPhones have three functions----make/take calls, take photos and Facebook.

I just don't get it.

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RDCanecutter

RDCanecutter 26198

Posted
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19 minutes ago, MidTexHorn said:

I don't know a single liberal that likes Facebook. It is rapidly becoming the home of grandma, crazy Aunt Ethel and all of my old family friends who are busy outing themselves as Trumpkins and vaguely racist.

I suppose it still serves a purpose from an advertising perspective that can't be totally ignored, but I think it's on a pretty steep downward spiral.

My FB friends are about half liberal Austin drum circle types, and half center-right workin folk. I had a couple of far-right acquaintances but they got a little too cute and got themselves uninvited from my doings.

About the only reason I keep the account is because I have an artist's page where I sell stuff. Whenever I think about totally quitting FB, I sell something.

Maybe I should think really hard about quitting today. I could use some $.

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sushihorn

sushihorn 3233

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3 minutes ago, babysdaddy said:

52 week low on the stock today and down where it was in April 2017.  

You mean April of 2018, right?  The S&P was around 2350 in April 2017. 

The Fed tanked the S&P on 10/3.  We're very oversold now and also got a good volume washout over the last 2 days - comparable to the late January lows.  I'm expecting a rally to begin soon.  Might reach new record highs after the holidays.

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babysdaddy

babysdaddy 2710

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56 minutes ago, sushihorn said:

You mean April of 2018, right?  The S&P was around 2350 in April 2017. 

The Fed tanked the S&P on 10/3.  We're very oversold now and also got a good volume washout over the last 2 days - comparable to the late January lows.  I'm expecting a rally to begin soon.  Might reach new record highs after the holidays.

I was referring to FB only, not the S&P 500

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formermav43

formermav43 4599

Posted
Posted (edited)
1 hour ago, CooterBrown said:

My circle of friends is slowly abandoning Facebook. It's not so much about Facebook but the realization that you don't keep up with all these people you're "friends" with for a reason...you don't give a shit about them.  Who the fuck wants to get into an argument over a post with someone you haven't seen in 20 years? It's fucking stupid. 

Is this better or worse than relentlessly arguing over posts with people you have never even met? Asking for surly.

Edited by formermav43
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F250

F250 28623

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5 minutes ago, formermav43 said:

Is this better or worse than relentlessly arguing over posts with people you have never even met? Asking for surly.

It's worse to put your stupid opinions on blast and have it tied to your actual name.

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RDCanecutter

RDCanecutter 26198

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18 minutes ago, formermav43 said:

Is this better or worse than relentlessly arguing over posts with people you have never even met? Asking for surly.

On this forum, at least half the posts appear to be the writer's own thoughts, so, agree or disagree, it's better than the FWD>FWD>FWD of FB.

Just so long as nobody on Surly starts doing threads of "I am interested in seeing who really reads my posts. If you do, reply with one word that explains why I am a tedious bitchass for doing this same schtick as every other weepy goob on Facebook."

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sushihorn

sushihorn 3233

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3 minutes ago, RDCanecutter said:

On this forum, at least half the posts appear to be the writer's own thoughts, so, agree or disagree, it's better than the FWD>FWD>FWD of FB.

Just so long as nobody on Surly starts doing threads of "I am interested in seeing who really reads my posts. If you do, reply with one word that explains why I am a tedious bitchass for doing this same schtick as every other weepy goob on Facebook."

muledick

(am I doing this right?)

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Lagunamadre

Lagunamadre 1975

Posted
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2 hours ago, Lobo said:

 

But seriously, why do they continue to get a pass from liberals in this country?  They couldn't be more diametrically at odds.  

Out of curiosity, who speaks for "liberals"? Is there like an official liberal statement out there on facebook? Not sure if you missed Durbin, Whitehouse and Blumenthal being much tougher on Zuckerberg than their Republican counterparts during his congressional hearing (it's on youtube in case you missed it). Are Durbin, Whitehouse and Blumenthal "liberal"? 

Here are a handful of articles from left leaning news sites that are critical of Facebook:

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/facebook-is-the-enemy-now_us_5a396166e4b0860bf4ab9586

https://slate.com/technology/2014/06/facebook-unethical-experiment-it-made-news-feeds-happier-or-sadder-to-manipulate-peoples-emotions.html

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/09/17/can-mark-zuckerberg-fix-facebook-before-it-breaks-democracy

Are Huffington Post, Slate and New Yorker "liberal"? 

I guess I'm just missing this supposed "pass" that liberals have given to Facebook. Do you have any evidence of it? Because I can dig up mountains of it to the contrary.  

 

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Chuckie Finster

Chuckie Finster 22571

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2 minutes ago, Lagunamadre said:

Out of curiosity, who speaks for "liberals"? Is there like an official liberal statement out there on facebook? Not sure if you missed Durbin, Whitehouse and Blumenthal being much tougher on Zuckerberg than their Republican counterparts during his congressional hearing (it's on youtube in case you missed it). Are Durbin, Whitehouse and Blumenthal "liberal"? 

Here are a handful of articles from left leaning news sites that are critical of Facebook:

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/facebook-is-the-enemy-now_us_5a396166e4b0860bf4ab9586

https://slate.com/technology/2014/06/facebook-unethical-experiment-it-made-news-feeds-happier-or-sadder-to-manipulate-peoples-emotions.html

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/09/17/can-mark-zuckerberg-fix-facebook-before-it-breaks-democracy

Are Huffington Post, Slate and New Yorker "liberal"? 

I guess I'm just missing this supposed "pass" that liberals have given to Facebook. Do you have any evidence of it? Because I can dig up mountains of it to the contrary.  

 

Yeah, I was confused too.  The hatred I see of Facebook is almost exclusively from the left.  The target audience (OLD) and content (DUMBASS MEMES) of the current iteration of Facebook is tailor-made for the Republican party.

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Guest Lobo

Guest Lobo

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I wouldn't use a social media platform to raise money for my campaign and then use my seat of power to berate that social media platform into submission.  I just wouldn't use it to begin with.  

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Biff Tannen

Biff Tannen 45439

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7 hours ago, Francisco 2.0 said:

Facebook is AOL reincarnated.  There are people (my inlaws) who have no idea what the Internet is any longer, for everything---EVERYTHING---they get is from Facebook.  Facebook email, news from Facebook, ads, you name it.  If a video clip isn't on Facebook, it doesn't exist.  If some negative news comes out about the administration, they would never know....for their Facebook feed has no mention of this.  Hell, Trump could be impeached tomorrow, and I wonder if their Facebook feed would report it as reality and not pass it off as fake news.

Hell, their iPhones have three functions----make/take calls, take photos and Facebook.

I just don't get it.

Spot on.

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Dbeasy

Dbeasy 14931

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I've put a ton of interesting Traces of Texas history and photos (more than 16,000)  on Facebook over the last six years and if you aren't reading it you're missing out on some pretty good stuff.  And you don't have to have a Facebook account to read it.


I can vouch for this. It’s phenomenal and really the only reason I occasionally log into Facebook anymore.
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deadshank

deadshank 24648

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17 hours ago, MidTexHorn said:

I don't know a single liberal that likes Facebook. It is rapidly becoming the home of grandma, crazy Aunt Ethel and all of my old family friends who are busy outing themselves as Trumpkins and vaguely racist.

I suppose it still serves a purpose from an advertising perspective that can't be totally ignored, but I think it's on a pretty steep downward spiral.

Then you don't know very many liberals.  

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Onboard 2.0

Onboard 2.0 9083

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11 minutes ago, deadshank said:

Then you don't know very many liberals.  

FB is infested with the worst of both species. The big mouthed, idiotic party faithful, who spew hate at people they've never met, and throw out BS that if true would end the country as we know it.  The uber smug with the liberals is always palpable though. That is a constant.

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Francisco 2.0

Francisco 2.0 32290

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Seems like as good a thread to put this in as any:

 

https://theintercept.com/2018/11/02/facebook-ads-white-supremacy-pittsburgh-shooting/

 

 

Quote

Earlier this week, The Intercept was able to select “white genocide conspiracy theory” as a pre-defined “detailed targeting” criterion on the social network to promote two articles to an interest group that Facebook pegged at 168,000 users large and defined as “people who have expressed an interest or like pages related to White genocide conspiracy theory.” The paid promotion was approved by Facebook’s advertising wing. After we contacted the company for comment, Facebook promptly deleted the targeting category, apologized, and said it should have never existed in the first place.

 

Screen-Shot-2018-11-01-at-11.12.47-AM-15

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Francisco 2.0

Francisco 2.0 32290

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Bump.

 

Great article in the Times from today about the dysfunction within Facebook since 2016, and their efforts to try to keep Congress from doing much of anything.  Long read, but worth your time.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/14/technology/facebook-data-russia-election-racism.html

 

Quote

Inside Facebook’s Menlo Park, Calif., headquarters, top executives gathered in the glass-walled conference room of its founder, Mark Zuckerberg. It was September 2017, more than a year after Facebook engineers discovered suspicious Russia-linked activity on its site, an early warning of the Kremlin campaign to disrupt the 2016 American election. Congressional and federal investigators were closing in on evidence that would implicate the company.

But it wasn’t the looming disaster at Facebook that angered Ms. Sandberg. It was the social network’s security chief, Alex Stamos, who had informed company board members the day before that Facebook had yet to contain the Russian infestation. Mr. Stamos’s briefing had prompted a humiliating boardroom interrogation of Ms. Sandberg, Facebook’s chief operating officer, and her billionaire boss. She appeared to regard the admission as a betrayal.

Quote

But as evidence accumulated that Facebook’s power could also be exploited to disrupt elections, broadcast viral propaganda and inspire deadly campaigns of hate around the globe, Mr. Zuckerberg and Ms. Sandberg stumbled. Bent on growth, the pair ignored warning signs and then sought to conceal them from public view. At critical moments over the last three years, they were distracted by personal projects, and passed off security and policy decisions to subordinates, according to current and former executives.

Quote

While Mr. Zuckerberg has conducted a public apology tour in the last year, Ms. Sandberg has overseen an aggressive lobbying campaign to combat Facebook’s critics, shift public anger toward rival companies and ward off damaging regulation. Facebook employed a Republican opposition-research firm to discredit activist protesters, in part by linking them to the liberal financier George Soros. It also tapped its business relationships, persuading a Jewish civil rights group to cast some criticism of the company as anti-Semitic.

 

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