I deleted FB 15 years ago and haven't missed it once.
I only miss it because Facebook Marketplace has killed Craigslist and I have some crap I need to sell
I gave up selling on marketplace, and donate everything. People messaging you for months asking questions or wanting a refund after they broke it. I'm not your tech support, and no warranty claims. Have heard this is a regional issue and also depends on the category. I will never sell another car on marketplace. Craigslist is great for the anonymity.
Can’t even give shit away on Facebook’s buy nothing groups cause people fucking ghost you after saying they’ll take it
I (maybe, kinda) miss what Facebook was like in, er, 2008-ish. But then again I was also 25 so maybe I just miss what life was like back then.
Same. I got on it in 2006 and it was great up until about 2010, 2013-2014 was when the shit started to hit the fan.
2013-2014 was when the timeline shifted from being a chronological timeline to a feed. The algo took over and it went to shit.
Me too and me either.
Not being stuck inside of an echo chamber really does wonders for the brain. And yes, I know the irony of saying this on Lemmy, but it's true.
Echo chambers are a lot easier to recognize and ignore when they aren't filled with your friends and family.
Lemmy isn't really an echo chamber. It's like saying going over to a friends place is an echo chamber because you and your friend get along. There's nothing wrong with hanging out with people who share your values and beliefs.
The problem with social media are their algorithms. They aren't designed to connect you with like-minded people, but to keep you engaged. The content that keeps people engaged tends to be terrible content.
The recent "a man or a bear" trend is a perfect example. Algorithms love divisive content like that because it drives engagement, but it also leads to people getting really upset over nothing. Lemmy doesn't have any algorithms driving engagement so it doesn't have that problem.
Lemmy’s a lot better than Reddit for not being an echo chamber because the communities are less interest specific, and most of us are here because we’re the type to seek out a better discussion rather than stick with status quo.
But as it gets bigger and the communities become more niché it will become a bigger issue.
I wish I could get my parents to unplug from Fox for a while
Parental controls on the cable/satellite box are a two-way street, IMO. 🤷🏻♂️
Block Fox and the other right wing news stations, but also a couple liberal news stations like NBC. When they call you for tech support, tell them it's a weird issue happening with cable lately
My dad would figure it out pretty quick, he's no ludite
Platforms like Facebook have an incredible hold on some people. I remember a few years ago when the "Momo" hoax happened, an older coworker arrived at the office and started warning us about the danger of "Momo" they'd seen on Facebook. I'd already heard about the hoax (and was aware of the original creepyasta origins), and brought up a few news articles explaining it, including an official statement from the police. Everyone seemed satisfied by the truth, except for the Facebook addict. They just gave me a blank stare, and a few hours later I heard them telling another group of colleagues to beware of "Momo" getting to their children.
I have family members and longstanding family friends who have succumbed to this. Interestingly almost all of them were decrying the internet as something that couldn't be trusted before the age of social media.
Deleting it for 3 years also improves mental health and keeps toxic family members out of your business. I wish I’d learned that sooner.
My mom was permabanned from Facebook in 2020 for constantly posting anti-vax nonsense so she just went to places like Gab and Parlor. 😑
Yowza. My dad did the same until he died (shockingly, of COVID), so I just wanted to say I'm sorry. I know what it's like having a crazy parent and it sucks.
One of the best decisions I made was deleting my Facebook. I really mean that, one of the best decisions in my entire life. Not getting sucked into the absolute bullshit fest that greedy shit fuckers like Mark Zuckerberg set up for humanity is extremely relieving. Don't compare yourself to other people, you be you, just try to be your best self, it's worth it. Don't let the billionaire leeches of society take everything from you, fuck Facebook.
The downside is that everyone around you in real life is stuck in that loop, so you can't really escape it anymore.
Haven't used facebook in any meaningful way since 2012. Much less anxiety ever since.
Can we start some viral alliteration to get people off Facebook for a few weeks? Or maybe get them more mindful of their social media consumption?
Make Memories Matter May?
Just Journal June?
Just Jibe July?
Authentic August?
Send Stamps September?
Offline October?
No Negativity November?
How about Analogue August or Stop Scrolling September?
I'll also say, Offline October is pretty dang good.
legit offline October is great, and works as a grassroots movement. I’m having an “offline October” is akin to when my friends and I do Dry July. I’m going to start doing this (despite the fact that I haven’t used social media in 2 years)
PROPAGANDA. Please use the actual word. Why use two words when one do trick?
YouTube is getting particularly bad about this to, unfortunately. They need to do more to remove harmful misinformation, but they don't care because it won't make them money.
I got banned for calling someone a pigeon, I left and didn't look back.
The person reacting to your comment calling them a pigeon:
You must have really ruffled some feathers!
Replace "for just a few weeks" with "forever", and "reduces" with "gets rid of", and now you have an even better statement.
I'm convinced those who want to be fearful of things will immediately latch onto a new source of misinformation.
This isn't to say Facebook is good, or that we shouldn't try to have stronger punishment for misinformation that leads to public harm, just that "people are dumb, panicky dangerous animals"
The last time I logged on to Facebook was this past fall because there was a death in our fairly tight knit group of high school classmates. It had been three or four years since I'd been in there.
So I went on and said my words.
While I was there, I didn't really notice what was in my feed.
What I noticed was suddenly I was getting notification after notification that my posts from years and years ago were getting deleted because they didn't fit whatever the current terms and conditions of use were.
This amused me.
So I left my words of dead classmate up for a week then sent my account silent again.
I can't see Facebook or any social media being a place I ever hang out again, which is a little bit of a bummer because without any social media, IRL social activities all but come to an immediate and total halt.
Oh well. I'll live.
Don't turn off Facebook! Mark has a Yacht to feed!
I deleted my account back in November when they enforced the 'pay or ok' option. I was not ok with that
Have read a lot of books since !
What's "pay or ok"?
In EU you were given an option by META to pay for adfree experience or accept targeted ads
Problem 1: if you paid, they would not stop tracking you. They would just stop showing ads. They would still be able to suggest content from commercial accounts.
Problem 2: the price was unreasonable. It depended on how many accounts you have across the platforms but i believe that the price for my profile and a couple of pages was €32 every month
Problem 3: these two options replaced the option to accept untargeted ads. I was ok with untargeted but they removed the option
Their solution has since been deemed as 'not ok' by the EU data protection board
I still don't think this would save my mom from whichever TV source she watches, Fox News, News Max, or OAN.
No shit? Why didn’t anybody tell us?
I want to quit Facebook so badly, but I NEED to use WhatsApp. Family, friends, work even. All informal and semi-formal chats go through WhatsApp where I live.
You can quit Facebook, just not Meta as an entity.
Right. I’m still used to the parent company being named Facebook.
I hate Facebook. Marketplace is unfortunately the only place a lot of stuff is listed, even though it also sucks. I said I wanted stuff within 85 miles, why are you showing me stuff that's 400 miles away??? Craigslist is genuinely a better experience (via the mobile app) these days, but no one uses it.
Given how FB's algorithm stacks their feed and hides real information, that's not surprising.
I disabled my account four years ago when I realized how much plague stupidity and election stupidity on there was harming my mental health.
I doubt I will ever formally delete my account, as it’s the only source for pictures of some now-deceased family members. If hell freezes over and there’s a legit unavoidable need for me to be on there, I’m using desktop+web browser only, and probably in a browser that only gets used for the monthly visit to FB.
This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.
