Goodbye, Facebook
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Why I Left Facebook -- And Why You Should Too
By Mark St.J. CouhigLike millions of Americans, I have in recent days grown sick of Facebook. Like hundreds of thousands, I've abandoned it for Parler.
When I said goodbye to my friends on Facebook, they were all kind. Many said they'd miss me, and others offered advice. One told me she had glanced into Parler and had found it horrifying. But, she said, she was sure I had done my due diligence before signing on.
Indeed I had. Parler allows you to choose whose words you read and whose memes you chuckle at. I'm not a fan of outlandish conspiracy theories so I don't keep up with the Joneses -- Alex or Mother. I enjoy reading intelligent articles from all sides, so I follow the American Thinker and National Review on Parler. I'm a libertarian, so on Parler I also follow Reason and the Cato Institute. Because they haven’t yet signed on to Parler, I subscribed to the New Republic and Harpers. I don’t want to be trapped in a bubble of anyone’s making.
Problem solved.
Another pointed out that according to Wikipedia, “Parler has a significant user base of Trump supporters, conservatives, and Saudi nationalists, and posts often contain far-right content, antisemitism, and conspiracy theories.”
That sounds to me a great deal like conversations in the real world, yet so far I've avoided falling prey to the emotional disorders that underlie many of the worst excesses of the left and the right. I still believe most people are good and kind, and I never call people fascists or communists, racists or baby-killers. The evidence I find on Facebook indicates strongly to me that doing so is emblematic of a larger unhinged hatred within, no matter which side you're on. And I happen to like people. I think some are dumb, because some are, and some are misguided, because many are, but that's okay. Sometimes I'm dumb and misguided. But at least I like people.
That fact -- the fact that I like people -- is what separates me from Facebook. It isn't the people I follow and engage with who are at issue. Not even the dumb or misguided ones. It's the children in San Francisco who are now determining what I should hear, read, and think.
Another friend wrote, “Oh, Mark, we will miss you. But that Zucker's failure to censure Bannon for calling for Fauci's beheading on FB may drive me off too.” My friend is a dyed-in-the-wool lefty and an academic. And a lovely, lovely woman. We just see this issue from a different perspective.
I don't want some Zucker like Zuckerberg determining for me that I shouldn't hear what Steve Bannon has to say regarding the appropriate proximity of Dr. Fauci's cranium and clavicles. I think allowing him to post this comment has the beneficial effect of reminding those who need reminding (yes, there are some) that Bannon is a particularly nasty carbuncle on the wrinkled bottom of American politics. Let it run.
One friend of mine recently commented that “Biden voters are idiots,” which earned her a month-long stay in Facebook jail. At most points in time this is nothing more than a comical anecdote, but my friend is deadly ill with advanced cancer and was using her Facebook account to communicate with her family and her several hundred friends. Among her missives was a series of requests for prayers.
Nevertheless, the children in San Francisco who decide these things determined calling Biden supporters idiots was simply too much. Those words could not be borne by others, some of whom may have been Biden supporters and others of whom may in fact be Biden-supporting idiots.
Ergo, she had to go.
The argumentum ad nauseum, of course, is that Facebook is a privately owned entity and as such is free to choose what it will publish and what it won't. That's not entirely true. Facebook, Twitter, Parler, MeWe, and everyone who posts unmonitored comments from the public enjoy special privileges not enjoyed by others on the web. A specific federal law, Section 230, provides immunity for platforms on the web that post comments and articles submitted by the public as long as they don't pick and choose. The only exceptions are those that are prima facie illegal (for example, promoting violence), though there is also a long history of judicial support for suppressing obscenity.
Facebook and Twitter are abusing this privilege by acting as publishers -- that is, they decide what will be published on their platform and what won't. That should negate the Section 230 protections, leaving them open to the same legal liabilities incurred by other publishers. If they allow stories to be published describing high-school graduate and recent multi-millionaire Nicholas Sandmann as a racist -- and a confrontational one at that -- they should be as liable to lawsuits as the Washington Post.
Parler promises to be hands-off, which has led many in the clueless media to declare it a hazard to American democracy, saying it will increase the likelihood of “bubbles” and “echo chambers.” Yes, this is very amusing given the now well-documented bubble in which virtually all of American's news organizations function. But it is also telling of exactly what is said and believed within that bubble: The people must be protected from certain thoughts. And that's our job.
This wouldn't be true even if they weren't delusional regarding their own intelligence and mental reach. (“What is a reporter? Someone who can become an expert in any field in an afternoon.”) But unfortunately, they are delusional, and they do regard themselves as gatekeepers. They are just like the children in California who decide what you must not hear and see on Facebook. After all, it's for your own good.
So Zuckerberg and his minions, the children of California, are not only making money from your private information, they are also putting you into a bubble of their making.
Let me say this: I've been on Facebook for more than a decade. I credit it with renewing old friendships I thought were lost to diverging lives, and for making many new friends. But this combination -- selling me to the highest bidder and treating me like a rat in a maze -- is simply too much. I will miss Facebook and the ready possibility of conversations with friends and family, but I'm gone. If you're looking for me I'm on Parler at @Mcouhig.
Mark Couhig is a retired reporter, editor and publisher. He now lives in Texas.
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Facebook - he's doing it wrong.
It's not a good place for serious discussions or politics.
The idea of following the Cato Institute or Michael Moore on FB fills me with horror. I unfollowed the previously hilarious George Takei because he got too political, FFS.
If all the politically outspoken people go to Parler, so much the better.
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Facebook - he's doing it wrong.
It's not a good place for serious discussions or politics.
The idea of following the Cato Institute or Michael Moore on FB fills me with horror. I unfollowed the previously hilarious George Takei because he got too political, FFS.
If all the politically outspoken people go to Parler, so much the better.
@Doctor-Phibes said in Goodbye, Facebook:
Facebook - he's doing it wrong.
It's not a good place for serious discussions or politics.
The idea of following the Cato Institute or Michael Moore on FB fills me with horror. I unfollowed the previously hilarious George Takei because he got too political, FFS.
If all the politically outspoken people go to Parler, so much the better.
From the article:
"One friend of mine recently commented that “Biden voters are idiots,” which earned her a month-long stay in Facebook jail. At most points in time this is nothing more than a comical anecdote, but my friend is deadly ill with advanced cancer and was using her Facebook account to communicate with her family and her several hundred friends. Among her missives was a series of requests for prayers.
Nevertheless, the children in San Francisco who decide these things determined calling Biden supporters idiots was simply too much. Those words could not be borne by others, some of whom may have been Biden supporters and others of whom may in fact be Biden-supporting idiots.
Ergo, she had to go."
Why, yes. God protect us from political zealots like that...
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That's a terrible story, assuming it's true, and obviously I don't agree with banning or suspending people for things like that. That being said, I've actually seen a fair amount of political stupidity from both sides of the spectrum on my FB page - some really nasty stuff from people on the right in Britain regarding immigrants and Brexit, as well as some typical left-wing rubbish.
I've unfollowed quite a few people from both camps I grew quite tired of. I had one guy harangue me for being a Bush supporter after I suggested Mr. Obama wasn't Jesus re-incarnated. I've also seen a number of people on both sides claim they were banned or blocked from posting, when it clearly wasn't the case.
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No plans to leave Facebook. I also use it to keep of with friends, and I’ve muted some of my friends (for 30 days) that have gotten too political (lots to do with COVID). This feels a little like the old piano forum breakup of previous elections, along with the arguments of who and what to censor (or not).
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Some of the Covid-related conspiracy stuff is mind-blowing.
I rather doubt that's going to be reduced on Parler, and the voice of reason will come through.
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Based on what happens in the the multiple piano forums I’ve followed over the years, as well as several Facebook pages currently, there is no way that Parler will not have issues. There is ALWAYS some douchebag that needs to disagree in the most unpleasant manner no matter what the subject.
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Pretty much everybody I know who recommends Parler is on the right of the spectrum, so I suspect it'll end up being where they hang out, at least for a while.
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None of my male friends use Facebook in any meaningful way and no one I know under 35 is a Facebook user.
I am well aware of a situation where Facebook was incredibly useful for targeting older women and generated lots of business with each ad but was useless for the female 29 and under. Literally had no click throughs.
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Tangent: https://www.engadget.com/2020-02-27-internet-forums-dying-off.html
We're a rare breed here - and waaaaaay better for discussion than the mainstream social media platforms.
I don't have FB on my phone - but I still check it from time to time on my PC. I started "unfollowing" people aggressively (they don't know you've unfollowed them - and you're still friends. You just don't see posts from them in your news feed).
If I see someone post multiple times - and I can't remember the last post they made that I would want to commit to long-term memory. They go into unfollow.
My FB is all baby pictures and birthday wishes now. Which is exactly how I like it. I visit about once a week.
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None of my male friends use Facebook in any meaningful way and no one I know under 35 is a Facebook user.
I am well aware of a situation where Facebook was incredibly useful for targeting older women and generated lots of business with each ad but was useless for the female 29 and under. Literally had no click throughs.
@Loki said in Goodbye, Facebook:
I am well aware of a situation where Facebook was incredibly useful for targeting older women.
I thought that was just me, a/k/a Caspar Milftoast
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Who disagrees in what manner is not the issue. It is what and who they choose to silence and why.
@Mik yes, I do understand that, what I meant was - due to the nature of online social networks, and how some tend to behave on them - when enough folks show up in a place, there will be differences of opinion, and I imagine eventually they will have to put some sort of rules/censorship in place that not everyone will be happy with. (And those in charge of deleting/censoring will make judgment calls that feel like a mistake, as in the original story).
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As luck would have it, I am right now reading Mark Manson's blog on curing distraction. He says many useful things, but this is to the point of this thread: "Apply the Law of “Fuck Yes” or No to your social media connections – Go through all of your friends/follows lists, ask yourself two questions: “Is being connected with this person adding value to my life?” and “Does this person/group help me grow (i.e., overcoming fears and anxieties) or make me weak (i.e., amplifying fears and anxieties?)” If the answers aren’t emphatic FUCK YES’s then you need to unfriend or unfollow them. If you get hung up on someone or something and wonder if they’re worth keeping, the fact that you have to stop and wonder if they’re worth following is a sign that they’re not worth following. Get fucking ruthless. This is your attentional health we’re talking about here."
For the whole post: https://markmanson.net/attention-diet
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Tangent: https://www.engadget.com/2020-02-27-internet-forums-dying-off.html
We're a rare breed here - and waaaaaay better for discussion than the mainstream social media platforms.
I don't have FB on my phone - but I still check it from time to time on my PC. I started "unfollowing" people aggressively (they don't know you've unfollowed them - and you're still friends. You just don't see posts from them in your news feed).
If I see someone post multiple times - and I can't remember the last post they made that I would want to commit to long-term memory. They go into unfollow.
My FB is all baby pictures and birthday wishes now. Which is exactly how I like it. I visit about once a week.
@xenon yes, I unfollowed a few, but then started snoozing them for 30 days, because they are still people I care about, family, old friends from places we no longer live, even some forum friends I’ve never met IRL, Seriously the best posts are when people share pictures of what they are up to in their daily lives. The occasional funny meme is ok, but mostly I want to know about them.
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One thing I've noticed on Facebook is how many of my schoolfriends have identical twins who must have been separated at birth, since their childhood appears to have consisted solely of playing in WW2 bomb craters, riding bikes through muddy swamps, climbing on enormous climbing frames and generally having a freaking high-old time filled with poverty, but by 'eck they were 'appy.
All we ever did was drink hard cider behind the bus shelter and complain about how bored we were.
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One thing I've noticed on Facebook is how many of my schoolfriends have identical twins who must have been separated at birth, since their childhood appears to have consisted solely of playing in WW2 bomb craters, riding bikes through muddy swamps, climbing on enormous climbing frames and generally having a freaking high-old time filled with poverty, but by 'eck they were 'appy.
All we ever did was drink hard cider behind the bus shelter and complain about how bored we were.
@Doctor-Phibes said in Goodbye, Facebook:
Link to videoAll we ever did was drink hard cider behind the bus shelter and complain about how bored we were.
Please love yourself.
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@xenon yes, I unfollowed a few, but then started snoozing them for 30 days, because they are still people I care about, family, old friends from places we no longer live, even some forum friends I’ve never met IRL, Seriously the best posts are when people share pictures of what they are up to in their daily lives. The occasional funny meme is ok, but mostly I want to know about them.
@jodi said in Goodbye, Facebook:
@xenon yes, I unfollowed a few, but then started snoozing them for 30 days, because they are still people I care about, family, old friends from places we no longer live, even some forum friends I’ve never met IRL, Seriously the best posts are when people share pictures of what they are up to in their daily lives. The occasional funny meme is ok, but mostly I want to know about them.
That's what I want it for. The political stuff I generally stay away from unless I find an article interesting. But even then I take no position on it, sjust share and they can make of it what they will
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@Doctor-Phibes said in Goodbye, Facebook:
Link to videoAll we ever did was drink hard cider behind the bus shelter and complain about how bored we were.
@Aqua-Letifer said in Goodbye, Facebook:
@Doctor-Phibes said in Goodbye, Facebook:
Link to videoAll we ever did was drink hard cider behind the bus shelter and complain about how bored we were.
Funnily enough, I saw them play King George's Hall in Blackburn, Lancashire (the place with 4000 holes) in 1978.
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Awesome. Paul Weller's the shit.
