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.
Eh, someone needs to be the first to exit the matrix.
I deleted FB 15 years ago and haven’t missed it once.
Me too and me either.
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.
yeah. the platforms aren’t so bad in and of themselves, it’s the engagement algorithms that turn everything to shit.
just like IG, YT, video/music stremaing etc. you could stumble upon random and interesting shit… now the algo is just trying to shove kendrick lamar and joe rogan at me none stop because that is what is ‘popular’ and whatever shitty movie that netflix is trying to promote.
browsing is dead and search is also mostly broken. you can’t even effectively search for shit anymore.
the only place i can freely browse anymore is my local library. and discover lots of cool things. that experience on the internet is dead.
That sounds roughly about when I bailed on it.
I only miss it because Facebook Marketplace has killed Craigslist and I have some crap I need to sell
Marketplace is much worse than Craigslist, I don’t get it.
Craigslist was always on the fringes, before Facebook marketplace came in there were a bunch of separate and disconnected online marketplaces. Facebook marketplace had the advantage of already having a massive user base (larger than any of the existing online marketplaces), causing it to become the largest one right out the gate, which then of course makes it the most attractive option for sellers since they will reach more people.
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 ueard 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
It’s also real annoying when trying to look up business hours or a restaurant menu only to find all their links are to Facebook.
Fortunately, my area has a popular classifieds at a local newspaper website, so I’ve never even looked at Facebook marketplace.
I stopped actively using it in about 2015 and every time I happen to go on it (like once every 3 years because, like a lot of people, it’s how I communicate with family members I don’t see often) it’s like uncovering and diving into a cesspool.
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. 🤷🏻♂️
Parent control
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
Never had a facebook, still won’t have a facebook
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.
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 strongly disagree.
I don’t think lemmy is necessarily an echochamber per se, rather its just a place where misinformation exists and opinions are manipulated.
Lemmy does use algorithms to show you the most engaging content, and there are absolutely bots and bad actors manipulating which content is prioritised.
The genocide Joe / vote abstinence thing was a very clear example.
… That’s not an echo chamber though. That’s propaganda and vote manipulation mostly by literal state actors and brainwashed rubes.
An echo chamber is when people literally self segregate enough to the point that they no longer consume almost any media that doesn’t fit their belief. Its exacerbated by large corporations who profit from ad revenue driven through user engagement.
Lemmy is not an echo chamber no more than the literal radio.
Reddit is not an echo chamber.
You can make these an echo chamber through varying degrees of ease. But places like Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter have been proven to drive you into one by exploiting ragebait for clicks.
You can say they’re both fruit, sure. But one is like eating cantaloupe and the other like eating bananas laced with speed.
Lemmy is definitely an echo chamber, but I agree that it’s not necessarily a bad thing as long as we recognize it for what it is. There are a large number of people out there that have very different opinions than the majority of users on this platform, we need to keep things respectful even in our disagreements with them instead of tearing them down for their opinions.
Have you tried Linux, communism, and being gay?
yes, yes, and yes.
and i no longer like any of those things.
Damn, speedrunning the Lemmy topics! I only do 2/3 of them, otherwise we’d probably already be married!
Echo chambers are a lot easier to recognize and ignore when they aren’t filled with your friends and family.
Meh. I have facebook but don’t really use it much. my condo has a page so its like a semi public chat and sometimes have communication with folks. Certainly never use the feed though and I hate checking it every few weeks. I certainly don’t want anyone im connected to to think they will get a faster response if they hit me up there. I bet other things besides facebook spreads bs though. I see it with youtube users. I use youtube but I don’t really chase my feed.
See, I’m not real big on facebook, but I have an account because I live a considerable distance from when I am from. (Also because marketplace is nice.)
Lately those cockballs have been refollowing people I have unfollowed and it is a clusterfuck on there now. I just have to ignore the feed because it’s full of trump shit and religious shit yet again.
This title is ambiguous: reduces belief in the fake news topics themselves, vs. that fake news exists.
Anyway, yes, it does wonders for mental health and sanity to unplug from that cesspit of human “alternative knowledge”!:-P
My mom was permabanned from Facebook in 2020 for constantly posting anti-vax nonsense so she just went to places like Gab and Parlor. 😑
Truth depends on whoever you’re buying it from.
Truth is truth, how it is described may be subjective. But there is still only one truth.
And lies are lies. How do you decide which is which?
Damn, you’re so enlightened.
How do you decide which sources are credible? I can’t decide. Literally everything can be faked, and the more there is on the line, the more incentive and resources there are to do so.
What important stuff do you think there is that isn’t faked? How do you decide that it’s not fake?
Damn near everything you’ve ever accepted as true is stuff you were told or read and just accepted it based on how it was presented.
This is why, in a lot of universities, they’re trying to teach you how to learn, not necessarily how you should think.
We need to be able to examine the claims for ourselves and learn what red flags look like.
And a lot of the time we mix up “facts” with “opinions”. Even when we are looking at facts, most of the time there are lies mixed with truth or conveniently forgotten truths. If we only get our information from a single source, or from biased sources, then we’re going to miss some key information.
That’s why it’s good to make sure that you look at any story (especially politicized ones) from different angles and sources even if you don’t agree with them.
Not only that but it can be enlightening to hear about a story from someone who’s much more intimately familiar with the subject themselves.
For example, whenever it comes to news stories about the Supreme Court, I like to look for commentary from lawyers such as Steve Lehto or Legal Eagle. You’ll find that they typically provide some very important context into why a particular decision was made that cuts through a lot of the outrage material that reporters push for clicks.
I believe that some popular news organizations are sufficiently trustworthy. At the very least, you can find sources that rank higher than others on the scale of trustworthiness.
“I can’t decide”
yes, we are all well aware of how dumb you are. Your stupidity is becoming quite well known on Lemmy.
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.
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.
Be careful, I logged out for too long and forgot my password and they wanted a copy of my driver’s license before letting me have access to my account.
it’s the only source for pictures of some now-deceased family members
Download them ASAP. You can never trust an external service like that to keep them available in perpetuity.
Can’t you download those pictures locally? It would be good practice anyway to not rely on Facebook of all places to host your beloved photos indefinitely
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”
That is not surprising at all. That’s like saying laying off the conspiracy theory conventions for a while reduces your belief in conspiracy theories.
It’s been since 2020 for me. No going back
What took you so long? 😉
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’re not required to go on Facebook just to use WhatsApp 😉
You can quit Facebook, just not Meta as an entity.
Right. I’m still used to the parent company being named Facebook.
I have no Facebook, I want no Facebook. When I got my now job a few years back they said “we couldn’t find you on Facebook.” That’s right, you can’t.
And yes I get left out of that communication stream, but absolutely don’t care. Like, not even a little bit.
I’m waiting it out. Already my kids see it as “boomer shit”.
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.
I just use Craigslist anyway and accept that I’m missing out on selection.
I guess I’m at least lucky that marketplace isn’t used here primarily.
I haven’t viewed the actual Facebook app/feed in probably 7 or 8 years, but I have a Facebook for messenger. There are just too many people that rely on it as a sole form of communication, I was just getting left out of shit.
I don’t really see the problem though, do you not have the self control not to browse?
You don’t need Facebook to use WhatsApp.
Meta
