Post by robeiae on Feb 3, 2017 9:05:01 GMT -5
From Bethany Mandel at The Federalist: Facebook Dead at 12, a Victim of 2016
From it:
And farther along:
Now, here is a post of mine from Facebook not all that long ago:
That post got a fair number of responses (for me); many expressed contrary opinions (many also posted pics of their cats). Since I posted that--and followed it up with something about losing friends over political disagreements on Facebook--I've seen a fair number of friends take a stand, as it were, with posts about how they're going to use FB to make the political statements/comments that they want to make and if people don't like it, too bad. I'm not suggesting I was the genesis of this, to be clear, only that there are definitely competing visions with regard to the role of Facebook.
But Mandel also says this, which I think is spot on, though I don't know that there's any way to prove it:
And this goes both ways: people ranting about how awful Trump is AND people ranting about how awful Trump's critics are (or how great Trump is). They are--imo--ranting more and more in echo chambers; their friends who agree with them join in, their friends who don't--the ones who remain--ignore the rants, because the ones who disagreed and spoke up are gone.
So what do you think? Is Facebook ready to go into a death spiral, or am I just wanting this to be the case because I actually found someone with the same point of view as me?
From it:
Since the end of the 2016 election, and especially since it resulted in the victory of Donald J. Trump as president, Facebook has become utterly intolerable. I took the application off my phone when I realized, a few days after the election, that I felt angry every time I scrolled through my newsfeed, and that this sour mood was affecting how I spoke with my co-workers, who happen to be my children (I’m a stay-at-home mother by profession). Deleting the application made me feel more disconnected from these online friends from all walks of my life, but also happier and more calm.
And farther along:
The problem with Facebook political rants is this: It is not Twitter. I do not “follow” my high school best friends because of their insightful political commentary; I want to see updates on their lives and pictures of their adorable children. Unlike Twitter, I don’t want to unfollow or unfriend them because of their rants, because if I do so, I’ll miss out on the all-important baby announcements and updates.
Now, here is a post of mine from Facebook not all that long ago:
At this point in time, I don't care who you voted for, who you are supporting now, or what you're doing about it. On SOCIAL MEDIA, I'd rather hear about your kids, pets, vacations, and drinking habits.
YMMV, of course. I'm just sayin'...
YMMV, of course. I'm just sayin'...
That post got a fair number of responses (for me); many expressed contrary opinions (many also posted pics of their cats). Since I posted that--and followed it up with something about losing friends over political disagreements on Facebook--I've seen a fair number of friends take a stand, as it were, with posts about how they're going to use FB to make the political statements/comments that they want to make and if people don't like it, too bad. I'm not suggesting I was the genesis of this, to be clear, only that there are definitely competing visions with regard to the role of Facebook.
But Mandel also says this, which I think is spot on, though I don't know that there's any way to prove it:
If all you’re using Facebook for is to yell into the digital void about politics, you will find your audience for such rants is getting smaller by the minute. Sorry, random friends from all walks of life: I just don’t care what you think about Donald Trump today.
And this goes both ways: people ranting about how awful Trump is AND people ranting about how awful Trump's critics are (or how great Trump is). They are--imo--ranting more and more in echo chambers; their friends who agree with them join in, their friends who don't--the ones who remain--ignore the rants, because the ones who disagreed and spoke up are gone.
So what do you think? Is Facebook ready to go into a death spiral, or am I just wanting this to be the case because I actually found someone with the same point of view as me?
