Everyone should get off FaceBook and X. I've done that. If millions of us would do that, that would sure send a message. Meanwhile, I love BlueSky. We're the consumer of all this stuff. Let's demand and support better.
We work with George Takei on his social media and have prioritized Bluesky, where he is the #2 or #3 account there now in terms of followers. I hope others follow him there.
Jay - yes and one of my professional groups is trying to determine where it can “live” on social media for group, unlimited characters discussions. Among colleagues we’ve discussed family groups where not all are tech savvy & Facebook is familiar. I left Twitter and joined BlueSky & am getting some of the same follower types: photos that appear to be men in uniform (military, medical) & others that clearly are AI generated photos. Love reading Substacks except it’s expensive if one wants to participate in discussions. More, their bot stinks if there are problems with payment. Do you know how they monitor hate speech & disinformation? I can’t find a link to know.
What are we all to do that is easy, free(ish - the fb adds are a massive nuisance) & not limited in characters?
Joan, you can check out Tribel. It is set up a lot like FB, you are not limited to the number of characters for a post and it is free to use. There are also no ads to contend with. It was thriving for a while but a lot of people left for Bluesky. I deleted my account on FB the end of December because I had already read Zuckerberg was moving everything more to the right and it was already getting really bad. If you like the site, encourage more people to go there. Omar Rivero, the owner of Occupy Democrats, founded the site and the moderators are pretty decent.
You're right Robin. If the company caves to Maga-ism, step off and find one that isn't welcoming to Magas. The world is constantly changing, we have to find other acceptable media - they aren't prohibiting us from finding another means of communicating.
Done. Minutes after I heard Zuck announce his new policy. Wonder how many people dumped FB as so many did with X. Any numbers out there? I haven't seen any even though the numbers about X were all over the media.
Dump Zuck, folks. Hit him where it hurts the most, his bottom line. Go back to keeping birthday reminders on Word or stray pieces of paper.
"That part of the former policy is now crossed out, so we can assume objectification of women is now fair game." Zuckerberg created FB to "rate" women's physical appearance so why is it surprising then he's gone back to the objectification of women. This attitude certainly aligns with Trump.
The industry has always had a dark side of misogyny so I don’t know why any of us are surprised by this. As a human and a woman, I hate feeling like I’m being held hostage by him. The sites have been the way to keep in touch with people but it’s all gone too far.
So what can we as citizens do? I loathe Zuckerberg and FB, but it’s one of the few ways my relatives communicate with one another (mostly through Instagram, but they all belong to this cretin). The danger here is very real. He has created a monster. It appears that at least half of my country doesn’t care about any of this. I am still gobsmacked,
This is how we create Oligarchs, by rewarding their reprehensible behavior, because we can’t live without things we never used to have. I’ve lived without FB, Amazon, Walmart, etc and do not miss them in the least. I use text to keep in touch with the important people in my life and to send pictures and videos to friends and family. I really don’t need more than that.
It's like they're playing a violent computer game, only the action figures are real life humans. Musk and Zuckerberg are a scourge on humanity and the planet. Pity. They could have done so much good. Part of me wants to live long enough to witness their karmic fate. Another part has no desire to live through the mayhem they are creating.
It can feel pretty intense when you see people in positions of power using their influence in ways that seem destructive or selfish. It’s like watching something that should be uplifting turn into something completely different. Do you think there’s hope for change, or do you feel like things will just keep heading in this direction?
Facebook is only good for keeping up with a few friends and a few specialized groups that interest me. I never use it or any other so-called social media sites for news, since far too many people are much too willing to share their prejudices on them. Prejudices from the right, left, racists, or many other social positions simply don't mix with news.
For example, I don't need foolish opinions from anyone on why fire hyrants ran dry during the worst fires ever in parts of LA City. That is pretty much an engineering and fire safety issue and every few people have a clue what they are talking about, when it comes to fire protection and prevention. My daughter is a fire protection engineer, so her opinion means something. Most of the rest of us are clueless about what it takes to either protect a structure from fire or the volumes of water needed to fight a major fire.
I agree. Sometimes I will check out a news story that a friend posts - I feel capable of discerning fact from fiction. (I'll even go so far as to check out a questionable story and politely inform a friend that it is BS)
I've pretty much stopped watching television news, except occasionally PBS NewsHour. I keep up to date with reliable substacks, such as Jay's. I just ignore the noise and the garbage on FB.
Not all can afford Substacks that won’t allow access or engagement without paying. I’ve asked a few who write about who owns Substack; what their hate monitoring policies & practices are; if they have ANY humans that can help with payment or other issues. I’m hoping someone will say more.
Fb/zuck has never been ethical. Remember how he “took” the idea away from the originators and never looked back? Watch the movie if nothing else. Then just refuse to use it, why is this hard? Also no moderation means less staff which means he saves money. Of course.
But it IS hard. As others have said, it has become how we learn about births, deaths, etc, etc. I’m not defending zuck, by any means, but just wanted to answer your question.
No, it really isn't. You managed to communicate before Facebook & Instagram. It isn't difficult to find another social media platform not financed by unethical, immoral people. You have to stand for something or you'll fall for anything.
Yes and many of us are trying to figure out where and we’ve not. Not everyone can use all platforms if they’re not accessible or free. And if someone buys BlueSky then what?
That’s a bit more limited. A lot of the members of my family are old(er), and don’t text. Mom won’t - she’s 97, so fine. Not all of my friends text. Also there are occasions when I address the FB “hive mind” for help with something, and that’s always helpful. Then there’s the birth/marriage/death thing - most of us are just not going to let everyone know who would want to know …
I am now ashamed that Zuckerberg's name was attached to the name of San Francisco General Hospital after this rich man's donation to the hospital where I worked as a nurse for many years, before this donation. Shame, shame shame on him.
I’m always glad to get the big picture from you, Jay. The digital natives have left me in the dust. But I do attempt to stay abreast of what they’re up to—even if I don’t participate.
All these billionaires who own everything still don’t feel like men and have to get into “hypermasculinity” so they can feel special. They will always be losers and will never be able to wash off the stink of their shite.
Jay you have built a following on FB along with many others. It appears difficult to have people subscribe to BS for what ever reason. I keep FB for family and friends as well as you, HCR, Stonekettle and some others. I would love nothing more then to drop all of META but only one family member is on BS. Sad commentary isn’t it.
We are all caught in a social media ecosystem that we both need and are fighting to make better. One of the reasons I have shifted to Substack is to begin to build community here, both at my own substack and here. But we have to also face reality that in order to defeat misinformation we have to be there on the platform to try and beat it back. It’s a conundrum.
I am a retired widow and FB and IG have been a huge part of my social life for 15 years. I plan to stay with them but will be changing my level of activity. I will no longer purchase anything from a FB or IG ad. In fact I will not even click on any post except those from friends or groups I am active in. FB and IG need income to survive and I will not let them get one cent from me!
It’s naive to believe anyone can fight dis/misinformation by remaining on FB or X. Facebook, arguably one of if not the largest, social media platform couldn’t do it. Same for Twitter. They’re bad actors with no serious concern for the common good, only the almighty dollar.
Neither did I but since it is a different format from FB, I think some people don’t like change. I want to get off threads and so far most of my follows are now on BS. I just need a couple more and I will delete threads.
Easy to get on, but I was never a twitter person so the format I find challenging. I will likely stay on FB for the pages I follow but now I also check out bluesky, I just don't find it intuitive to use.
Stonekettle!! Jim is amazing. I follow him on IG but will be switching to his direct blog instead. I have fb only for friends and family but will be deactivating it. IG will be harder to give up, and I'm glad I never went to threads.
He is and has always been an irresponsible selfish AH . He will get sick snd he will die like the rest of us. He is an AH because he does not respect humanity and use his company for improving the lot of society. What will he accomplish with all his millions.?
I left Facebook and Instagram several years ago. Never signed up for Twitter, TikTok or any other corporate social media. I’m solely now on Substack and Blue Sky.
Everyone should get off FaceBook and X. I've done that. If millions of us would do that, that would sure send a message. Meanwhile, I love BlueSky. We're the consumer of all this stuff. Let's demand and support better.
We work with George Takei on his social media and have prioritized Bluesky, where he is the #2 or #3 account there now in terms of followers. I hope others follow him there.
Jay - yes and one of my professional groups is trying to determine where it can “live” on social media for group, unlimited characters discussions. Among colleagues we’ve discussed family groups where not all are tech savvy & Facebook is familiar. I left Twitter and joined BlueSky & am getting some of the same follower types: photos that appear to be men in uniform (military, medical) & others that clearly are AI generated photos. Love reading Substacks except it’s expensive if one wants to participate in discussions. More, their bot stinks if there are problems with payment. Do you know how they monitor hate speech & disinformation? I can’t find a link to know.
What are we all to do that is easy, free(ish - the fb adds are a massive nuisance) & not limited in characters?
Joan, you can check out Tribel. It is set up a lot like FB, you are not limited to the number of characters for a post and it is free to use. There are also no ads to contend with. It was thriving for a while but a lot of people left for Bluesky. I deleted my account on FB the end of December because I had already read Zuckerberg was moving everything more to the right and it was already getting really bad. If you like the site, encourage more people to go there. Omar Rivero, the owner of Occupy Democrats, founded the site and the moderators are pretty decent.
You're right Robin. If the company caves to Maga-ism, step off and find one that isn't welcoming to Magas. The world is constantly changing, we have to find other acceptable media - they aren't prohibiting us from finding another means of communicating.
Done. Minutes after I heard Zuck announce his new policy. Wonder how many people dumped FB as so many did with X. Any numbers out there? I haven't seen any even though the numbers about X were all over the media.
Dump Zuck, folks. Hit him where it hurts the most, his bottom line. Go back to keeping birthday reminders on Word or stray pieces of paper.
Masodon is really nice, too.
I've done it also. We should all do it. That's the only language these people might understand.
My kids scoff at Facebook. “That’s for old people!”
At least it has an end point down the road. But Instagram and WhatsApp will be around a long time.
Good! Keep them off that garbage. I'll never let mine near it to begin with.
Meantime, they're are all on Instagram
True! That’s what mine say.
Of course they are going to say that. That's why we call them kids
I’m old. So are my family with whom I connect! That’s not a reason!
"That part of the former policy is now crossed out, so we can assume objectification of women is now fair game." Zuckerberg created FB to "rate" women's physical appearance so why is it surprising then he's gone back to the objectification of women. This attitude certainly aligns with Trump.
I agree with those who say he has gone back to his early days, which was fairly rooted in tech bro misogyny.
The industry has always had a dark side of misogyny so I don’t know why any of us are surprised by this. As a human and a woman, I hate feeling like I’m being held hostage by him. The sites have been the way to keep in touch with people but it’s all gone too far.
So what can we as citizens do? I loathe Zuckerberg and FB, but it’s one of the few ways my relatives communicate with one another (mostly through Instagram, but they all belong to this cretin). The danger here is very real. He has created a monster. It appears that at least half of my country doesn’t care about any of this. I am still gobsmacked,
Transfer to Blue Sky and get your fam and friends to do the same.
Maybe I'm not looking at it correctly but I don't see how it works as a substitute for FB
You can post pictures and videos. Just not as many, I think just 4 at a time.
And characters are limited making it difficult for meaty discussions. So far I’ve not figured it out!
This is how we create Oligarchs, by rewarding their reprehensible behavior, because we can’t live without things we never used to have. I’ve lived without FB, Amazon, Walmart, etc and do not miss them in the least. I use text to keep in touch with the important people in my life and to send pictures and videos to friends and family. I really don’t need more than that.
He hasn’t really changed! He is becoming more transparent.
It's like they're playing a violent computer game, only the action figures are real life humans. Musk and Zuckerberg are a scourge on humanity and the planet. Pity. They could have done so much good. Part of me wants to live long enough to witness their karmic fate. Another part has no desire to live through the mayhem they are creating.
It can feel pretty intense when you see people in positions of power using their influence in ways that seem destructive or selfish. It’s like watching something that should be uplifting turn into something completely different. Do you think there’s hope for change, or do you feel like things will just keep heading in this direction?
Facebook is only good for keeping up with a few friends and a few specialized groups that interest me. I never use it or any other so-called social media sites for news, since far too many people are much too willing to share their prejudices on them. Prejudices from the right, left, racists, or many other social positions simply don't mix with news.
For example, I don't need foolish opinions from anyone on why fire hyrants ran dry during the worst fires ever in parts of LA City. That is pretty much an engineering and fire safety issue and every few people have a clue what they are talking about, when it comes to fire protection and prevention. My daughter is a fire protection engineer, so her opinion means something. Most of the rest of us are clueless about what it takes to either protect a structure from fire or the volumes of water needed to fight a major fire.
I agree. Sometimes I will check out a news story that a friend posts - I feel capable of discerning fact from fiction. (I'll even go so far as to check out a questionable story and politely inform a friend that it is BS)
I've pretty much stopped watching television news, except occasionally PBS NewsHour. I keep up to date with reliable substacks, such as Jay's. I just ignore the noise and the garbage on FB.
Not all can afford Substacks that won’t allow access or engagement without paying. I’ve asked a few who write about who owns Substack; what their hate monitoring policies & practices are; if they have ANY humans that can help with payment or other issues. I’m hoping someone will say more.
Sadly it's been reported in more than one place that Substack makes a lot of money from Nazi-aligned "influencers" and has amplified their content...
Got links to those referrals?
Granted, its a year ago, and I haven't kept up with what Substack has done to combat this, and wish I saved a couple people here who wrote about it...
https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/internet/pressure-builds-newsletter-company-substack-stop-paying-nazi-writers-rcna132593
Here's a story from last year: https://www.theguardian.com/media/2024/jan/12/casey-newton-quits-substack-nazi-newsletter
Fb/zuck has never been ethical. Remember how he “took” the idea away from the originators and never looked back? Watch the movie if nothing else. Then just refuse to use it, why is this hard? Also no moderation means less staff which means he saves money. Of course.
But it IS hard. As others have said, it has become how we learn about births, deaths, etc, etc. I’m not defending zuck, by any means, but just wanted to answer your question.
No, it really isn't. You managed to communicate before Facebook & Instagram. It isn't difficult to find another social media platform not financed by unethical, immoral people. You have to stand for something or you'll fall for anything.
Yes and many of us are trying to figure out where and we’ve not. Not everyone can use all platforms if they’re not accessible or free. And if someone buys BlueSky then what?
You have good points, I just don’t entirely agree. But thanks for referencing Hamilton!
How about just using phone texting to communicate with family & friends?
That’s a bit more limited. A lot of the members of my family are old(er), and don’t text. Mom won’t - she’s 97, so fine. Not all of my friends text. Also there are occasions when I address the FB “hive mind” for help with something, and that’s always helpful. Then there’s the birth/marriage/death thing - most of us are just not going to let everyone know who would want to know …
I am now ashamed that Zuckerberg's name was attached to the name of San Francisco General Hospital after this rich man's donation to the hospital where I worked as a nurse for many years, before this donation. Shame, shame shame on him.
It's nice to see Trump getting his comeuppance in NYC. He is widely hated. The day his name comes off that tower, there will be cheering
Don't forget what happened to the Sacklers…their name came off a lot of places where they donated, especially including the Metropolitan Museum.
And yet one of the Koch brothers is still on the Met.
I was infuriated at the time, especially as a San Franciscan.
I’m always glad to get the big picture from you, Jay. The digital natives have left me in the dust. But I do attempt to stay abreast of what they’re up to—even if I don’t participate.
All these billionaires who own everything still don’t feel like men and have to get into “hypermasculinity” so they can feel special. They will always be losers and will never be able to wash off the stink of their shite.
Jay you have built a following on FB along with many others. It appears difficult to have people subscribe to BS for what ever reason. I keep FB for family and friends as well as you, HCR, Stonekettle and some others. I would love nothing more then to drop all of META but only one family member is on BS. Sad commentary isn’t it.
We are all caught in a social media ecosystem that we both need and are fighting to make better. One of the reasons I have shifted to Substack is to begin to build community here, both at my own substack and here. But we have to also face reality that in order to defeat misinformation we have to be there on the platform to try and beat it back. It’s a conundrum.
I am a retired widow and FB and IG have been a huge part of my social life for 15 years. I plan to stay with them but will be changing my level of activity. I will no longer purchase anything from a FB or IG ad. In fact I will not even click on any post except those from friends or groups I am active in. FB and IG need income to survive and I will not let them get one cent from me!
It’s naive to believe anyone can fight dis/misinformation by remaining on FB or X. Facebook, arguably one of if not the largest, social media platform couldn’t do it. Same for Twitter. They’re bad actors with no serious concern for the common good, only the almighty dollar.
Yes. See my note to you please early on and to others.
I had no difficulty getting on bluesky, but other people experience may vary.
Neither did I but since it is a different format from FB, I think some people don’t like change. I want to get off threads and so far most of my follows are now on BS. I just need a couple more and I will delete threads.
Easy to get on, but I was never a twitter person so the format I find challenging. I will likely stay on FB for the pages I follow but now I also check out bluesky, I just don't find it intuitive to use.
Stonekettle!! Jim is amazing. I follow him on IG but will be switching to his direct blog instead. I have fb only for friends and family but will be deactivating it. IG will be harder to give up, and I'm glad I never went to threads.
I adore Jim. He has a store on Etsy as well where I have purchased some of his gorgeous photography. His opinions are worth the follow.
Looks as though Zuck wants to lay off Californians and hire fewer Texan conservative moderators............. Not quite a purge, but pretty close.
He is and has always been an irresponsible selfish AH . He will get sick snd he will die like the rest of us. He is an AH because he does not respect humanity and use his company for improving the lot of society. What will he accomplish with all his millions.?
Commissioning ugly art of his wife? That will live on after him... and eventually go to a junk yard.
I left Facebook and Instagram several years ago. Never signed up for Twitter, TikTok or any other corporate social media. I’m solely now on Substack and Blue Sky.
It sounds like the upshot of this is that Zuck wants Trump back on Facebook and all of these rewritten policies just lengthen Trump’s leash.