Facebook Sucks

May 20, 2021

This post is mostly an attempt to convince myself to ditch Facebook for a second time, but it may also serve as a reference for when I am inevitably asked, "What do you mean you're not on Facebook?" Because everyone is on Facebook, or so Zuckerberg would have you believe.

In fact, many are not on the platform. Kids get it, Facebook is an awful place to spend time. Reportedly, Starbucks may be leaving, after receiving a slew of negative, hateful comments on its posts related to social justice.

Facebook doesn't want you to know what they know.

Earlier this month, Signal tried to run ads highlighting the type of information Facebook collects about its users. Facebook would have none of it. Their Corporate Communications lackey, Joe Osborne, said the Signals ads were "about getting publicity," as if this weren't already obvious. Ads, you say? All about getting publicity? No shit, Joe.

Facebook doesn't care about regulations.

Previously, Zuckberberg has pleaded with governments to put in place the "right" regulation, whatever that is. Apparently, they didn't mean what Germany had in mind. A WhatsApp spokesperson responded to a German watchdog's order to stop processing WhatsApp user data with brazen disregard: "As the Hamburg DPA's claims are wrong, the order will not impact the continued roll-out of the update."

Facebook job ads have gender bias

A recent study demonstrated that Facebook ads are served up with a healthy dose of gender bias. Oops! And then there's good ole Joe Osborne again: "…we understand…" Does Facebook understand?

Targeted advertising doesn't work well.

Facebook wants you to buy into the conflation of relevent advertising with hyper-targeted advertising. We already know targeted advertising doesn't work well, on either side of the equation: It's expensive and underperforms. It's as if the advertising industry, Zuckerberg included, forgot that we had advertising before surveillance culture became a thing.