Tag: Internet

Reddit and parameters of “Free Speech”

Posted on | by Robert | Leave a Comment on Reddit and parameters of “Free Speech”

Reddit gets it.  They do not ask for your private information upon signing up, nor do their cookies follow you around the internet when you are looking for a recipe. Reddit is organized by topic, so you’re not going to see political posts when all you want to see are cute cats. And truthfully – it’s a happy place to visit and their alien is cute.

They have a feature in the New Yorker this week. The article highlights how the company is putting forth a real effort in cleaning up the conversation that takes place on the platform. Unlike other social-internet companies, the company isn’t claiming to be a bastion of “free speech.” They have rules and aren’t afraid to ban communities that violate those rules. On their approach to free speech:

“Does free speech mean literally anyone can say anything at any time?” … “Or is it actually more conducive to the free exchange of ideas if we create a platform where women and people of color can say what they want without thousands of people screaming, ‘Fuck you, light yourself on fire, I know where you live’? If your entire answer to that very difficult question is ‘Free speech,’ then, I’m sorry, that tells me that you’re not really paying attention.”

Maybe, just maybe they are on to something. Using the “Free Speech” shield doesn’t give the internet soldier the freedom to be a jerk or a perv. As we (the collective we – internet companies included) continue to work towards a healthier internet, maybe we should take out a page here and re-evaluate the concept of internet “free speech.” It’s surely not free in real life, maybe we should also acknowledge its parameters on the interwebs as well.

Facebook: Deleted

Posted on | by Robert | Leave a Comment on Facebook: Deleted

It’s official, as of yesterday around 11PM, my Facebook account has been deleted. Deleting wasn’t easy from either an emotional or technical perspective.

There is a lot of investment in having a semi-active account. The time one takes to read, post, comment, like–it all adds up and becomes part of a routine.

And what makes the decision to delete even more difficult is the thought of loosing access to some of your contacts forever.

But we have to separate the platform from the purpose. As a contact book it was adequate – but there are certainly better ones available. As a communication platform though it lost its way and its utility has run its course. There are much healthier ways to communicate without getting caught up in the noise.

Ultimately, the time I had invested in Facebook is greater than the return I felt I was receiving–and I don’t see that balance shifting now or in the foreseeable future. I’ve made the decision to move on. My good friends will support me and I’ll support them. I’m OK with cutting the chord with people I barely know. Who knows, maybe we’ll meet again down the line and we and we can start over.

The deletion process:

The thing with Facebook– if you delete and aren’t careful, your footprints will remain. I did my best in covering up those up, but I know that there are a few crumbs for it to feast off of.

Before I hit the delete button, I made sure to unlike everything, delete all of my photos, and remove the tag on every photo I was tagged in. I also ran a script to undo my entire history – this part took a while, and I don’t think I covered it all because I became a bit impatient. After all that, I then visited the delete my account page.

Done.

No longer do I have to worry about algorithm changes or any of the negativity involved just by participating on the platform.

As for the crumbs I left behind last night for the monster to eat, I hope it chokes on them. I would never wish death upon anybody, but a corporation isn’t a person, and with that perspective, saying good-bye is so much easier.

Facebook needs people to survive–people don’t need Facebook.

Facebook Changes Algorithm

Posted on | by Robert | Leave a Comment on Facebook Changes Algorithm

It seems that Facebook read my comments about how it is getting too big for it’s own good and it’s not the social network people signed up for (that was a joke). Since Thursday, the company has put into effect changes to their algorithm to feature popular posts from friends and families, and less from news agencies and content mills. Still, they will bury posts with little reaction, and this is only an experiment. From a business perspective, this approach is probably not in their best interests because they can’t really monetize on your cousin’s post about her pet salamander. Expect this to change once again after the heat dies a bit, or adjust after they figure out how to profit anew from its users interests and content mills. Nonetheless, I have to give them some credit for paying attention. Hopefully they can create a more positive user experience for those active on the network. They aren’t winning me back though. I’ve been much happier since I’ve been off of it.