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Are Social Media Websites like Facebook and Twitter becoming too powerful?

^ I saw an ad yesterday for a new search engine competing with Google (good luck on that!), and the spiel was: (gist) "Unlike Google, we don't track you".

(Edit to Add: Here you go):
DuckDuckGo — Privacy, simplified

Ouch...

I have very limited sympathy for the mindless zombies who flock to the likes of Facebook, or any of the myriad of sites on the internet and pone networks, and divulge reams of information without thinking about it, and then feign indignation and surprise when the info is sold.

How freakin' naive are the zombies?
 
I think some form of regulation is coming. It may be self-regulating at first, but it's coming. Especially as the companies get more involved in video space. It's becoming quite unfair to regulate broadcasters to the hilt, but then turn a blind eye to similar service over the internet.
 
steveintoronto said:
^ I saw an ad yesterday for a new search engine competing with Google (good luck on that!), and the spiel was: (gist) "Unlike Google, we don't track you".

(Edit to Add: Here you go):
DuckDuckGo — Privacy, simplified
Click to expand...
I have long used DuckDuckGo. It works very beautifully. It's not as comprehensive as Google, but it loads very quickly and auto-suggest can be disabled by anyone who isn't technical (most people), while it requires technical knowledge to disable auto-suggest for Google.

Oh, and DuckDuckGo searches don't discriminate by users' political views.
 
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OpenStreetMaps is much more updated than Google Maps, despite everything added on OpenStreetMaps is purely volunteer work, not made by GIS technicians who are paid six-digit figures annually with numerous benefits.

Oh, and OpenStreetMaps doesn't contain nonsense such as the ability to track jolly old elves or making the street layour become a maze filled with pellets.
 
JasonParis, that’s a sound argument but somehow it’s the exact argument most legacy industries make in the face of big tech disruption and yet time and time again the double standard is upheld by public and consumer opinion. Basically, a strong regulatory and tax burden for the incumbent industry players while the big tech upstart operates according to it’s own rules
 
I think big tech is due in for some disruption of their own. Nothing to do with legacy media and their tax burden - all to do with disinformation.

AoD
 
TrickyRicky said:
JasonParis, that’s a sound argument but somehow it’s the exact argument most legacy industries make in the face of big tech disruption and yet time and time again the double standard is upheld by public and consumer opinion. Basically, a strong regulatory and tax burden for the incumbent industry players while the big tech upstart operates according to it’s own rules
Click to expand...
Any prior time, regulation has come. This time it hasn't though. We've had the internet since 1995 basically, and still no regulation in most western countries. It's a hard one to fix, but something will budge. The disinforation is too great as is the unfairness to legacy media.
 
JasonParis said:
Any prior time, regulation has come. This time it hasn't though. We've had the internet since 1995 basically, and still no regulation in most western countries. It's a hard one to fix, but something will budge. The disinforation is too great as is the unfairness to legacy media.
Click to expand...


Legacy Media is mostly boosted by the Trump effect really right now, once he is gone its gonna be bloodbath as people go back to normal and stop caring about politics as much.
 
Admiral Beez said:
www.nytimes.com

All the Companies Quitting Facebook (Published 2020)

A boycott of advertisers on social media is gaining momentum, and Facebook is the primary target.
www.nytimes.com www.nytimes.com

Hit Zuck where it hurts, the pocketbook.
Click to expand...

Yet we give Twitter a pass even though it a far more harmful platform right now to society in 2020.

Looking at things in 2020 Twitter is a bigger spreader of fake news and makes society more divided then Facebook right now.

Facebook has hardly any news on its feed right now. Its way different than in 2016 while Twitter is still a toxic wasteland.


Like i really think something is up in the corporate world as everyone seems to really try to take Facebook down but even with constant disasters they keep growing like crazy.
 
Jasmine18 said:
Yet we give Twitter a pass even though it a far more harmful platform right now to society in 2020.

Looking at things in 2020 Twitter is a bigger spreader of fake news and makes society more divided then Facebook right now.

Facebook has hardly any news on its feed right now. Its way different than in 2016 while Twitter is still a toxic wasteland.


Like i really think something is up in the corporate world as everyone seems to really try to take Facebook down but even with constant disasters they keep growing like crazy.
Click to expand...
Does Twitter advertise? Not on my feed, though I have Adblock
 
Admiral Beez said:
Does Twitter advertise? Not on my feed, though I have Adblock
Click to expand...


Yes brand promotes on Twitter a lot but i was talking about which app currently causes the most harm to the public right now and I think its easily Twitter over Facebook right now. I do agree Twitter has better rules but they are not applied evenly at all. Twitter is very popular with the media as its an easy way to communicate and have a lot of influence while FB and IG they have very limited control over.

So that is why I think its less to do about ethics and more to do about power I think.

Facebook is simply becoming way to powerful.
 
Uh no, different issues. FB has major issues with data privacy (ex. Cambridge Analytica); Twitter has a major issues with bots; Twitter is also far more proactive application of rules.

AoD
 
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AlvinofDiaspar said:
Uh no, different issues. FB has major issues with data privacy (ex. Cambridge Analytica); Twitter has a major issues with bots; Twitter is also far more proactive application of rules.

AoD
Click to expand...
but the issue is what app is blamed for increasing divides in society and spreading fake news in 2020? and Twitter rules are a joke...

People get banned for misgendering someone by accident but get no action for saying they want to kill all white people. Like i literally see tons of tweets that break the rules stick around on twitter because they get a pass due to having 'heart in the right place'.

As I said media and establishment like Twitter as they have way more influence on there. They can post a comment and it goes to all their fans easily while on IG and Facebook its not easy and more for celebrities and influencers.
 
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