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Selena Larson writes at ReadWrite that Facebook has a perception problem, which is largely driven by the fact it controls huge amounts of data and uses people as fodder for advertising and just can't shake its ultimately flawed nature and gain the trust of consumers.
"Perhaps the largest driver of skepticism towards Facebook is the level of control it gives users-which is arguably limited. Sure, you can edit your profile so other people can't see your personal information, but Facebook can, and it uses your data to serve advertisers says Larson. "Keep in mind: This is information you provided just once in the last 10 years-for instance, when you first registered your account and offered up your favorite movies, TV shows and books-is now given tangentially to advertisers or companies wanting a piece of your pocketbook."
Another thing people hate about Facebook is that when the time comes for someone to abandon the social network, whether over privacy concerns or frustration with the company, Facebook intentionally makes it hard to leave. "Even if you delete your account, your ghost remains. Your email address is still tied to a Facebook account and your face is still recognizably tagged as you, even if the account it's associated with has vanished." Even when you die, Facebook continues to make money off you.
Facebook has many exciting projects, but it won't have an audience left unless it addresses its perception problem says Larson. "Trust is paramount, especially on the Internet, and people need to know that Facebook is making things to improve the human experience, not just spending billions to make even more billions off our personal information," concludes Larson. "Prove to us you don't just care about money, Facebook, and perhaps we'll all realize how much you really have grown in the last 10 years."
(Score: 2, Interesting) by Joe Desertrat on Monday April 07 2014, @02:11AM
I don't believe concerns with privacy are what is driving most people away from Facebook. I think the real reason Facebook is being abandoned by many, particularly the younger members or potential members, is the amount of political astroturfing going on. Younger people in particular don't want to see all that political BS and god BS and sappy tragedies and so on. They just want to share pictures with their friends, so they have switched to Instagram or any of the other services to allow them to easily do that. Particularly if their parents are on Facebook as well.
I'm on it, it is the only way I have to stay in touch with too many people I know, but I usually get aggravated and sign off after quickly checking it. I don't see any ads on the pages, I don't play any of the games and I don't post any steamy private details there (or I wouldn't if I had any).
(Score: 2) by Reziac on Monday April 07 2014, @03:55AM
I don't do Facebook myself, but I occasionally check on friends there... egads, the interface gets more busy and less readable every time I visit. At this point I can barely tell what I'm supposed to be looking at; it's getting to where it's tough to distinguish what's user content and what's junk. If I'd ever had any urge to share my underwear on FB, it woulda been killed by the visual garbage dump it's become.
And there is no Alkibiades to come back and save us from ourselves.
(Score: 1) by bryan on Monday April 07 2014, @07:47AM
Facebook owns Instagram :)
(Score: 2) by tangomargarine on Monday April 07 2014, @02:54PM
Any facebook user worth their salt should know that that's when you resort to the "I'm not interested in seeing any more of this friend's posts" button. If you want to see what they're up to, you can always manually visit their profile instead.
But yeah, I sent an ultimatum that anyone caught posting more than 50% politicrap would be summarily unlistened :)
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"Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"