• Doomsider@lemmy.world
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      8 hours ago

      I have asked her to get off of Facebook for awhile, but she is reluctant because her whole family uses it as their primary form of communication.

      I ditched Facebook finally during COVID. I had already known it was a garbage platform, but I was feeling similarly because a lot of people I knew used it. The same thing happened to my feed though and I started getting a ton of anti-vax content.

      What was worse is because I am pro-health and medical technology I advocated for people to be safe. I started getting death threats by friends of friends. I was flabbergasted and decided to delete my account then and there. If Facebook could turn people anti-vax and pro-murder I had to leave.

      • NewNewAugustEast@lemmy.zip
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        6 hours ago

        Yeah the people become awful on it. But then there is also the data collection and the active political manipulation by the platform itself. Not to mention directly funding Zuckerberg and his plans.

        I never was on Facebook, I saw it as a bad idea when it came out. But I understand how many people including friends or family use it. I am pretty blunt: they support Trump, they support billionaires, they support fascism. Both figuratively and literally. Zuck just purchased 11 homes to make yet another compound. The money is from people participating. There is no mincing of words on this, particularly now. Fortunately people are beginning to see that they are getting less of what they asked for (friends and family updates) and that seems to be annoying them enough to at least consider other options. Its harder for them to understand how much of their information had been slanted or even hidden from them.

        I know it is hard. Thanks for sharing that you work in a field were you could see how manipulation and non critical thinking can make everybody seems so crazy. COVID was so full of lies and nonsense it was unreal. I lost a lot of people that I thought would never believe in Qanon or conspiracy and I think I can tie a straight line back to Facebook.

        The next target is getting people off Instagram, and those folks are dug in even harder.

        • HarkMahlberg@kbin.earth
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          5 hours ago

          So does purchasing groceries at Walmart, but many Americans have no choice in that matter.

          I do appreciate that you had a more empathetic comment for the guy whose girlfriend is still on Facebook. Thank you for having the civility to not call her a fascist sympathizer to his face. But don’t worry, your true feelings are safe with me.

          This is not how you make allies btw.

          • NewNewAugustEast@lemmy.zip
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            5 hours ago

            We are way beyond finding allies. Call it what it is.

            Does Walmart actively distort your news, your information, your opinions? Does it select what you see to push an agenda? Does it require yo to provide information about who you are and who your friends are?

            I have a distaste for people shopping at wallmart, but this is beyond that.

            Remember, there is nothing Facebook provides that anyone needs. It is a choice.