Mark Zuckerberg Is Working On a Way To Connect You To People You 'Should' Know (recode.net)

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Sunday shared some of what he has learned from his early trips around the country. Recode adds: The actual crux of the post comes later when Zuckerberg writes why he's taking on this new challenge. Basically: He's not running for office, he wants to find ways to strengthen Facebook's "community." Mark said, "I also think this is an area where Facebook can make a difference. Some of you have asked if this challenge means I'm running for public office. I'm not. I'm doing it to get a broader perspective to make sure we're best serving our community of almost 2 billion people at Facebook and doing the best work to promote equal opportunity at the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. In many ways, relationships are the most important things in our lives -- whether we're trying to form healthy habits, stay out of trouble, or find better opportunities. And yet, research shows the average American has fewer than three close friends we can turn to for support." To make that difference Zuckerberg is talking about, he said that Facebook is helping people find people they already know but is also working on a way to connect you with people that you should know like mentors.

Comments

Sugar Daddies as a Service

[xxxJonBoyxxx]

>> working on a way to connect you with people that you should know like mentors

Couldn't help but think this would be, best case, trying to connect you with useless marketing "thought leaders", and worst case, connecting women with potential sugar daddies.

Re:Sugar Daddies as a Service

[Anonymous Coward]

It'll be a step forward from connecting tyrannical demagogues with analytics to steer the mentally retarded.

Re:Sugar Daddies as a Service

[Shotgun]

I don't like the way you talk about Instagram.

Re:Sugar Daddies as a Service

[cayenne8]

and worst case, connecting women with potential sugar daddies.

Well, there are already PLENTY of sites to hook up women with Sugar Daddys.

What got me from the article..was it said most people ONLY had 2-3 close personal friends?

Seriously?

I"m not on any social media and I have more that that that I trust with keys to my house.....

I have many long term friends, across the US from the my days "living abroad" in the US so to speak before settling down in New Orleans area years ago.

I wonder why people seem to have so few close friends? It is because of technology and social media? Is it due to people having their faces glued to a phone 24/7 rather than trying to meet and get to know real people in your vicinity in meatspace?

Hell, I see younger folks, gathered at a table, maybe even at a bar...and they've got their faces in their phones texting, instead of having a drink and interacting with the people with them there right in front of their noses....

I'm starting to think that all this social media is not only segregating people more, it is isolating them.

Re:Sugar Daddies as a Service

[Baron_Yam]

> it said most people ONLY had 2-3 close personal friends?

Yep. There's a whole spectrum between those people who treat everyone like their 'bestie' and the hermit who trusts nobody.

My standards for a 'close personal friend' are very high - I have lots of acquaintances but very few friends. Honestly, I have a lot of trouble understanding how people can say they have more than a handful of friends unless they're still in high school or have retired, because proper friendships take a lot of time and don't fit very well into a normal adult schedule. First there's work, then there's 'chores', then immediate family, then extended family, THEN friends. When? Every weekend or three?

Once you're seeing them once or twice a year, they're acquaintances, not friends.

Re:Sugar Daddies as a Service

[ccguy]

What got me from the article..was it said most people ONLY had 2-3 close personal friends?

Nothing wrong with that. It's a matter of the definition of close. I don't understand the concept of "non-personal friend" though. I probably have 3 close friends, and by close I mean I'm going to do whatever it takes to help them out and I know they're going to do the same for me. Then there's a few other people that are welcome to stay home if they need a place for any reason, and I would give them keys. But they are level below the former.

Re:Sugar Daddies as a Service

[cayenne8]

Nothing wrong with that. It's a matter of the definition of close. I don't understand the concept of "non-personal friend" though. I probably have 3 close friends, and by close I mean I'm going to do whatever it takes to help them out and I know they're going to do the same for me. Then there's a few other people that are welcome to stay home if they need a place for any reason, and I would give them keys. But they are level below the former.

Right now I can readily think of 9-10 people I put in the category of very close, personal friends that I would do whatever it takes to help them....

These are friends that I consider siblings really....

facebook - the creepy company

[Anonymous Coward]

enough said.

To build relationships and form healthy habits...

[CrankyOldEngineer]

stay the hell away from social media. Just a thought.

You should know all these advertisers!

[Anonymous Coward]

They know so much about you they consider you their friend. Don't take away their freedom of making you be there friend!

Re:To build relationships and form healthy habits.

[Rick Schumann]

Hear, hear.

Re:To build relationships and form healthy habits.

[ausekilis]

I wish more people thought and felt this way. Text is one of the most impersonal ways to communicate with anyone. You lose all intonation, inflection, and other non-verbal cues.

With Facebook remembering every damned thing about us and reminding us of stuff, we've gone from actively remembering someones birthday and calling/gifting them with something to a "happy birthday!" damn-near autogenerated message on FB. For being a "social" media platform, I can't imagine a more anti-social way to acknowledge someone.

No thanks

[epyT-R]

I'll decide who I 'should' know.

Re: No thanks

[epyT-R]

It isn't a question of 'unmeeting' someone. I could meet him and decide not to know him. The former is nearly instantaneous. The latter, which TFA was talking about, takes time.

I do not need zuckerberg to tell me who I 'should' like, emulate, or otherwise view as a 'mentor.'

Re: No thanks

[geekmux]

...I do not need zuckerberg to tell me who I 'should' like, emulate, or otherwise view as a 'mentor.'

Exactly right.

Besides, I'm fairly certain this will become some kind of game where we find those who have paid Facebook the most or have otherwise won the popularity vote become the "should know" group. Greed will likely find a way to fuck this gimmick up too.

I know....

[50000BTU_barbecue]

I should know people willing to give me a million dollars US. Get working on that!

Not easily reduced to algorithm

[TWX]

I don't think defining who should be friends is something easily boiled-down to an algorithm.

Case in point, my local fandom scene has at least two major groups of people whose principal hobbies are in-common. These two groups have large numbers of members that despise people in the other group. Certainly there are crossovers who participate in both groups, but even with significant common-interest, similar outlook on life, and similar age and common peers these people absolutely are not each others' friends.

I've seen similar situations in auto enthusiast groups, in social dance scenes, in clubbing scenes, in firearms enthusiast scenes, etc. It's tough to say what will make people get along and what will divide them, and in many cases the people themselves probably can't really say.

Re:Not easily reduced to algorithm

[H3lldr0p]

Because it's not really about connecting people who should be friends. Don't let Zuck fool you.

This is about advertisement. Back a couple years ago, FB threw up its collective hands and told us we had to put people into categories since they couldn't get people to click on a nag-button. This is the next step in that. You've already been analyzed and habits tracked. Now you're going to be put into discrete groups so that the advertisers can target better.

See? This isn't about connecting people or bettering communications. This is about how FB makes money and returning all those billions that's been invested in it.

You and now the various groups you belong to are the product. Funny how the wheel has already turned from micro-targeting individuals to targeting broader groups. It's almost as if broadcasting was the best way to get potential customers' attention in the first place. Who knew we could and would ignore the individuation of advertisement?

Oh, wait. Everyone.

Re:Not easily reduced to algorithm

[epyT-R]

The article makes it sound like the social media equivalent of those public service announcements where famous actors sermonize about drug use.

This sounds like software that will look at your life algorithmically, 'decide' you're at risk for some activity deemed 'negative' by mainstream social conventions or lobby groups, and 'suggest' you friend those who promote activities antithetical to your 'problematic' behavior. I doubt this will have much impact as people who don't mindlessly follow the herd detest being lectured by the mindless. It'll just be one more annoying infestation.

I'm also sure this will align with zuckerberg's own political agenda. To use your examples, firearms club members would get suggestions to friend gun control lobby groups. Club sceners will get suggestions to friend anti-drug and anti-'rape' groups, etc.

Re:Not easily reduced to algorithm

[Actually, I do RTFA]

I've seen similar situations in...

It's common in most groups. As groups become more specialized, seemingly irrelevent details to those outside the community separate people into groups approaching holy war levels of disagreement. I mean, look at the freaking wars over text editors by a small group of people who objectively have more in common (by OS) than most of the population. I have no desire to repeat all the Linux arguments, but they continue to this day.

Re:Not easily reduced to algorithm

[Anonymous Coward]

This sounds like software that will look at your life algorithmically, 'decide' you're at risk for some activity deemed 'negative' by mainstream social conventions or lobby groups, and 'suggest' you friend those who promote activities antithetical to your 'problematic' behavior.

Like the absolutely continuous stream of pro-Hillary advertisements and stories that Facebook pushed at me for a year and a half leading into last November. I have three acquaintances and two family who thought she didn't deserve prison time from her public actions as secretary of state and older activities, but friends of friends of friends of those 5 completely flooded my news feed. So many "top stories" where the heading excuses presented to me read in the form of "[name I'd never heard of], a friend of [someone on my friends list], reacted to this comment."

study: the more you use FB, the worse you feel.

[Anonymous Coward]

A New, More Rigorous Study Confirms: The More You Use Facebook, the Worse You Feel

(Warning: if you visit the page without disabling javascript, it'll pop up some stupid shit instead of the article. At least it did for me, but disabling JS fixes it).

Re:To build relationships and form healthy habits.

[HornWumpus]

Text isn't terrible, it gives you time to think about what you write. Appropriate for some communications, sucks for others.

Running it all through a common pattern recognition system is insane, Doesn't matter if it's run by the KGB/NSA/MI5/Google/Facebook/Bavarian Illuminati/Jesuits/Scientologists (pick your paranoia) or all together.

Re:Go away, Zuckerberg

[Anonymous Coward]

A good first step is refusing to sign up, or if you already have signed up, refuse to communicate with anyone on that service.

The only way to fix this in the long run is social change, and that requires that people vote with their feet. The big risk however is that people will instead vote for something that isn't Facebook but is just as bad if not worse.

No thank you....

[__aaclcg7560]

I got LinkedIn for that. Those 800+ connections are less likely to spam me with baby pics.

Re: No thank you....

[__aaclcg7560]

Better yet! If they existed they might bug me.

I get 20+ emails and phone calls per day even though I'm not doing an active job search. An active job search would triple that volume.

Re:No thank you....

[__aaclcg7560]

All those contacts... and still only making 50k in the valley.

I'm at the top of my salary range for virtual ditch diggers. That may have changed with the hipsters unwilling to drive no further than 30 minutes from San Francisco. I've seen pay rates for $30 to $45 per hour to work down south (San Jose/Sunnyvale/Santa Clara).

Re:No thank you....

[__aaclcg7560]

The point being made is that with all those contacts you still have a shittier job than college interns on this site.

Which isn't a fair comparison. I never went to high school. I never got a four-year degree. The internship I did get at Fortune 500 company paid $10 per hour in 1997 when most internships went unpaid. I don't believe that Slashdot's demographics is limited to asshats with four-year degrees, overpaid internships and $200K per year salary for high-end IT jobs. I work the low-end of IT and my voice is just as important. Don't like it go read Reddit.

See the pattern?

You can't stop replying to my comments. Look for in the mirror to find your answers. The problem isn't me. The problem is YOU. On the bright side, I work for the government and I'm here to help you. :p

Re:No thank you....

[__aaclcg7560]

Every fucking day.

That's because I read every day. Get used to it. Or better yet, stop replying to my comments.

You are the shitty loser spammer no one wants on here, who is abusing the open system we have put in place.

Is that you, Commander Taco?

Re:No thank you....

[__aaclcg7560]

In the corporate world your voice is definitely not just as important - in fact it is neither counted, nor listened too, nor considered.

Actually, it is. As a team lead or project leader, my voice gets heard.

Re:No thank you....

[__aaclcg7560]

We can't make you leave, but we are certainly going to keep shitting all over you.

Then I will continue to piss on you, day in and day out. Or you can stop replying to my comments.

Re:No thank you....

[__aaclcg7560]

Which is not the level of other slashdot readers.

I would love to see the demographic data for Slashdot and crosscheck it with the data I've collected on my websites.

Re:No thank you....

[__aaclcg7560]

Go tell your boss how many hours you spend spamming here daily while he is paying you and see if your thoughts and opinions are correct.

I could but he wouldn't do anything about it. As a contractor, he can tell me what needs to be done but he can't tell me how to do it. Otherwise, under IRS rules, I would have to be paid like an employee. As long as I get my numbers (I'm the top three in the department), he doesn't care what I do between tasks.

Re:No thank you....

[__aaclcg7560]

I bet you got the highest percentage of any slashdot reader in the history of this site.

No. I'm consistently up voted more than I'm down voted by the mods. You can check out my stats below.

Pages Processed: 604, Comments (Accepted/Total): 9037/9059
Oldest Date: 2008-08-04, Newest Date: 2017-05-22
Scores (8893) | -1: 74, 0: 366, 1: 6750, 2: 981, 3: 390, 4: 323, 5: 157
Bonuses (1227) | Flamebait: 31, Funny: 295, Informative: 197, Insightful: 325, Interesting: 261, Offtopic: 44, Redundant: 11, Troll: 63
Total Time: 00:14:17.00

BTW, For the asshat who gave me crap about the performance of my Python script, I'm using threads and queues to shave 11 minutes off the running time.

It's apparently 12 people that have singled you out who are doing this and everyone else loves you.

A half-dozen.

Re:No thank you....

[dorkyElitist]

You have a very high opinion of a site that makes stackoverflow look like the Oracle of Delphi. I have read on this site for a few years, and it was only technically enlightening when I couldn't even write a FOR loop. And it's not even a signal versus noise thing, there just isn't any in-depth discussion besides opinionated junk. Granted, this is more cogent discussion than 4chan, but reddit is probably a close comparison. At least have the balls to log in if you are going to make fun of someone's weight. You would think some random dork would be attuned to that sort of empathy, but maybe you have had sand kicked in your face one too many times.

It ain't gonna work...

[QuietLagoon]

Facebook engineers are too enamored with the algorithm, and not the results of the algorithm. Case in point, nearly every time I go on to facebook, I have to tell it that I want the items on my newsfeed "most recent first" and not sorted by what facebook thinks I should see first. So if facebook engineers can't get something as simple as "chronological order" correct, what hope is there for them to get this new zuck-wet-dream correct?

Re:It ain't gonna work...

[Anonymous Coward]

Thats because Facebook wants to control the trends and keep you on Facebook. If Facebook showed you things that were current it would make you more aware of whats happening currently. Facebook could care less if your aware of current events. Facebook wants to increase your time on the page with your particular bubble of interests.

Re:It ain't gonna work...

[QuietLagoon]

...You fix the sorting "nearly every time". In a few months, you'll fix it "most of the time."...

It's been a few months already. Over a year, that I distinctly remember, probably longer. I see no hint that the behavior is changing over time. This is a simple two-choice option, and facebook can't get it right.

Re:It ain't gonna work...

[ayesnymous]

I put everything in a custom list, and that list is sorted automatically most recent at the top, and they don't exclude anything. The newsfeed is for clueless people.

Re:Go away, Zuckerberg

[HornWumpus]

I don't want them to be irrelevant, they are a single destination for all of 'them', makes it easier to ignore the lot. Not unlike AOL of old.

If it wasn't for Facebook/twitter etc the signal to noise ratio on the rest of the net would be even worse. Facebook provides a service to all of us, whether we think their traffic is signal or noise, having it collected in a few places is a good thing. It's not like the vapid idiots looking for an audience ruined Facebook...that's all there ever was.

No.

[sqorbit]

I don't like half the people I know already. I'm pretty sure there's no one else I "should" know.

Re:No.

[Quirkz]

The pickier you are, the more help you need being introduced to the right people. Robot friendship matchmaking might just be right for you.

they already have this...

[bobmajdakjr]

i hit ignore on all the people in the sidebar all the time...

...ways to strengthen Facebook's "community."

[Anonymous Coward]

"ways to strengthen Facebook's community"

-Shadow ban everyone who signs up from a nigerian IP address
-Shadow ban everyone who uses known copypasta 'love letters' or what have you
-Ability to auto-hide posts containing letter u used as a word
-Flag people who use it with a 'moron' badge displayed prominently on their profile.
-Other badges can be handed out for people who post insane alt-right stories, what they ate for every meal, feminazi crap, people who use portrait mode for videos, like-farmers, and those crazy free-energy guys.
-Display a clock on you profile that shows the total time you've spent on facebook, counting up.
-Display an estimate total time of your remaining life expectancy below it, counting down.

Screw people I "should" know

[Vermonter]

I don't even want to connect with most of the people I already *do* know... why one Earth would I want to add another person to my social network that I obviously don't care enough about to have already gotten to know?

Recommending like minded people

[HockeyPuck]

How is this different than matchup ads with viewer preferences? Now instead of some random ad or product, I'm being matched up with some person. This can't end well when a bunch of gold digging 20-somethings get matched up with married men.

Or we all get matched up with people that think like us and the diversity of opinion goes down even more. We already have seen this on FB with regards to posts or news articles.

Re:How many here would pay to defecate on Zuck?

[amiga3D]

I wouldn't piss on him if he was on fire.

Please God no

[paiute]

Someone keep this idea-stealing punk from connecting people to me.

Facebook's People you know is f#$ked up anyways...

[SirTreveyan]

I currently use Facebook to stay in contact with a few friends I PERSONALLY know. I am not into collecting "friends" from around the world whom I have never met, nor have any intention of ever meeting. I want to know why is Zuckerberg doing this? The current "People You Might Know" is fucked up. I understand why friends of my friends show up or people who live within a few miles of me being on my list, but why do I get people that have no link what so ever to me show up on my list. I do not understand why people who live on the other side of the planet, whose name is in a language I can not identify, let alone understand shows up in this list! I do not care if they are 5 or 6 levels of "friends" out, I don't want them on my page! When I click to remove them, they show up again when the damn page refreshes. If I take the time to remove them, how about eliminating them permanently???? So fuck who I "SHOULD" know, lets get people who I "MIGHT" personally know working right first!!!!

Sound off if your on Facebook

[wjcofkc]

Note: I am not sounding off.

Re:Sound off if your on Facebook

[neo-mkrey]

Also no sounds coming from me.

Re:Facebook's People you know is f#$ked up anyways

[Anonymous Coward]

I currently use Facebook to stay in contact with a few friends I PERSONALLY know. I am not into collecting "friends" from around the world whom I have never met,

So why not just email or instant message them? Why do you feel the need to put a for-profit ad company between you and your friends?

Re:Go away, Zuckerberg

[DontBeAMoran]

I vote for Geocities!

At least it was semi-technical groups of people with a shared hobby.

Re: To build relationships and form healthy habits

[GiedriusTrump]

ðY

Re:To build relationships and form healthy habits.

[Gr8Apes]

With Facebook remembering every damned thing about us and reminding us of stuff

There's likely a reason we're not "linked" to someone we should know, and why we don't remember certain things Disclaimer: I have no idea what all FB does these days, I've never participated on FB for anything other than work related purposes. I find their interface to suck horribly, and can't imagine why I'd ever want to expose myself to that on any kind of schedule.

Re:To build relationships and form healthy habits.

[HornWumpus]

Having the time to think is not the same as taking it.

Facebook Friend Bubbles

[PineHall]

It looks like to me he is wanting to reinforce those Facebook friend bubbles. For the most part my Facebook friends reinforce what I believe and what I think is right. I do not see the differing opinions. Actually I have a few outlier 'friends' that help give me a broader perspective, but for the most part my 'friends' reinforce what I believe.

I do not think this is good for any country.. I think the thing to do is not to reinforce our bubbles but to break them down some with thoughtful alternative viewpoint posts (news articles). We need to see the other side and break down the caricatures . Conservatives need to hear what those Liberals are thinking, and the Liberals need to hear what the Conservatives are thinking. It may not be popular but I think it would be good for the country and world. This is what would really build community.

Re:Facebook's People you know is f#$ked up anyways

[NeoMorphy]

I have the exact same problem.

It seems like a large portion of suggested friends are from the Middle East, Africa, South America, etc. Some of them are using character sets I have never seen before. Even when they use iso8859-1, it's not in a language I know. Some of them look like advertisement for porn, both gay and straight. It's so bad I am wondering if negative correlations are accidentally being included.

I've complained twice now to customer support, but I'm pretty sure they do not care.

And everyone gets connected to Kevin Bacon.

[toonces33]

I saw that coming..

More Marketing Speak

[AnalogDiehard]

This has nothing to do with "strengthening the Facebook community" and everything to do with bringing more customers to advertisers.

I grew very weary of advertising years ago and I use every tool to remind Facebook to leave me alone. Facebook nags me to complete my profile but there are certain things I refuse to put there. Facebook likes to broadcast products and services that my friends "liked" in my feed. Facebook uses my data to target marketing based on my interest and preferences. When those ads disguised as "suggested posts" appear in my feed, I make it a point to mark every single one as spam. The ads stop for a while then re-appear, but this is the longest I have gone without seeing them.

Re:More Marketing Speak

[JohnFen]

This has nothing to do with "strengthening the Facebook community" and everything to do with bringing more customers to advertisers.

Connecting advertisers to Facebookers is strengthening the Facebook community. What else is Facebook for if not that?

No. Just no.

[JohnFen]

In many ways, relationships are the most important things in our lives

I agree. Which is why it's important, for the sake of our relationships, to avoid Facebook.

if this ends up like linked in

[Anonymous Coward]

I'll deactivate my account just like i did my LI account. that's some seriously creepy shit.

The Arrogance of Big IT

[Anonymous Coward]

And here I thought it was annoying when Microsoft Word keeps thinking it *knows* what word I'm trying to type or how I want things formatted.

Automation that is intrusive and less than 99.9% correct is far more annoying and disruptive to my work than not having artificial intelligence constantly diving in my way thinking it is helping.

Re:The Arrogance of Big IT

[JustAnotherOldGuy]

And here I thought it was annoying when Microsoft Word keeps thinking it *knows* what word I'm trying to type or how I want things formatted.

I have often said that the greatest impediment to creating documents in Microsoft Word is Microsoft Word.

Fuck Mark Zuckerberg

[JustAnotherOldGuy]

"Mark Zuckerberg Is Working On a Way To Connect You To People You 'Should' Know"

Fuck you, Mark. Stop trying to fiddlefuck your way into my good graces by telling me who I "should" know. Just go take your billions and fuck off to Fuckoffville.

I don't have a Facebook account and at this rate I'll beat anyone to death with a baseball bat who says I "gotta have one".

In closing, blow me, get off my lawn, and turn down that shitty music!

Let me guess

[OYAHHH]

A stock broker I should know. A life insurance salesman I should know. A long lost relative who is willing to leave me $4,000,000 I should know.

Spare me Zuckerburg. i'll decide who I want to know, not your marketing machine.

So is this really a different way

[Plumpaquatsch]

So is this really a different way from Facebook repeatedly telling me I should follow the Great Leader himself?

Re:To build relationships and form healthy habits.

[Miser]

Seconded. The only winning move is not to play. I suppose, SUPPOSE that it is a good way to keep in touch with folks you don't talk to often, however if you really need to get in touch with me, I am for the most part able to be found if you know my real name. Email me. Call me. How novel!

I enjoy the reactions I get from people when they ask "Are you on Facebook?"

"No."

[blank stare like I just spoke to them in a language they don't understand]

Re:Go away, Zuckerberg

[HornWumpus]

Why would you want Facebookers on the general net? Leave them in their ghetto.

The problem is the facebook users. They will turn anyplace they congregate into facebook. They are fine where they are.

You can't tell me the demise of AOL has made the net better...you can still recognize AOLers by their complete cluelessness. Walled garden people belong in walled gardens. The only thing missing is a _lock_ to hold them in the garden.

Re:To build relationships and form healthy habits.

[HornWumpus]

Grammar is for clarity _only_. Ungrammatical, but clear is perfectly fine.

As I said to sib, having time to think doesn't force you to think. For example you had time to think about your post...