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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.
stay the hell away from social media. Just a thought.
COE
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.
I'll decide who I 'should' know.
I should know people willing to give me a million dollars US. Get working on that!
Mostly random stuff.
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?
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.
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.
> 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.