Why it may finally be time to delete Facebook
WHO even uses Facebook anymore?
The social network is the pits – its central News Feed clustered with viral videos that no one watches, or at the very least keeps muted.
And every change it makes only serves to exacerbate the problem.
The solution is simple: delete Facebook from your phone.
And wipe every trace of yourself from the platform.
Take up a new hobby, try yoga, or join the cool kids on Snapchat – anything is better than the big, blue social network.
Not convinced? A deep dive into the platform's myriad problems will do the trick.
RIP Facebook News Feed
Facebook's News Feed turns 12 in September, but it's arguably already on its last legs.
Upon its arrival, it was the first real social feed, and it's become the foundation for every social media platform ever since.
Twitter and Instagram both mimicked it.
What seems run-of-the-mill now was revolutionary for its time.
Which makes its current sorry state even more tragic.
It's all thanks to a slew of unwelcome changes, including the most recent tweak that shows less posts from news publishers and celebs, and more from your mates and family members.
But, that doesn't change the fact that the news feed has long been a hodgepodge of indistinguishable content.
Hey Zuck, where's that dislike button, because this stinks.
Worst of all, everything is being dictated by Facebook's algorithms that supposedly know what you like.
The same bots that can't spot fake news and violent videos.
Right, we feel a lot better now.
Facebook doesn't care about your privacy
Here are just a handful of times Facebook has totally screwed over its users.
Keep in mind this is a platform that boasts 2.2 billion members.
- A feature called Beacon let other websites people visited publish posts to their News Feed, unless they opted out. Numerous complaints and a class-action lawsuit later, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg apologised and Beacon was shut down.
- Facebook's ranking of its News Feed based on friends' posts that got the most interactions saw viral fake news jump to the top of timelines – because sensationalism elicits reactions. It's a problem Facebook has been dealing with ever since.
- In 2009 to 2010, Facebook launched an app platform that ended up being dominated by games, which sent out constant spam invites. Facebook put a stop to it by shutting down the channels that helped these god-awful titles thrive.
- Facebook's ad system allowed marketers to buy ads that excluded specific ethnicities, such as "African-Americans" and "Latinos". It was pulled after outrage from activists and users.
- Facebook's latest scandal (which saw a company called Cambridge Analytica harvest the data of 50 million users) stems from the company's API for developers: tools that can pull public data from profiles. The problem is that Facebook lacks a strong policy that stops developers from selling this data to the highest bidder.
Teens are already ditching Facebook
The kids know where it's at it.
And it ain't on Facebook.
So, if you still don't believe us, take their word for it.
According to the latest data, youngsters are ditching the social network en masse.
Around 700,000 Brits, aged 12-24, are expected to dump Facebook this year, according to research firm eMarketer.
And where are they heading?
Snapchat of course.
The company that prides itself on being the antithesis to Facebook.
The same company that famously turned down Mark Zuckerberg's $3 billion buyout offer in 2013.
Since then, it's gone on to grab 187 million users, who are drawn to its playful features and visual language.
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Snapchat is primarily a camera app that people use to share pics and videos (or a slideshow mix of the two, known as Stories).
Admit it, that sounds more interesting than drab old Facebook.
Zuck and co. have tried to kill off their rival by bundling all its best features into Instagram, but Snapchat lives on.
So, give it a spin – anything's better than Facebook, right?
Are you planning on binning Facebook? Or do you still love the social network? Let us know in the comments.
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