Clever title, right? Take that Mark Zuckerberg you evil twerp. Based on that last sentence and my title I’m pretty sure that the Facebook algorithm will find a way to bury this post waaaay down people’s timelines.
We’re all doing it. Sometimes we do it in the privacy of our own home. Sometimes we do it in our cars, sometimes we even do it at work. It takes only a few minutes if you’re good at it. We “Facebook”.
‘Facebook’ has become a verb. The grandfather, or maybe I should say Godfather of social media is ubiquitous. (I like using the word ubiquitous because it sounds smart. Not when I say it of course. I sound like an idiot, but if you use it in something you write it’s one of those smart words that make your point seem a little better. Obviously, there aren’t enough smart words to help this blog out). As smart people say, I digress. (look at me go with them there smart word thingies) My point is that Facebook is almost universal. What started out 13 years ago this month as a geeky college student’s way to meet chicks (and I say chicks with the utmost respect for all chicks) has become almost a worldwide registry of humanity. Those of us that are on it think it’s weird when we find people who are not.
Typical conversation:
Me: Hey, can I find you on Facebook?
Other Person: No. I’m not on Facebook.
Me: Uh, what’s wrong with you? How do you talk to people?
Why am I talking about FB today? Two reasons: 1) Last night when I sat down in my recliner with a glass of wine to start writing today’s Phil Factor, I put in a Google search for “trending topics”. On one particular sites trending topics page was 9 articles about Facebook. If Facebook is the top trending topic how can I ignore it? Apparently Facebook admitted that it’s human editors suppressed articles expressing conservative views in it’s trending news feed. So of course Facebook decided to replace human editors with an algorithm to determine what news we will see on FB. Yes, people replaced by machines, again. Thank God for that. Way too many people are super annoying. I know this because I’m friends with them on Facebook.
Some statistic somewhere says that 98.5% of people get their news from Facebook. Is it good that Facebook has a computer program deciding what news we see? Because Facebook is so universally used, their algorithm has the potential to sway public opinion. Who cares?!!? We know where to get our real, biased news if we want to. We know the liberal news shows and websites and we know the conservative news shows and websites. Get over yourselves everybody. News has been biased since the first cave painting depicting Grog taking out a woolly mammoth with a coconut. (Shocker, the mammoth actually tripped, fell and broke it’s neck. Grog is a liar. Fake news! Sad!)
After reading my last point, I guess Mark Zuckerberg isn’t really an evil twerp. He might be for other reasons, but not because his website controls the news you see. Perspective is like a telescope; you only see what you point it at. Look at a different website, like #ThePhilFactor, if you want a different view. Two paragraphs ago I said I had two reasons to talk about Facebook today. I can’t remember what the other is now. Maybe I’d better go check Facebook to see what I should be talking about.
If you all want to be ironic and vex Facebook’s algorithm you can share this to FB by hitting the share button below. Have a great Saturday! ~Phil
‘Perspective is like a telescope, you only see what you point it at’ – Never was a true word spoken/ written 🙂
Thank you!
Talk about fake news! Can an algorithm tell the difference. Plus, You are not fooling anyone smart guy!
Ironically my blog verges on being fake news sometimes.
Great post Phil! ‘Evil Twerp’ indeed…them there’s fightin’ words. 😉
I’d be happy to take him on here n a fight. With all proceeds going to charity of course
Cheah! hahaha 😉
I am probably one of a very few group of people, if any, that is not on Facebook. Never have been, ever. And I think I have survived well! 😛 Ducking…..
You’re not on Facebook, but appears that bogging is your social media drug of choice! 😜
Fake news, real news who gives a damn
I hear all the cool kids are on Instagram.
I did not read the entire post – had to stop and go – but I will be back – but just FYI – not everyone is doing fb – billions – yeah – but some of us have never found the groove – many of us
Well, if you are in touch with the billions that are not using Facebook, could you send them over to my blog today?
I did not say that billions are “not” – I said billions “are”
but some of us get on there (like me) and fee lost in the headlights and so we leave and go back to social media we know (as you noted to the comment above about their drug of choice) and I know dozens of folks not on –
and then recently encountered more who deactivated….
but this is a good post (read more 😉 )
and have to say that we had two friends pass away in the last six months and their facebook pages were GIFTS!
~~~
and a side note – I get a little put off when I visit some sites online and they will not let you proceed without logging in to fb.
I leave and just go somewhere else….
Like you, twice when I had distant friends pass away, Facebook was wonderful for sharing grief, memories and condolences with others. In fact, a couple years ago I wrote a post about it called The Facebook Funeral. I’d share the link here with you but I’m on my phone right now.
well thanks, Phil. and please share it later when you can… would love to read it.
And thanks for coming back!
🙂
Here is my Facebook Funeral post from a few years ago: https://thephilfactor.com/tag/the-facebook-funeral/
Although I occasionally mock Facebook, it does have it’s advantages as well. Have a great Sunday!
thanks for remembering to come back and link this, Phil! I have been so curious – be in touch later…..
Thank you!
Allow me to supplement the argument and say how FB brings out our narcissist and hypocrite tendencies!
Let me supplement your point by adding that blogging is also inherently a narcissistic endeavor. Aren’t we also writing because we love to be read? Us bloggers are also saying “Look at me!” every time we post.
Look at it that way, and we are apt to conclude that authors beat us bloggers to it!
Nothing wrong with that either!
Facebook is a verb. Atleast it is being used like that. And it’s such a waste of time too.
We need to get our news from alternative sources, not the mainstream media or social media. Thanks for the info on facebook. I alwasy suspected this, but I never investigated it. 🙂
According to my youngsters, all the cool kids avoid Facebook now. They somehow don’t take my FB’ing as proof that not all the awesome people have left… go figure… 😛
About a year ago I wrote a post about how only the “old” people are still on FB
Yeah, but I’m “only” 51, so that blows your theory out of the water… 😉
LOL! I’m only 51 too
See? So the cool “kids” are still Facebooking. 😀
I love this post Phil!
Well thank you!
I have been less and less on FB in the last 6 or so months and while I still like to go, I don’t like to post so much and I certainly don’t get most of my news there.
I agree. I’d much rather socialize with my blogging peeps
Me too. 😀
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Thank God (oops thank Google News) that I don’t get my news from FB. Else all my knowledge would be who went to a vacation and who winked at who. What a relevant, reasonable and rocking post 🙂
LOL, thank you. Unfortunately in the States too many people choose to try to spread their political views through FB
I feel like I am an addict and FB is my pimp. It has control over what I see, who I see and what I say. Plus it takes my money when I boost a post and gives me a very little fix of my drug of choice (likes) in return. Just enough to make me come back for more time and again.
That’s a very good analogy!