Hello.

I got rid of the app, instagram and messenger. I only use facebook on the web now.

Facebook NEWS -- (only visible to app users) holy crap. It's AI has my trigger buttons all figured out -- every single article ENRAGED me! And it's all inconsequential stupid news. Like a sophisticated, personalized tabloid.

Slowly backing away from it. I think it and Twitter have made people mean and brittle and basically constantly triggered.

People on these forums are smart enough to know we are being shilled or sockpuppeted, but a lot of people on FB are NOT and don't know they're being had or manipulated.

I have people around here who literally think a revolution with bloodshed is right around the corner -- STILL. It never stops -- and as long as they stay glued to their phone and don't leave the house or only hang around with their circle = usually in a bar -- they stay wound up.

That 9-day Amtrak trip with no reliable wifi really helped disconnect me.

Getting ready to reserve another long trip for the spring. I think this time I'm going to to Chicago -- L.A. Leaves out in the afternoon on Day 1 -- lunch and dinner -- then all day day two with breakfast lunch and dinner, then arrives L.A. in the morning after breakfast.

You get off the train fed and showered with clean clothes -- downtown. I like it.

Congratulations on weaning away from FB. I keep it for professional contact reasons, but wonder if I could do as well without the app.

Train sounds nice too.

The trick with Facebook is to curate it. If you're set up to receive a bunch of political stuff it is going to take a while but it can be done. I no longer receive any political posts and I want it to stay that way.

The first thing to do is to flag every political post of any sort as something you don't want to see. The same goes for people and sites who post such things. Never respond to any such posts - it's a waste of time and FB will think you want more of them. Keep cleaning things up and you won't see that kind of posting any more.

The second thing to do is search Facebook for the sort of thing you WOULD like to see - maybe trucks, pianos, train trips, mid century lamps. Linger a bit when you see something you like - they time these things. Click on articles you like and leave them up for a while.

Third, spend a few minutes Googling things that interest you, and look through Amazon for things you like or want to know more about. This step changes Facebook very quickly - it's mostly driven by advertising. The sky is the limit here - luxury yachts, expensive cruises, art pottery - you name it. You'll get all sorts of cool stuff that seems as though it's tailored just for you.

And so it is.

Steve, thats pretty much what I've done and it works. i don't get whacko political posts from either side, and I'm pretty careful what I click on.

I think I have mostly avoided falling into the FB black hole. I use it mostly to post/save photos, to see what my friends are up to, and to enjoy pretty pictures of nature. Promoted stuff just gets ignored.

I do have some friends who post political stuff, but it's usually articles from major mainstream outlets and it's worth reading and discussing.

Sounds like smoking, drinking, or other drugs. The best way to stop is not to start.

I am not on FB much these days..The pandemic did it for me..

Thanks to Bernard, I have have had an ad filter on my feed for some years and FB has yet to find it. Works great, I just sent the guy a donation.
Facebook Purity

It even flags your friends list and sends a notification so you can see who has dropped off . Love that...

facebook Purity! Sounds interesting.

Thanks for all the inputs. I noticed it had gotten control of me when the news feed uncannily kept sending me stuff that enraged me. Like "HOW. DARE. THEY!"

And I was like. No wonder this country is in the toilet?

When you use the web version, you can't tag people, and if you use talk to text then go to the keyboard, the whole post disappears. So it's easier not to use it.

Besides, I got a kickass gaming laptop with two cooling fans, stereo mics, a high-res satin-finish screen, Harmon Kardon or something speakers, and a big ROKU TV instead of a monitor (built in speakers and i can watch TV or listen to stuff while on the computer.

The best part of the laptop is no spinning hard drive. Windows 11 boots up to the login in about 3 seconds and once I log in, it's basically instantaneous.

My old laptop wasn't designed for Windows 10 and I had to budget 3 to 15 minutes from power on to "able to open a browser."

Thanks for all the input though and yes I do linger on stuff I'd like to see more. And it works. It was the app news feed that drove me nuts.

I use AdBlock + on the phone and the desktop and it does a pretty good job of filtering out ads.

Facebook exec says it’s not his fault… people WANT misinformation. Facebook doesn’t misinform people… people misinform people.

https://www.vanityfair.com/new...covid-misinformation

quote:

Originally posted by pianojuggler:
Facebook exec says it’s not his fault… people WANT misinformation. Facebook doesn’t misinform people… people misinform people.

https://www.vanityfair.com/new...covid-misinformation

Ugh That's like teh roman catholic priest who, when defending a pro-life stance, said "pedophilia doesn't kill anyone."

It's still non-consensual. And audacious to say it's what they REALLY want. I posit that if people go looking for news that infuriates them, they are probably trying to mood alter -- like rage-a-holics. Why feed a person with rage issues more rage-inducing stimulii?

Revenues I imagine...


https://www.cbsnews.com/news/c...e-but-abortion-does/

quote:

Revenues I imagine...

Duh.