Facebook isn't free...

[Swag]

There is a tendency to get into a bubble where you are only seeing things that interest you or that you agree with. That's kind of the way social media works. The things you follow are the things you see. I don't think social media is the vehicle that changing peoples wold view happens in.

I feel in a way like I'm just a little too old to really "get" social media anyway. Facebook seems like the place where you read shit you don't really care about, posted by people you know in real life. Twitter seems like where you read shit you might care about, posted by people you never met. Instagram and Snapchat are where people post pictures of food, unless you are a model and then they somehow make money from it. Am I doing it right?

[rhorle]

The advantage for them is selling that info to marketing firms (and other places) for targeted advertising, and even if you aren't on fb yourself, the algorythms it uses knows who you are regardless, through friends of friends and the profile fb has already assigned to you by your search history.

Data analytics is a serious business and a serious money maker. But Facebook doesn't exactly sell info to third parties in order for them to advertise. They have the third parties define categories and such that they want for their Ad audience. Facebook then uses its data to link those ads up with people who match their categories.

https://www.facebook.com/about/ads/ talks about their process more. Yes I'm sure they still sell some data but they are a lot better then other websites. Facebook actually has an incentive to keep as much control over their data as they can. Because that is the major source of income for their company. The data they can mine and how they can monetize it. Selling just the data has them lose control.

The article and your point would be more valid if they were some random app developer who collects data and sells it to whoever will pay.

[Baelic]

No, fuck right off with this honestly. The only reason I even opened this thread was because I knew someone would type this in here. "If you don't pay for it, you are the product."

It's such incredible bullshit that people say to make themselves sound "deeper" and "smarter" than they really are.

The product is still the product. The only difference between a product that you pay for and a "free" one is that you're not paying with money, you're giving up something else. Wether it be your time to look at ads, pictures (facebook can use your pictures) or just simple information about you and your hobbies for better advertising (of course there are plenty of more examples but I'm not here to write a god damn essay).

Stop spouting this nonsense. It's a stupid phrase that doesn't mean anything. Everytime someone posts it in a similar thread, anywhere else on the internet or uses it when they're AFK, humans as a race become just a little bit dumber.



Screw you as well.

Yep, that cost is telling them everything there is to know about you. Sounds like someone is super uncomfortable with the idea that they're actually the product.

And the best part is... it's only worth $12

[Deleted]

Yep, that cost is telling them everything there is to know about you. Sounds like someone is super uncomfortable with the idea that they're actually the product.

And the best part is... it's only worth $12

Haha, ye "I'm super uncomfortable" with it. No, I get what they're doing I just don't call it something stupid to make myself sound better than I really am.

[Baelic]

Haha, ye "I'm super uncomfortable" with it. No, I get what they're doing I just don't call it something stupid to make myself sound better than I really am.

This isn't about being better than anyone, this is about calling shit out for what it is. They would have no revenue if we didn't provide them the information so willingly.

[rhorle]

This isn't about being better than anyone, this is about calling shit out for what it is. They would have no revenue if we didn't provide them the information so willingly.

It still makes the service they provide free. They do use the information we provide to target their ads better which gets them higher revenue from advertisers. Because an ad shown to the wrong target has little value as an ad. The thing is though you don't have to give Facebook X amount of information in order to use the service for free. So the cost is not information but they will use information you give to increase their revenue.

The amount of information given also isn't that much higher then other places. Banks, Stores, Apps on your phone, google, Apple etc all collect the same or more information. Even using mmo-champion is given out information.

But as you said it is about calling shit out for what it is. And Facebook is free. It isn't paid for with users information either. It is paid for with how Facebook can connect Advertisers wants with their users information. Facebook merely connects the dots of what their users provide with what advertisers want to show users.

[Deleted]

The interwebs collects data about me? Yawn...

I barely use Facebook and I know this since its inception. If people are afraid of the "they know my life!!" boogie-men, then they shouldn't post their entire lifes on the social networks in the first place.

It's still free for me, really don't care about "private data", let the companies throw ads of what I like instead of random crap.

[Rox the sox]

There's a reason why I don't sign up with a real name in social media and a reason why I don't put pics there.

[Docturphil]

OH FUCK! You mean they're going to advertise things to me that I'm more likely to be interested in to me? Shit. That's probably the worst news I've heard in years.

[zenkai]

Interesting report on the Australian current affairs program Four Corners the other night, about the reach and invasiveness of Facebook on the average internet user.

Link

If you're not paying for it, you are the product. I thought this was common knowledge.

[Docturphil]

I'm actually curious, since I largely don't use facebook, or even have ads on it..

People say you 'pay with your info'. Can you explain how, exactly? Advertisers have info about me. Great. Then what?

They'll advertise to you things they think you'll be interested in. OH THE HORROR!

[Baelic]

It still makes the service they provide free. They do use the information we provide to target their ads better which gets them higher revenue from advertisers. Because an ad shown to the wrong target has little value as an ad. The thing is though you don't have to give Facebook X amount of information in order to use the service for free. So the cost is not information but they will use information you give to increase their revenue.

The amount of information given also isn't that much higher then other places. Banks, Stores, Apps on your phone, google, Apple etc all collect the same or more information. Even using mmo-champion is given out information.

But as you said it is about calling shit out for what it is. And Facebook is free. It isn't paid for with users information either. It is paid for with how Facebook can connect Advertisers wants with their users information. Facebook merely connects the dots of what their users provide with what advertisers want to show users.

I think we both agree on principle, but differ on how we perceive it, so us discussing further is moot.