Many people prefer Facebook, because it’s genuinely a better way of staying in touch than many other methods.
Better how?
I wouldn’t be exposed to anywhere _near_ as many different perspectives and fascinating articles without social media; the simple numbers of how many people it’s possible to follow with active vs. passive effort, means that this kind of a diversity of views would literally be totally out of reach for me without social media.
That is not a function of Facebook vs. not-Facebook. I encounter many different perspectives and read many fascinating articles, without social media; many, many more than the overwhelming majority of people who do use Facebook. (Frankly, the idea that this would be impossible without Facebook is somewhat absurd. This sort of meme—”without Facebook I couldn’t do thing X!”—is excellent for Facebook, since it makes you think you need it; but it’s just not true.)
Even if true for you, this “diversity of views” business you’re talking about is extremely atypical, in terms of how people use Facebook and what they get out of it. (Or perhaps it is, in fact, illusory? How sure are you that you’re really getting a diversity of views?)
You could wield a similar criticism against any communication technology that people like.
Wrong. A phone vs. a letter is a huge practical difference: instantaneous communication vs. really-not-instantaneous-at-all communication. Facebook, on the other hand, is the same capabilities that can be had without it (but actually worse in almost every way); so value is only destroyed, and not created.
Better how?
That is not a function of Facebook vs. not-Facebook. I encounter many different perspectives and read many fascinating articles, without social media; many, many more than the overwhelming majority of people who do use Facebook. (Frankly, the idea that this would be impossible without Facebook is somewhat absurd. This sort of meme—”without Facebook I couldn’t do thing X!”—is excellent for Facebook, since it makes you think you need it; but it’s just not true.)
Even if true for you, this “diversity of views” business you’re talking about is extremely atypical, in terms of how people use Facebook and what they get out of it. (Or perhaps it is, in fact, illusory? How sure are you that you’re really getting a diversity of views?)
Wrong. A phone vs. a letter is a huge practical difference: instantaneous communication vs. really-not-instantaneous-at-all communication. Facebook, on the other hand, is the same capabilities that can be had without it (but actually worse in almost every way); so value is only destroyed, and not created.