With Facebook, the dots are really easy to join, so why haven’t more done so?
Bob Hoffman always has great stuff from the advertising world, especially on Facebook. My criticisms have come from the userâs perspective and the very obvious BS Facebook peddles, while Bob reads the US press and combines it with a professional’s knowledge.
In his latest newsletter, itâs a familiar tale: Facebook realized misinformation had greater engagement, something weâve known for years, but it seems this hasnât sunk in yet, so it has to keep doing tests. (Doing tests is a great way to delay action, as they can cry, âWe need more data.â) Bobâs words (emphasis removed, since I donât believe in italicizing a quote thatâs already in quotation marks):
Facebook ran an experiment in which they changed their algorithm to demote the “bad for the world” posts. According to the [New York] Times, “In early tests, the new algorithm successfully reduced the visibility of objectionable content. But it also lowered the number of times users opened Facebook…” Did Facebook implement this good-for-the-world change in its algorithm? Don’t make me laugh.
Meanwhile, Facebook was caught overcharging. Pretty sure weâve been here, too, when it overstated the number of people it could reach and allegedly inflating its metrics. Bob sums it up just as I have done on so many occasions but with more colour.
As I’ve said forever, anyone who believes anything that comes out of the mouths of these creeps is a fool. The astounding thing is that the pathetic marketing and ad industry “leadership” â and clueless advertisers â continue to put up with this horseshit.
These jokers have been treating users with contempt for 16 years, so why are all these âprofessionalsâ still siding with them in light of all this evidence? I used this site a lot, too, as youâll see from my old posts, but pretty early on I called Zuckerberg âarrogantâ and began noticing just how terribly the technology worked. Then I began noticing that every press statement it made was empty, especially when it would say one thing, then do the exact opposite. Iâm sure this was at the start of the 2010s. I know a handful of people who get it, but we remain in the minority. Arenât the dots really easy to join here?
I’ve a feeling we’ll remember all those who continue to advocate for Facebook as late as 2020âand how lacking in insight they must be.