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Comment by tasuki | Hacker News Reader

Facebook helps me stay in touch with people I might not otherwise stay in touch with. It brings value into my life.

Go ahead and spell it out - the destruction of civil society is worth the convenience Facebook offers.

Facebook owns Twitter and Reddit?

> Please respond to the strongest plausible interpretation of what someone says, not a weaker one that's easier to criticize. Assume good faith.

https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

We both know that's not what the GP meant. Snarkily strawmanning someone is low effort and boring.

How is Facebook destroying civil society?

Would you not be able to stay in touch with them without Facebook? I deleted Facebook a number of years ago and still seem to be in touch with family and friends.

Personally I think facebook, instagram, and WhatsApp should be broken apart.

Absolutely. Since the pandemic hit, I've been mostly alone since I don't have Facebook.

I’m completely against Facebook and agree with the sentiment to break up the company, but the fact that you’re in touch with family and friends without Facebook says more about those people...it may not be the same for the GP or many other people where the people in their lives have a lot going on and prefer these platforms for convenience because “everybody is there”.

We can’t achieve change at a rapid pace by dismissing the experience of others.

I mean it’s not like I’m handwriting letters over here (although I do do that from time to time). Between FaceTime, email, signal groups, and regular calls/text messages I’ve kept the close people close in my life. I understand people are sort of lazy and want to be where everyone else is out of convenience, but if that place is actively ruining the world I think we should expend a bit of personal effort to not let that happen.

Family and close friends? Yes, sure - I don't even have many family members on Facebook.

Acquiantances I haven't seen for 5 years because they live in a distant place? No I wouldn't bother. But I like visiting Facebook once a week and check up on what everyone's been up to. The less often I visit the better stuff I get shown.

Facebook is designed to make you think that when it may not be true, you have to be skeptical of your own mind, and skeptical of your own skepticism.

And you have to be skeptical of your own mind :)

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