Dark Optimism on Facebook

by | Nov 4, 2010

Despite my serious misgivings about Facebook and the way it is run, I have decided to bow to popular pressure and trial a Dark Optimism Facebook page.

While my Twitter feed has proved a useful tool, whether or not I retain the Facebook page will depend on its popularity and any feedback received, so let me know what you think.

Also, for newcomers to Dark Optimism, there is now a “best posts” category here on the site, for those who want to catch up with my favourite posts to date.

3 Comments

  1. Shaun Chamberlin

    After some polarised feedback on the Dark Optimism Facebook page over the past few days, both very positive and very negative, I have reached the decision that promoting Facebook and its dubious business model is not in line with Dark Optimism’s aims.

    However, many Facebook users have responded positively to the chance to have a feed for Dark Optimism’s ideas provided through that avenue.

    Accordingly, I have decided for now to retain the Facebook presence, but to use it to highlight the questionable practices of Facebook to those who are using the service. I have also removed all promotion of the page outside of Facebook, so as to avoid drawing more people into the service.

    All things considered, this seemed the best solution, but more feedback is, of course, welcome.

    For more on Facebook and its modus operandi, see:
    https://is.gd/gPVkY
    https://is.gd/gK4OO

    Reply
  2. chay strawbridge

    But you use facebook really quite regularly!

    Perhaps I shall liken Facebook to Capitalism:
    It has lots of alleged problems, but as is demonstrated by its popularity is rather useful to people.

    All of these issues raised in the links you post about facebook are criticisms that can be levelled at the internet and to a lesser extent publishing in general.

    Do ask for clarification of this claim on a technical level if desired.

    Reply
  3. Shaun Chamberlin

    Of course Facebook is useful. But it’s quite possible to have that utility without the dubious practices underlying it, just as it is possible to have an internet browser without all the rubbish that exists in Internet Explorer. Indeed, I believe a significant alternative to Facebook is being developed as we speak, for just these reasons.

    To talk about capitalism involves a deal of careful definition of terms, but certainly our current social setup is destroying the biosphere that keeps us all alive, which is my main objection to that! And indeed, there are a great many people (I would argue the majority of the world’s population) who are not very satisfied with the lives it produces for them. Sadly, there are even more barriers to choosing an alternative there than there are to having your information removed from Facebook!

    Reply

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