Karl Strieby

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Thanks for your visit. Feel free to poke around and see what's here. If you want to reach me, you can use this email:

What is there to see here?

I'll be updating this site regularly again now that I have more or less abandoned Facebook.

Why don't I like Facebook any more?

(2020/07/03) Well, the good news is that other folks don't like Facebook nowadays. A growing list of major FB sponsors have withdrawn their support. This is only a minor financial distraction for FB, so will likely not have a huge impact on the way FB operates.

So far, it seems to have made FB rethink things a bit, though it remains a cesspool of misinformation. To be fair, so is much else that masquerades as “news” on the Internet...

(2020/05/27) Here is a Wall Steet Journal article I found interesting. Understanding of my comments below needs you to read this...(Sorry, that article is behind a paywall, but many other respected press writers express similar views.)

The linked article's comparison to the tobacco industry is not far off kilter. To top all that, here is what Mr. Zuckerberg pronounced to a Fox news host barely a day after that WSJ story:

“We have a different policy than Twitter on this. I believe strongly that Facebook shouldn't be the arbiter of truth of everything that people say online. I think in general private companies shouldn't be, especially these platform companies, shouldn't be in the position of doing that.” Fine weasel words.

I think it's quite simple. If you have a so-called platform, do you not have a stronger obligation to the truth than any private citizen or company?

• If you refuse to be an arbiter of truth, well shoot, doesn't that make you a liar?
• For sure, it's one of those legendary slippery slopes.

OK, refusing to tell the truth may not automatically make Mr. Zuckerberg a liar. However, you can't dodge the fact that he is aiding and abetting dishonesty. In other words, he's more like an accomplice to falsehood. What do you call an accomplice who profits by it? (Besides a “greedy a**hole” that is...)

Social media sites suck in users by the millions. They encourage you to share your feelings, facts be damned. Social media is full of conspiracy theorizing, science-hating, “dog-whistle” racism, and all the other Us vs. Them kind of divisiveness that threatens our democratic institutions, and ultimately, all of us. God Save the Queen!

Well, at least it's “free” — (as if it really has no hidden cost at all)

• Yes, they don't charge you anything for storing all the personal data you give them, and sharing it with all your Friends™.
• But, they just won't tell anyone how much they make selling your data to third parties.
• OK, I'll cut them some slack for saying you can restrict who can see your stuff on line.
• I just don't trust them any more.

Free as in beer. Or lunch. Heinlein said it best: TANSTAFL.