What will replace Facebook?

[BPO]

Now that the inevitable demise is so obviously beginning, what idiotic piece of teen-girly junk will become flavour-of-the month in its place?

Will it be even worse than Facebook, or is that not actually possible?

And how many lady-years will be wasted on deleting obsolete Facebook links from websites and the like?

I bet 10c that Facebook's successor will have something to do with unicorns and people who are famous for being famous, and will therefore be even bigger than Facebook ever was.

:D :P

[Shark Bait]

FacePlant ?

[Deeno]

"Transmitters and Receivers for Electric Telegraphs"

[silv]

I don't get where your ranting is coming from :D

I very much enjoy the feeling of staying connected with my active FB friends without having to read or write long emails/letters. Those being exclusive while FB offers the opportunity to chat among a group of friends, in the comments to a photo or a status message. It's good fun. And it creates that "still in touch" feeling in spite of being scattered across time zones.

[BPO]

Here's the guts of a conversation I once had...

Them: "Okay, fine. So do you believe there's such a thing as a Facebook and Twitter for straight adult males?"

Me: "Yeah mate. It's called The Pub."

I haven't heard from that person in a while.

:rofl:

[silv]

straight adult males are often the ones with the wittiest, funniest contributions.
at the same time, they seem to benefit from that female socializing effect, too, and develop a group building capability they didn't dare to or didn't know to have before FB.
that's males in their 30s and 40s on my FB.
pub no longer an option and FB being a good surrogate. iLIKE.

befriend me and thou shall see. :D

[bojan]

I think exactly this is the problem with FB - "the feeling of connection" which is totally false.
Nothing can replace physical contact.. even forum is way better than FB. The confidence in "contacts" expressed on FB does not relate to reality at all.

There is also an issue of intentions behind FB - it actually data-collection and advertising tool for who knows who..

I do have an account, but I am not using it for years, I stopped mainly because of above reasons, especially the first one (so, according to another thread on this forum, I have some socio-pathological tendencies..).
However.. De gustibus non est disputandum ;)

[silv]

the new stuff surely will have new effects on people. agreed.
only from our perspective, right now, can we assume negative effects.
I could list a few positive assumptions, too. time will tell.
it'll stay with us and the younger generations. that's for sure.

for privacy reasons, I don't have a fly-buy card.
but I use Google as my search engine and, obviously, FB... :screwy:

also something that will stay with us: the "glass person" where nothing is private, anymore. takes getting used to or growing up with, I reckon.

we will both see where it will take us. :)

[bojan]

Yes, we shall see.. (or not). And, yes, it is here and it will stay with us (or them new generations)...

[Octane]

I did the unthinkable and upgraded to/opened a Google+ account earlier this week. :(

As Chris wrote on my first post on there, "The sky must be falling."

The gallery feature on Google+, and the way it lays your images out, is beautiful.

H

[AndrewJ]

That depends on who owns the information.
You try and get any information about the "collectors" and you will see how much privacy is the prerogative of those who hold the data or power.
Also try and get any wrong data fixed.
Methinks its going to be a nightmare for many people in a few years.
However, time will tell.

Andrew

[Rob_K]

Yep, like it or not it's here. I'm an FB (& Twitface) member but don't engage and have no 'friends' (!!). But I live in a bushfire-prone area and with the last fires the emergency services were posting breaking news to FB and Twitter. If you wanted news other than bulletins from ABC Regional Radio or updates on the CFA website you had no option but to create accounts. It's the way the world communicates now. It's up to you whether you engage in the social side of social media. To me they're just another information source (rarely used). :shrug:

Cheers -

[asimov]

Exactly right Rob_K - During the QLD floods & a lot were cutoff (including us) you'd get an update quicker via Facebook than any news or radio broadcast.

[Trixie]

There are some good things about facebook and twitter. I am loving the mars rover posts, earth science picture of the day, Peter Jacksons updates on the Hobbit filming. One of my favourite authors often posts updates and other things of interest on her page.

Sure there is a lot of rubbish on it but there is a lot of interesting stuff as well and it doesn't have to be all about reading boring status updates from people you don't like enough to see in real life.

[Jen]

And your point is :question: If you think females are the majority of facebook users mmmm well i have more male friends on FB than i do females :rolleyes:

It does have its pros and cons but thats the way of the future/technology and i love being able to keep in touch with my family/mates that i cant catch up with at the pub on the other side of the world :P

[stephenb]

Another FB rant thread. Was there any point to this pointless thread being started?. Ok, I'll bite..

There are definitely two schools of thought towards Facebook: those who use it, have a bit of fun with it, keep in contact with friend, family etc.,

The other type is one who looks down on people who use FB in an underhanded, derogatory manner all the while crapping on about how they don't use/never used Facebook or any form or social media like it's some superior badge of honour.




The feeling of connection is "totally false" ? Remember "totally false" in your opinion only. And a forum like IIS is "way better" than FB? Not in my world/life because I have far more reaching interests than this little hobby.

I connect with friends, family, work colleagues and work contacts interstate and around the world, share travel stories, meet in person when traveling interstate and overseas, swap ideas and thoughts, arrange reunions and group catch-ups in places from airport lounges to pubs - like many millions of people do, so I don't subscribe to your theory that the feeling of connection is "totally false".

For the record, Facebook allows me to keep in contact with family and friends all over the globe, in a cheap and instant way, no STD call charges for 10, 20 or 30 years ago.

[KenGee]

Gee I'm surprised by that post as you don't seem old enough to get into a Pub, maybe the rules are different in NZ. Eh Kiwi's when did you drop the drinking age to 12.:shrug:

[MrB]

:2thumbs:

Haters will hate.. it's pointless to butt heads with butt-heads.

[ZeroID]

I've actually 'rejoined' FB. I had an account when it first started, thought 'waste of time' and abandoned it.
But times change and I needed to stay in contact with a particular interest group and circle of people so I am back on. The difference is I am limiting my 'friends' to those I want to keep in touch with.
Although I must say I am surprised at how effectice FB is at digging up old acquaintances. I have made contact with a long lost contact who I am very pleased to have found again and confirmed a mutually supportive friendship that I thought was faltering. I guess it really comes down to how you manage it and what you expect from it. I have just over a dozen friends and will probably add a few more with similar interests and I post very little personal info at the site. A few pix and comments is about my limit but I admit it has been an good experience so far.

[cathalferris]

There is a third type - the computer professionals that are rightly worried about the unknown future issues that are likely to arise when one private entity has access to so many people's private data, with few internal controls on how this data is used or stored or secured. It's too much power concentrating in one place, with no real oversight possible.

A lot of people don't understand why giving your private data and personal information away so freely may be a not a good idea. The data mining possibilities are frightening, and especially when applying the inexact science of facial recognition. Facebook users never really see that they are not 'customers' or even only users of FB, but that they are the product that FaceBook can sell onwards to other parties.

My personal thoughts are that FaceBook may be useful to a lot of people for getting in contact with long-lost friends, but the increasing trends for people to check in and give locations and times, as well as all the small bits of information that individually are not that useful but when collated across a continent become downright scary with the possibilities for our private lives. I do think that in a few years we will see more and more issues arising from having our whole lives documented in a private company's servers.

What would happen to all of that data if Facebook was sold off? :question:

[AndrewJ]

I heard something about that bit in the news recently.
Just had a quick sqizz.

It seems they want to link cameras in shops to your facebook profiles/friends via facial recognition software, ( which you may not know you agreed to ??? )
I know it says you have to opt in, but i reckon that wont last long,
esp if there is money involved in the image to name links.

Then i found this as well
http://www.scmagazine.com.au/News/312466,facebook-facial-recognition-facing-fresh-investigation.aspx
It seems they can scan all images people load, and if you are in one, they can link all the people in the image together.
Could be fun.
( Wonder if it works on cats :D )

Sooo, whilst it may be a great way to keep in touch,
i'm not sure i would trust the owners of the data
with all the other tidbits being collected along the way.

Andrew

[TrevorW]

Bumpad:D

Sure to give you the .......

[Colin_Fraser]

I think it's sad that some people feel they NEED to be on Facebook or Twitter to be accepted.

[stephenb]

Just like some people feel the need to be on astro forums to be accepted... Or community clubs, or support groups. Exactly the same thing....

[astroron]

Who Says what you say above :question::question::question:
I have no need to be on face book to be excepted:shrug:
I have been on FB for a few years and I enjoy the experience .:D
I have no fear of the so called using of my information to on sell to other agencies as I don't buy or am not involved in anything that they can profit from.
There are plenty of other ways that your information can be obtained just as effectively.
I think that the people who knock Social media such as face book and to a lesser extent "My Space" (does it still exist) :question: and Twitter, should just get a life:(, if you don't like it Don't bother about it but don't knock other people who enjoy using it.
Cheers:thumbsup:

[Colin_Fraser]

I don't agree it is exactly the same thing.
I see the need for Senior Citizens, Rotary, RSL, U3A, Apex Clubs and dozens of other support groups.
Every day you read about kids being harassed and bullied on anti-social network sites. These kids feel they need to join these sites to be accepted into their group of friends. Peer pressure puts these kids at risk. That's what is sad.

[Colin_Fraser]

I do of course, that's why you clicked the 'Quote' button
That's nice, glad you enjoy it. But that does not mean I have to like it.
they probably already do have a lifePersonally, I have not knocked any person, including yourself, who enjoys it. No need getting all cranky about it.

[bartman]

Even if I did not have a FB account, just googling my name can bring up heaps of info. You just need to be creative with the search terms......
(Saying that, I still have not been able to find a childhood sweetheart from Holland:rolleyes::confused2:)


I have nothing to hide and therefore would not give a flying duck what they can glean from me by using facebook.
I'm sure professional (police) profilers ( or even you - not you Cathalferris- just anybody) can make some sort of a profile of who I am by just looking at my pictures, FB sites I subscribe to and who are my friends are ( and then their profiles too....)
If I get an untoward email........of to the junk mail it goes. If I get a phone call ( and this is what you should do when getting this type of call) that wants to sell me something, I ask them if I can put them on hold for a "sec".....then just leave them on hold for as long as they stay there......this way they cant make any more calls.....ehehehheheh.

[BPO]

The authorities do not think that Facebook is a gift from the Big Brother gods, nor are they monitoring the things you post. (http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/va-veteran-detained-strident-facebook-posts-17045183#.UDLY_Oy0Mwx)

[taminga16]

WHAT WILL REPLACE FACEBOOK?

Terry Prachett's book 'Going Postal' might have the answer.

Greg.

[cathalferris]

It's not as much the interest specifically in any persons postings in particular, but the dangers associated with the results of data mining statistical analysis, applying to your details. It may either make known something that one would wish remained out of circulation, or otherwise may end up putting you in a pigeon hole by mistake and major decisions may end up influenced by something you do not know about and that you have no control over. By adding your information to the FaceBook pool of knowledge you make it easier and more accurace for FaceBook and it's further customers to get data.

To those that think they have nothing to hide, why would you close the door on a public toilet when you use it? Overall it's a specious argument to say "I've nothing to hide". Of course you do - everyone does. as it's only human. It's more important to say "I've nothing to hide - therefore you should not even be looking"

Also, never forget who are the customers of entities like FaceBook and others - here's a hint: It's not the users...

[TrevorW]

As to security a lot of people (especially the young) are simply oblivious to how wearing a security pass is not as innocuous as it seems.

I commute to work and see a lot of young girls will wear these tags in public announcing to anyone

"I'm Mary Jane a Nurse at RPH"

From this it would not be hard for anyone to use these simple facts to their advantage

We used to have similar security passes with photo ID etc but they are now long gone.

As I see it social sites are rife with information that could be used by the unscrupulous to their advantage.

[jjjnettie]

Google+ is FB's only real rival atm.
It's a sleeker version, more adult orientated and dare I say intellectual. It's where the bloggers, authors and science guru's discuss their work before feeding it to the masses on FB. :)

I can't see FB going any where for the time being. It has it's users and abusers I know. One needs to be aware and careful of what one posts though. What is written cannot be unwritten (deleted, yes, but not before everyone gets a copy in their inbox)
So for the time being, I'm more than happy to be part of the FB community and accept the many opportunities that have arisen because of my active membership on FB. I can't wait to be able to share the latest ones with everyone. :D Wheee!!

[Omaroo]

Like :thumbsup:

Where's the damned "like" button here Mike? LOL

[Jen]

:lol::lol::lol: lol Chris I just done the same thing I went for the like button :P

[GeoffW1]

NOW I feel much better. But then, usually...............:lol:

[Octane]

I've done an about face and did what I thought I'd never do -- joined both Google Plus and Facebook. To my benefit, I have landed photography gigs through Facebook.

I take back any and all words against social networking I've ever said.

It feels like a souped up version of IRC which I'd been using since 1995/1996 when I first got online.

H

[jjjnettie]

:) Glad you came on board H.
They're a friendly bunch out there aren't they.
It all depends on how you use it, whether you see the good, the bad or the ugly.

[iceman]

To be honest, most of the people who bag it have probably never tried it.

People who try Google+ and then say it's boring, is because they're not following the right people.

Add some of the science circles or landscape astrophotography circles that Fraser Cain or others post every so often, and you'll have hundreds of very talented people to follow with a constant stream of great stuff coming into your feed.

Facebook is the same - it's all down to how you use it and how you want to use it.

[Octane]

Mike, I was abiding by some outmoded and outdated thinking that I keep in touch with my friends in real life, and, so on.

I understand that it's so much more than that.

H

[Bassnut]

Ditto. The idea you only have physicAl contact witt friends at the pub is daft these days, I don't know anybody of interest in a 5k radious, the opposite to life 30 years ago. As IIS shows, ppl with similar interests can live all over the country and can really only be in Regular contact via forums such as IIS and FB.

[Omaroo]

Like

[Barrykgerdes]

If face book was banned/closed there would soon be another alternative to satisfy the masses.

I have a Facebook A/C but never use it for communication. It is a source of information on many family members who have totally different interests to me. If anyone sends information directly to me I respond by email rather than Facebook and advise them to do the same.

I much prefer specialised forums like IIS where I meet and talk to people I can relate to.

Barry

[icytailmark]

a real social life

[Varangian]

^What he said^

[Analog6]

Totally agree on the timeliness of long distance comms. warwick's father died a couple of weeks ago and we awerre able to get the word to relatives in the US and distant parts of Oz very quickly indeed. Wouldn't have been possible without it.

There are always people who like to take the high and mightly stance and denigrate others. I just don't worry about them.

My pet peeve is the photographers posting their 'straight from the camera' DSLR images. Considering all DSLRs' algorithms to produce that 'straight from the camera' image involve considerable post shot processing they are right up the pole. The only true 'straight from the camera' is an unadjusted RAW format image, and trust me, you won't see those on FB or anywhere else.

Let everyone do their own thing and do yours and keep it to yourself is my modus operandi.