Really, I did not want to talk about this. I always try to offer balanced points of view, and I always try to avoid being impulsive with my observations, but when it comes to Facebook I have discovered that I simply can’t do that. So, why am I writing this? Because a few people have asked me what I think about Facebook’s multi-billion-dollar acquisition of WhatsApp. And well, let’s be frank, there’s nothing to think — it’s all just disgusting to me.
If you want to learn about this Facebook-WhatsApp affair analysed under a strategic perspective, you must read Ben Thompson’s The Social Conglomerate. I mean, go read it now, because if you don’t, you won’t understand the freshest layer of hate I have for Facebook.
Marco Arment, in linking to Ben Thompson’s aforementioned piece, makes a personal remark about the whole situation. I quote him fully, because I feel exactly the same:
It’s interesting that so much coverage of the WhatsApp acquisition by Facebook has used the same word: conglomerate.
Our industry has reached a chilling point where the biggest players are so big, with so much cash, so much to lose, and effectively zero regulation, that they can simply buy anyone who threatens their dominance.
I’ll add another little element to the mix: a few contacts and acquaintances of mine — some of them quite heavy Facebook users — have told me how appalled they are by this latest Facebook acquisition; they’ve asked me something along the lines of How can Facebook get away with things like this? Where do they find all that money!?
“In part thanks to folks like you,” I replied, “who have unconditionally put your social activity in their hands. That’s how.”
One would think that, before this realisation, people like these acquaintances of mine would start reconsidering their use of Facebook. But no. There is an initial conflicted pause in their expressions, then they start mounting the ‘excuse tower.’ You know, it’s not easy quitting Facebook — my second cousin once removed is on Facebook and it’s the only way I can stay in touch with him… Or: If I delete my account, I fear I’ll stay out of the loop — all my friends use Facebook to organise outings and gatherings, blah blah blah…
You get the idea — they feel as if there were no alternatives to Facebook. They feel they’re in too deep and that there’s no easy way out. To me, their excuses sound a bit like the excuses you hear in a police drama from people who want to leave certain organised crime associations but fear for their life if they do so. If I leave the gang, I’m a dead man, you know? Also, I used to be an Apple evangelist in the 1990s, and these excuses represent, in a way, a déjà vu for me — just like when I was trying to explain to people and clients that the personal computing experience didn’t start and end with Windows and Microsoft. Many were unwilling to switch to the Mac because the majority of their contacts and acquaintances had Windows boxes (and above all, Windows software they could ‘pass’ among themselves, if you get my drift), or because using Windows software was ‘the only way’ to do something and there wasn’t as much software for the Mac, and so on and so forth.
Humour and memories aside, I know people who have been basically ostracised by their Facebook-using friends for their not being on Facebook as well. I say this is not how friends act, and if you’re not using Facebook and you found yourself in a similar situation you should have a word with such ‘friends’ before considering dropping them.
There are alternatives to Facebook, there are other ways of staying in touch with people. Those I like most are perhaps too ‘old school’ for some people’s tastes, since they involve email, phone calls, and a certain amount of ‘friction’ and dedication that some people dislike because it’s not convenient enough or tailored enough to their busy schedule, so they tend to prefer the path of least resistance and the convenience Facebook offers. Facebook knows that, and counts on that.
What Facebook is doing is creating a sort of ‘social lock-in’ around you, extending its reach by acquiring companies like Instagram and WhatsApp. You’re free to let that happen, but don’t come to me all bothered and appalled when Facebook throws billions of dollars to the next social-related company it acquires.
I’ve always declared that “I’m not on Facebook,” and it’s not a pose. I just don’t want to be a part of Facebook’s social monopoly. I just don’t want a giant like Facebook to shape my social interactions. I don’t want to help Facebook get richer and richer in exchange of its freebies and its convenience. If Facebook buys a company whose apps or services I’m using, I stop using them (like I did with Instagram — and since I never was a WhatsApp user, no problem there). Yes, I’m acting on principle, and yes, I believe more people should follow suit. Read Ben Thompson’s excellent piece I mentioned at the beginning. Realise what Facebook is doing. And if that doesn’t leave a bitter taste in your mouth, I don’t know what to tell you.
A final aside
I am no Google fan, either. I’ve been using some of Google’s products over the years because I actually liked Google ten years ago or so. Lately, not so much. So, again acting on principle, I’m currently getting rid of quite a number of secondary Gmail accounts I’ve opened (mainly to subscribe to other services, apps, mailing lists). The difficult part in all this is to track down every third-party account I subscribed to using a particular Gmail account, and edit it to point to a different, non-Google email account. That’s why this de-Googlification process may take a while. (“And is that worth all the inconvenience?” you’ll ask. Well, sometimes acting on principles means taking the steep path uphill, but it is ultimately rewarding.)
For my search needs, I’m using DuckDuckGo more and more often, and I think it’s a great alternative. (Read this interesting article if you want to know more about it: Inside DuckDuckGo, Google’s Tiniest, Fiercest Competitor). On Google+, my account is basically a placeholder, and when I delete my primary Gmail account, it’ll go away too.
Getting rid of these tech giants is difficult and can be inconvenient, since they’re getting progressively more pervasive and intrusive, but it’s not impossible, in my opinion.
