Query - again, I'm admittedly naive in these matters -
Here's a current stat on Fb -
As of the fourth quarter of 2017, Facebook had 2.2 billion monthly active
users. In the third quarter of 2012, the number of active Facebook users
had surpassed 1 billion, making it the first social network ever to do so.
Active users are those which have logged in to Facebook during the last 30
days. (from statista.com) -
I keep coming back to this enormity which stresses across any number of
cultures/population segments and wonder how this might be governed at all
- given the number of empty accounts, bots, etc. And what are the
mechanisms of control that anyone might apply to this quantity - as well
as the quantity of material YouTube, say, handles daily? It's one thing to
theorize what is to be done or not done, or whether Z. should be jailed or
not; it's another to deal with this flood of material. As a problematic
user, I'm always amazed at the naked control Fb exercises - the simplest
example being the top stories trope over the recent. What may be turned
off varies from week to week, but basically, nothing.
There are obviously alternative platforms but it's a question of
populating - the people I want to reach are on Fb as their primary
platform (for example free jazz / improvisation which reaches worldwide) -
there must be millions of mini-commons like this.
I do see the damage Fb does and www for that matter; when I began teaching
Internet culture/community/etc. in 1995 or so, I took my students first to
stormfront.com which had the most sophisticated website at the time - it
was international, in several languages, and a platform for neonazi
organization.
Thanks again for the responses, learning here, Alan
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