Facebook VP Suggests a Fix: a Prompt Urging Teen Instagram Users to 'Take a Break' (engadget.com) 40
"Facebook is trying to mend its reputation in the wake of whisleblower Frances Haugen's testimony," reports Engadget, "and that includes promises of features lessening the potential harm for teens."
CNN and Reuters report that Facebook Global Affairs VP Nick Clegg promised Instagram would introduce a "take a break" feature that encouraged teens to simply stop using the social network for a while.
Clegg didn't say when it would be ready, but this was clearly meant to reduce addiction and other unhealthy behavior.
The social media exec also said Facebook would "nudge" teens away from material in its apps that "may not be conducive to their well-being." He didn't provide specifics for this new approach. He did, however, suggest that Facebook's algorithms should be "held to account," including by regulation if needed, to be sure real-world results matched intentions... Breaks and nudges may reduce exposure to harmful content, but they won't remove the content in question. Clegg's statements also reflect a familiar strategy at Facebook. It likes to invite regulation, but only the regulation it's comfortable with. While the proposed changes could help, politicians may demand more — in part to prevent Facebook from dictating its own regulation.
According to Reuters, Clegg also "said he could not answer the question whether its algorithms amplified the voices of people who had attacked the U.S. Capitol on January 6th."
Clegg didn't say when it would be ready, but this was clearly meant to reduce addiction and other unhealthy behavior.
The social media exec also said Facebook would "nudge" teens away from material in its apps that "may not be conducive to their well-being." He didn't provide specifics for this new approach. He did, however, suggest that Facebook's algorithms should be "held to account," including by regulation if needed, to be sure real-world results matched intentions... Breaks and nudges may reduce exposure to harmful content, but they won't remove the content in question. Clegg's statements also reflect a familiar strategy at Facebook. It likes to invite regulation, but only the regulation it's comfortable with. While the proposed changes could help, politicians may demand more — in part to prevent Facebook from dictating its own regulation.
According to Reuters, Clegg also "said he could not answer the question whether its algorithms amplified the voices of people who had attacked the U.S. Capitol on January 6th."
Facebook is doing nothing (Score:2)
Re: (Score:1)
A break of about 5 years ... (Score:3)
would be about right.
Take a break from crack... (Score:5, Insightful)
...but come back soon! We'll pester you with notifications if you don't.
Re:Take a break from crack... (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Take a break from crack... (Score:5, Insightful)
and we’ll still be tracking you all around the web, regardless.
Re:Take a break from crack... (Score:5, Funny)
And please gamble responsibly.
Re: (Score:2)
...but come back soon! We'll pester you with notifications if you don't.
Yeah. I would prefer parental controls, the way some smart TVs and streaming devices do. Give the parents actual mechanisms to implement time controls.
In a connected, it is not reasonable to *not* see minors using streaming or mobile devices. And we as parents do not want to make them "forbidden" (that always backfires.)
So what we parents (at least myself and those I know) do is to monitor their screen time. This is easy with smart TVs, but not so with devices and social media accounts (or games like Ro
Like in casinos, I guess? (Score:2)
The first thing that came to my mind was this scene [youtube.com].
So get them a round of free contact suggestions!
Re: (Score:2)
Oh c'mon, at least choose one that isn't already in the "protect me from being Rickrolled" Database.
An advice to poor people (Score:2)
Get a better job.
They really are the Masters of Platitudes.
“Permanent break?” (Score:2)
They just need to tweak the wording slightly.
Re: (Score:1)
Everyone should be taking a "permanent break" from Facebook.
Let's pretend we care (Score:3)
I predict this will be as useful as teen abstinence programs
Re: (Score:2)
I predict this will be as useful as teen abstinence programs
or prohibition.
The fix is easy (Score:2)
The Road to Regulatory Capture (Score:1)
When corporations beg for government regulations, Zuckerberg 2019, the road to regulatory capture is making and makes for great theatre; as seen by Facebook employees this week. Make no mistake your opinions and expressions on this matter are meaningless in this process so sit back and enjoy the coming theatrics. If you really feel the need to do something then stop your own children from using Facebook (etc) entirely. Something you as a parent should have done years ago when Facebook admitted to conducting
New algorithm to nudge to other content (Score:1)
Facebook Global Affairs VP says, "We're going to introduce something which I think will make a considerable difference, which is where our systems see that the teenager is looking at the same content over and over again and it's content which may not be conducive to their well-being, we will nudge them to look at other content"
Ya, I believe they are going to call the algorithm, "Regularly Scheduled BGP Router Updates".
Re: (Score:2)
Urgent prompt! (Score:2)
Greetings user!
We have noticed you have been smoking a lot lately.
Being bullied at home and the pressures of work are really tough. We know how you feel!
Please take this time to take a break from smoking. We care about your well being and don't ever want to prioritize that over engagement times. :)
Uh huh... Do you *have* teenage children? (Score:3)
Facebook VP Suggests a Fix: a Prompt Urging Teen Instagram Users to 'Take a Break'
I'm guessing 99.99% will roll their eyes and respond sarcastically with, "Ya, give me a break".
Re: (Score:1)
I'm guessing 99.99% will roll their eyes and respond sarcastically with, "Ya, give me a break".
I predict sales of KitKat will go through the roof!
Re: (Score:2)
As well as Kat Kot [shenhuifu.org].
Do your job! (Score:1)
warning label on crack (Score:2)
New labeling requirements on crack: "Haven't you had enough crack today?"
We can solve addition with a well-worded warning label, because when a teen's serotonin dips they're going to care about a prompt.
GREAT IDEA! Teens are known to do as they're told! (Score:2)
The cynic in me... (Score:2)
The cynic in me can't help but think this sounds like something they'd like to do anyway that they're trying to push as "Facebook fixing the world" (of problems Facebook themselves created in the first place). From the Reuters article:
"We're going to introduce something which I think will make a considerable difference, which is where our systems see that the teenager is looking at the same content over and over again and it's content which may not be conducive to their well-being, we will nudge them to look at other content," Clegg told CNN.
I can't help but think that nudging people away from viewing the same stuff over and over again is something most platforms would want to do anyway. After all, it's hard to show more ads and collect more data on what someone might engage with if you're just rewatching the same
Thanks for the added emphasis (Score:2)
We're all just plebs here, so the boldface type really helps us focus on the parts of the summary that really matter...
Facebook is a plague on society, sure, but if you can try to gloat a little less about your latest "big win", and give people enough trust and mental space to make their own evaluations, that would be great.
Thanks. >.>
Well now (Score:5, Insightful)
Making Facebook and Instagram non-toxic will be about as possible as making arsenic or dimethyl cadmium non-poisonous.
I've watch it radicalize people both left and right, I've seen people becoming depressed about their own lives after seeing others post all the "so awesome" posts of their lives. I've seen incredible dehumanization by people when in what passes for conversation with the other. I've seen some pretty obvious disinformation and outright lies posted by what are presumably non-state actors.
I've munged my personal data with HP Lovecraft references, and other BS. And it appears that Facebook is trying to find out my political leanings. My feed is full of "Suggestions" for cranks both left and right wing, a lot of them pretty radical.
Which is all to say that I am convinced that Facebook is purposely trying to radicalize folks.
Teens? Bloody hell, it's a terrible influence for everyone.
No, it is not fixable.
About as useful as... (Score:2)
Heroin VP suggests a fix: (Score:2)
Have cake and eat it. (Score:2)
TA DAAAH - problem solved.
pop-up windows (Score:2)
bwua ha ha ha...
sorry...
there... got a breath again...
Yeah, because if the past 30 or so years of computing and user interface history have demonstrated one thing, that's how effective pop-up reminder windows are. How users don't commit "click continue button" to muscle memory and not even read the prompt you're throwing up.
Heck, once we added those reminder windows, users completely stopped to make mistakes, never again deleted something they didn't mean to delete, or installed any malware that asked for e
You have a THOUSAND people stopping that! (Score:2)
You literally have a thousand people, whose only job is, to make this thing maximally addictive... and you say you want to tell people to "take a break"??
Are you fucking kidding us, you psychopathic assholes?
Is it because you are so confident in your addictiveness generator, that you just know they will find a way to circumvent the very very easy to skip "take a break" message? While it allows you so *say* you did something. As opposed to actually doing something. Like firing those 1000 people. And introduc
Add also a prompt for adult Facebook users... (Score:2)
Nintendo does this. (Score:2)
Haha. (Score:2)
Right. Tell an addict to just say no.
FB needs to get out of the moderation/recommendation/censorship business.