Social Media

[Stanley]

I heard that report and thought it proved the algorithm was doing its job.
Did I hear later in the piece that Google did the same thing and shut their version down when it did the same thing and bit the hand that fed it?

[plaques]

These instant chat lines like TalkTalk appear to have similar algorithms run by computers. Ask a question that involves two different functions and its 'brain' collapses with it guessing at one of them but ignoring the affect of the second. Humans have no problem, well most of them, with this sort of information. The Turing test has still not been passed except for those using 'Chat Box'

[Tizer]

I've often used customer support `chat lines' but they've always been human.

[Stanley]

So have I Peter but then it depends entirely on the quality of the agent and I can attest that some of the British Gas ones are dire......

[Tizer]

I'd not heard of this social media site. It operates in a very different way to Twitter...
`Twitter users jump to Mastodon - but what is it?' LINK
`In the wake of Elon Musk's takeover of Twitter, some users have been seeking alternative platforms. One of the biggest beneficiaries has been Mastodon. But what is it? The social network says it now has over 655,000 users - with over 230,000 having joined in the last week. On the surface Mastodon looks like Twitter - account users write posts (called "toots"), which can be replied to, liked and re-posted, and they can follow each other. Under the bonnet, though, it works in a different way. That's one of the reasons it is attracting fresh users, but it has caused some confusion to new people signing up....'

[Big Kev]

I've never been a Twitter user, I did try Instagram but couldn't work out what it was achieving. From what I could see it was 'gossip between an invited few'.
I use Facebook, primarily to keep in touch with people and to 'share my holiday snaps'.

[Stanley]

I'm afraid I am a dinosaur as the only social platform I grace is this one! I was on Facebook but as soon as I became aware of how they were operating I bowed out.

[PanBiker]

End of an era now that Facebook has morphed into Meta. I have just received this email:

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

Switching back to classic Pages will no longer be available for your Page(s).


Ian,
Starting soon, the option to switch back to the classic Pages experience will no longer be available for your Page(s). Over the coming months, all Pages will be updated to the new Pages experience and the classic Pages experience will no longer be available.
Thanks,
The Facebook Pages Team


This message was sent to xxxxxxxxxxxxx If you don't want to receive these emails from Meta in the future, please unsubscribe here.
Meta Platforms Ireland Ltd., Attention: Community Operations, 4 Grand Canal Square, Dublin 2, Ireland

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

[Tizer]

Here we go...Mad Musk makes Twitter even worse than it already was...
`Twitter chaos after wave of blue tick impersonations' LINK

[Stanley]

He's not coming out of all this particularly well is he. Even the richest man in the world is having to sell Tesla shares to keep his cash flow going.
Did I see Meta also making job cuts? Perhaps reality is gaining traction in the high tech world.....

[Tizer]

Did I see Meta also making job cuts? Perhaps reality is gaining traction in the high tech world.....

The stock market value of the big tech companies has been spiralling down for some time now.

[Tizer]

I can add Amazon to the list because it make more money out of its tech cloud services than it does out of selling stuff to us...
`Amazon 'prepares mass job cuts' as sales slow - reports' LINK
`Amazon is preparing to cut thousands of office jobs amid slowing sales and concerns about an economic downturn, according to reports. The reductions could affect roughly 3% of office staff at the e-commerce giant - or about 10,000 people - US media reported, citing anonymous sources. The cuts are expected to affect divisions such as personal devices and e-commerce. Amazon did not respond to a request for comment.'...

[Stanley]

These monster tech firms can't expect to be immune from global challenges if they are operating on a global scale.
I shall not lose any sleep over their predicament. (BTW. A small contribution to their woes is that I have ceased any kind of trading with them. Could others be doing the same thing?)

[Tizer]

Twitter was already going downhill fast but there's even more trouble since Musk drove away their moderators and now `there are no humans available to review bad AI decisions'....
`Astronomer in Twitter limbo over 'intimate' meteor' LINK

[Stanley]

I listened to that report Peter and the thing that struck me was that the Twitter's first line of defence is the fact that the woman couldn't contact anyone to voice her complaint.
British Gas operate in exactly the same way.....

[Tizer]

Remember 2016, Trump and Cambridge Analytica?...
`Meta settles Cambridge Analytica scandal case for $725m' LINK
`Facebook owner Meta has agreed to pay $725m (£600m) to settle legal action over a data breach linked to political consultancy Cambridge Analytica. The long-running dispute accused the social media giant of allowing third parties, including the British firm, to access Facebook users' personal data. The proposed sum is the largest in a US data privacy class action, lawyers say....
`Facebook believes the data of up to 87 million people was improperly shared with the political consultancy. The scandal prompted government investigations into Facebook's privacy practices, leading to lawsuits and a high-profile US congressional hearing in which Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg was questioned. In 2019, Facebook agreed to pay $5bn to resolve a Federal Trade Commission probe into its privacy practices. The tech giant also paid $100 million to settle US Securities and Exchange Commission claims that it misled investors about the misuse of users' data.'...

[Stanley]

So have I got that right, that's $5billion plus $100million plus $725million paid out in fines and compensation?
Figures like that convince me that these people are working in an alternative reality.
What does this say about the world we have constructed? Include me out! I'm glad I'm old and not expected to join in.

[Tizer]

I suppose they'll be the next craze here too. The Chinese are adept at taking over the west by stealth...
`The other Chinese apps taking the US and UK by storm' LINK

[Tizer]

Examples of the false information...
`Twitter Blue accounts fuel Ukraine War misinformation' LINK
False and misleading posts about the Ukraine conflict continue to go viral on major social media platforms, as Russia's invasion of the country extends beyond 500 days. Some of the most widely shared examples can be found on Twitter, posted by subscribers with a blue tick, who pay for their content to be promoted to other users.

[Tripps]

On false information -

It's only a month or so since we were told that president Lukashenko of Belarus was gravely ill and had been rushed to hospital with suspected poisoning. Close to death. Here's a quick google Lukashenko Belarus

I saw him on the TV yesterday looking very well.

No news about the Russia Ukraine situation from either side can currently be believed.

[Stanley]

From what I can remember that was often the case in WW2. False reporting is a weapon of war.

[PanBiker]

I'm on with a bit of a weird problem with our Bosom Friends Facebook page. One of our younger trustees reported last week that she couldn't get on to post an update on a future event. This despite her, along with all the other trustees being admins on the site. Same for me, I can get on the site but not post anything. When I look in the "about" section of the site which gives information it says there are no additional admins, drilling a bit deeper says that the existing admin is based in Indonesia but gives no details!

There is a common denominator as the group site was originally set up by Gus Brennan 10 years ago so he was the original admin and added all the other trustees with the same role. None of the trustees can get on. Gus cant get on his other Facebook sites Barnoldswick & Barlickers Then and Now which features thousands of local photographs or the Albert Hartley site that he admins either.

According to Facebook help it looks like Gus has been hacked but he can still get on his personal Facebook page. The other reasons can be breaching Facebook community rules or another admin removing him. I think the Indonesia reference is the give away. Why it should only be relevant to group pages is a mystery.

Facebook help gives a walk through for recovering accounts but up to press all avenues seem to come to a brick wall.

I had drill down in the help files last night and I'm sure I found an email link for reporting problems. I'm going too chase that up today.

[Tripps]

I'm going too chase that up today.

Good luck. These mega sites are too clever for most of us.

I am in a tussle with a mob called "Shutterfly". In USA of course, and I used it as a hosting site for photos.
They told me the account would be deleted for lack of use and for my not buying a printed mug or mouse mat etc.

OK thinks I - go ahead. That's fine - I just wait six months, continue not to use it, and it's gone.

However they keep coming back with "one last chance" to continue, so I went proactive and tried to delete the account myself.

Result - busy Saturday evening with conclusion- failure. I don't think it's possible.

I join too many sites !

[PanBiker]

I found out that Gus didn't start the group site. It was one of our supporters who put together our first website. I have messaged him and he'll have a look tonight. Failing that it will be the email route.

[Stanley]

Sorry to hear you are all having trouble.
I join too many sites !
That struck a chord with me David. I once joined Facebook to keep up with the kids but soon realised it wasn't for me and got out. Since then the only app I use is Whatsapp and Janet made me do that. It's always been fine but even that can have funny spells. At the moment it won't let me post any pasted text but accepts images. Very strange....
I see there has been an update this morning. Perhaps it's a glitch and they have addressed it....
I just checked and yes, it is OK now. I hope your problem heals up.