# The Genius of the Facebook interface **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 24, 2015, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-genius-of-the-facebook-interface/738454 "2015-11-24T17:44:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![BlackKnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eb8c5e/32.png) [@BlackKnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlackKnight)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2015, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-genius-of-the-facebook-interface/738454/61 "2015-12-02T16:46:54Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > But, again, Facebook isn’t magic, they’d didn’t divine your address. Someone you know gave it to them, and that’s all the information they have on you. If Facebook knows my circle of friends and acquaintances (which they do), then they have a very good idea of my race, age, income range, educational level, and where I probably live. (If I had a significantly more diverse group of friends or lived in a city with millions of people, it would be harder for them to know this with reasonable certainty, but, alas, I don’t.) They exist as a business to suck up as much demographic data as they possibly can. If Facebook _doesn’t_ know that much about me, then Zuckerberg should fire some people because they clearly have the capability to know it. The shareholders would be rather displeased if he was ignoring easily deduced data. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2015, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-genius-of-the-facebook-interface/738454/62 "2015-12-02T21:20:05Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Fuck you. [Moderating] Saying “fuck you” to other posters is against the rules. Don’t do this in the future. No warning issued. [/Moderating] ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2015, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-genius-of-the-facebook-interface/738454/63 "2015-12-03T05:54:27Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Guinastasia followed me just to insult me in one BBQ Pit thread, why can’t I return the favor? I did? ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2015, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-genius-of-the-facebook-interface/738454/64 "2015-12-03T06:39:23Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > I did? The rape is always her fault. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![coremelt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@coremelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coremelt)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2015, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-genius-of-the-facebook-interface/738454/65 "2015-12-03T06:53:25Z")
This is weakest pitting of Facebook I could imagine. If you want to pit them, how about the fact they changed their terms of service to mean you can’t opt out of them using images of you in advertising? > **[Facebook Will Now Use You In Ads Whether You Want Them To or Not](https://www.techlicious.com/blog/facebook-now-wants-to-use-you-in-an-ad-whether-you-want-them-to-or-not/)** > > A proposed change to Facebook's Data Use Policy allows the site to sell your name and likeness to advertisers without a way to opt out. Or the fact they roll over and spread their ass cheeks whenever a reppressive government wants to censor something > **[Facebook should stop cooperating with Russian government censorship](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/wp/2014/12/21/facebook-should-stop-cooperating-with-russian-government-censorship/)** > > Facebook should reverse its apparent decision to cooperate with the Russian government's demand to block access to a page supporting opposition leader Alexei Navalny. ---
**Author:** ![IDtenT\_Error](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@IDtenT\_Error](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IDtenT_Error)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2015, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-genius-of-the-facebook-interface/738454/66 "2015-12-03T16:50:52Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > > [@DrDeth](#): > > > > Guinastasia followed me just to insult me in one BBQ Pit thread, why can’t I return the favor? > > I did? PIT FIGHT!!! Please, **DrDeth** , how about a link to the **Guin** ipig’s alleged a) insult, and b) stalking. There _is_ a ‘nut-job’ here, but she isn’t it. You are. I think we have to give **DrDeth** a mulligan. S/He/It (pronounced ‘Shit’) seems to be a [del]victim[/del] [‘veteran of the “psychic wars”…’](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGKNaIXtBZQ) I’m suspecting PTSD [Possibly Trolling the Straight Dope], here. Dude, seriously. The 80’s are over. Give it up. You lost. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2015, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-genius-of-the-facebook-interface/738454/67 "2015-12-04T18:31:45Z")
> [@IDtenT\_Error](#): > > PIT FIGHT!!! > > Please, **DrDeth** , how about a link to the **Guin** ipig’s alleged a) insult, and b) stalking… " _Nobody’s fucking forcing you to post in here. Dumbass."_ ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2015, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-genius-of-the-facebook-interface/738454/68 "2015-12-04T19:34:25Z")
(My wife was a computer-phobe before she got her smart-phone. Now she navigates smoothly through Friend’s albums, Friends of Friends, etc. She uses other sites besides Facebook, but even within Facebook she has friends from multiple political factions, so knows how to find political news, etc.) The story of uploading pictures to Facebook without notification took an amusing turn. (It amuses me, but I’m also fine if it gives my detractors more ammunition to insult me or my wife.) To test that I could upload pictures in the strange way before doing it for my wife, I selected an image from one of the photo folders on my laptop. (This took some care, as many of said photos are NSFW.) I found a photo of flowers I’d probably randomly downloaded as part of some other experiment. Up it went. That was almost two weeks ago. I log in to Facebook today and find that my wife and her best friend “Like” my photo. :smack: (A photo that might be the first hit in Google Images for “mundane flowers.”) My wife was randomly browsing my page – nothing much there but she did notice, and “Like”, the new photo. That notified her friend who in turn Liked it, Commented on it, and Shared it. :smack: Now that it’s been Shared, there are others Liking that mundane photo. :smack: I guess I need to practice clicking the Facebook Delete icon. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2015, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-genius-of-the-facebook-interface/738454/69 "2015-12-04T20:12:58Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > " > _Nobody’s fucking forcing you to post in here. Dumbass."_ Dude, 50 people piled on you in that thread. That wasn’t even the most insulting post. Why are you going after **Guin**? ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2015, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-genius-of-the-facebook-interface/738454/70 "2015-12-04T20:18:21Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > Now that it’s been Shared, there are others Liking that mundane photo. :smack: I thought the point was to upload a modified version of a photos without blasting everyone’s wall. You did that. The photo was found through organic means and new events (liking, sharing) took place after that. If people can comment on and share a photo then new events are being created. Your experiment was a success, and it did exactly what your wife asked about. It’s social media, the point of putting something on FB is for others to see it. I don’t know what the :smack: is for? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2015, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-genius-of-the-facebook-interface/738454/71 "2015-12-04T21:20:39Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > It’s social media, the point of putting something on FB is for others to see it. I don’t know what the :smack: is for? 😕 I’ve been asocial, almost autistic, most of my life; this is reflected in my low Facebook participation and the poor choice of emoticon in the post you quote. While I did stress that my prmary reaction was _amusement_, I still apologize for the confusion I apparently caused you by my choice of emoticon. The Facebook world did draw me in for the “pats on the back” (Likes) despite that I just (hiddenly) posted a silly photo not worthy of any comment. My Friends reached out to me. In that sense Facebook had its way with me and I should be happy! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2015, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-genius-of-the-facebook-interface/738454/72 "2015-12-04T21:33:56Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > " > _Nobody’s fucking forcing you to post in here. Dumbass."_ I saw that post in its original context. I’m not going to argue that it was polite, but it _was_ on point. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2015, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-genius-of-the-facebook-interface/738454/73 "2015-12-04T21:39:57Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > (My wife was a computer-phobe before she got her smart-phone. Now she navigates smoothly through Friend’s albums, Friends of Friends, etc. She uses other sites besides Facebook, but even within Facebook she has friends from multiple political factions, so knows how to find political news, etc.) > > The story of uploading pictures to Facebook without notification took an amusing turn. (It amuses me, but I’m also fine if it gives my detractors more ammunition to insult me or my wife.) > > To test that I could upload pictures in the strange way before doing it for my wife, I selected an image from one of the photo folders on my laptop. (This took some care, as many of said photos are NSFW.) I found a photo of flowers I’d probably randomly downloaded as part of some other experiment. Up it went. > > That was almost two weeks ago. I log in to Facebook today and find that my wife and her best friend “Like” my photo. :smack: (A photo that might be the first hit in Google Images for “mundane flowers.”) > > My wife was randomly browsing my page – nothing much there but she did notice, and “Like”, the new photo. That notified her friend who in turn Liked it, Commented on it, and Shared it. :smack: > > Now that it’s been Shared, there are others Liking that mundane photo. :smack: > > I guess I need to practice clicking the Facebook Delete icon. No, what you need to do is add some text to the photo (preferably in Comic Sans). In essence, the text should read: _1. Comment OMG! 2. Hit “Share.” 3. YOU WON’T BELIEVE WHAT HAPPENS NEXT!_ People who you want in your friends list will assume that it’s clickbait, and ignore it. The rest of em? Unfriend; they’re useless. ---
**Author:** ![IDtenT\_Error](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@IDtenT\_Error](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IDtenT_Error)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2015, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-genius-of-the-facebook-interface/738454/74 "2015-12-06T18:55:36Z")
> [@Spice\_Weasel](#): > > Dude, 50 people piled on you in that thread. That wasn’t even the most insulting post. Why are you going after **Guin**? Only target he thinks he can handle (although sadly mistaken about that)? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2015, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-genius-of-the-facebook-interface/738454/75 "2015-12-06T21:18:47Z")
> [@IDtenT\_Error](#): > > Only target he thinks he can handle (although sadly mistaken about that)? I called lots of people names, like for instance _you’re_ a cheap-ass idiot. ---
**Author:** ![IDtenT\_Error](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@IDtenT\_Error](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IDtenT_Error)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2015, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-genius-of-the-facebook-interface/738454/76 "2015-12-06T21:43:18Z")
Maybe so, but it’s not like anyone but you took your name-calling seriously. After all, how am I to take your bad-ass take down of me: > [@DrDeth](#): > > I called lots of people names, like for instance _you’re_ a cheap-ass idiot. Seriously? I’m now supposed to cry because you called me “a cheap-ass idiot”? It doesn’t work that way, DrDumbth. You actually have to come up with somethinig that doesn’t make you look as stupid as you are. You really have to look like you’re smate enough to tie your own shoes. Which seems to be seriously in doubt. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2015, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-genius-of-the-facebook-interface/738454/77 "2015-12-06T22:35:25Z")
Uh-oh. You misspelled “smart.” You’re in for it now! ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2015, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-genius-of-the-facebook-interface/738454/78 "2015-12-06T22:46:47Z")
**DrDeth** , a word, please. You’ve never been particularly on my radar, but there’s no real shame in that. Just another Doper, as far as I’ve been concerned, which is plenty honorable. The fact that you’ve been paying to maintain Charter Member status suggests that you assign some value to that, at least. Please also assign some significance to the fact that I am beginning to view you as noteworthy for being an asshole. IME such Dopers do not last long. ---
**Author:** ![IDtenT\_Error](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@IDtenT\_Error](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IDtenT_Error)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2015, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-genius-of-the-facebook-interface/738454/79 "2015-12-06T22:52:59Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Uh-oh. You misspelled “smart.” You’re in for it now! No, the ‘Smate’ was intentional. It’s a ‘thing’… Maybe DrDumbth will recognize it. If not, well, It’s not like it matters. Read it as ‘Smart’, if you like. I’m just here for reaming DrDumbth, for my own pleasure. It’s fun to… err… OK, that’s enough from me. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2015, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-genius-of-the-facebook-interface/738454/80 "2015-12-06T23:01:41Z")
Whatever you say, ya freeloading parasite. 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-genius-of-the-facebook-interface/738454.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-genius-of-the-facebook-interface/738454.md?page=5)