As I type this blog entry, Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp have all been down for several hours. There is no word as to when the services will be restored. A part of me wonders if this a distraction tactic from last night’s Facebook whistleblower story on CBS’ 60 Minutes, but we shall see. The bright side is, Facebook is down and my friend’s Internet connection in North Carolina hasn’t been this fast in years.
I have a Facebook account even though I wretch about the service all the time. Too many interest groups have a presence only on Facebook, which is a terrible shame. I have relatives that only communicate via Facebook, which is a terrible shame. I wouldn’t mind in the least if Facebook never returned to service, save that it would break my Oculus VR goggles forever. I could deal with the $250 loss.
Facebook is awful, is designed to be awful, and provides the tools necessary to destroy society. This all goes on while Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg roll in the money. The money comes from advertisers who are buying all of your information for the lowest price possible. You know all this, I know all this, and yet I still have a Facebook account.
I hope the service remains down. For days, weeks, years, whatever it takes. I’m OK with social media completely falling apart.
It’d be good for the world.
