I'm struggling to come to grips with something: do you ever remember a company that grew into the force Facebook has become that gets anywhere near the bad press it does? Maybe Twitter? It seems the techlash is growing and we in Silicon Valley are getting to be viewed like some of the evil financial institutions on Wall Street, led by Facebook.

Do you think Facebook deserves this?

"Calling facebook a toilet is a little unfair to toilets."

Well speaking of finances, Google, Amazon and Facebook sure aren't doing themselves any favors with all the tax evasion stuff.

Does Facebook deserve John Oliver's video? I think it does. And sure, a big part of it is the users, not the platform itself. You can use Facebook for shitty things or horrible things or really great things; all mediums can be used for all sorts of purposes. But could FB do a better job in moderating? Definitely.

Yes, I've heard of similar things, Monopolies, I guess. Which is what Facebook is.

'You see, this phone system consists of a multibillion-dollar matrix
of space age technology that is so sophisticated - even we can't handle
it. But that's your problem, isn't it? So, the next time you complain
about your phone service, why don't you try using two Dixie cups with a
string? We don't care. We don't have to. We're the Phone Company."

– Saturday Night Live, September 18, 1976

And FWIW (which isn't much since I'm an ant in the big picture,) I never have used Facebook and I never will use Facebook. It was born of a crime and its leader is bereft of ethics. I've felt that way from the beginning and want nothing to do with Zuckerberg.

automobiles could be credited for the demise of our Earth with a huge carbon footprint. Cars are still necessary. Facebook is plain evil. But, for now, it is still necessary.

More insight into how their ad machine works:

Facebook allows advertisers to target you based on your shadow profileAnother reason why your targeted ads are so accurate.mashable.com

Now Facebook is cutting larger swaths. With the Facebook Purity app, it allows me to remove all the FAKE tracking that Facebook uses. NOW Facebook is assigning "interests" and ads based on my "interests" soley because of what my friends "like". I have unliked EVERY business page and I am only connected to a small handful of friends and about 10 groups. I go through and remove 50-100 of these fake "interests" DAILY!

I don't find it necessary, although I guess my life might be different if I embraced it. I look around, though, and doubt it.

As a small business owner that derives 12% of my gross billings from managing FB pages for clients, it is necessary for me.

Yes, I do understand that it's an important business tool. Good point.

That’s the thing with me. Some of Smugmug’s customers expect me to be on it and responsive. Plus there’s a bit of FOMO; what if I miss a friend or family member’s vacation updates so I sound like I wasn’t interested in them when they come over to the house?