{"id":1865,"date":"2021-11-28T19:51:53","date_gmt":"2021-11-28T18:51:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/monblogeur.tech\/index.php\/2021\/11\/28\/those-predicting-facebooks-demise-are-blowing-smoke-thehill-the-hill\/"},"modified":"2021-11-28T19:51:53","modified_gmt":"2021-11-28T18:51:53","slug":"those-predicting-facebooks-demise-are-blowing-smoke-thehill-the-hill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/monblogeur.tech\/index.php\/2021\/11\/28\/those-predicting-facebooks-demise-are-blowing-smoke-thehill-the-hill\/","title":{"rendered":"Those predicting Facebook&#039;s demise are blowing smoke | TheHill &#8211; The Hill"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"cfbc967f0983488262956e73eca9483a\" data-index=\"1\" style=\"float: none; margin:10px 0 10px 0; text-align:center;\">\n<script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3859091246952232\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- blok -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3859091246952232\" data-ad-slot=\"1334354390\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\r\n\n<\/div>\n<p>       &copy; 1998-2021 Nexstar Media Inc.<br \/>       All Rights Reserved     <br \/>Meta, the company formerly known as Facebook, has staked its claim in a future \u201cmetaverse\u201d \u2014 a three-dimensional virtual reality world.\u00a0<br \/>The reactions to Meta\u2019s rebranding have been mixed at best. The New York Times published Meta\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2021\/10\/04\/technology\/facebook-files.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">obituary<\/a>. Others <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thevibes.com\/articles\/world\/45895\/twitter-users-have-good-laugh-over-facebook-rebranding\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">laugh<\/a> off this rebranding as a cartoonish fantasy of a company with the reputational baggage approaching that of tobacco companies.<br \/>But not so fast. Tobacco companies are still here \u2013 decades after they fell out of favor in the United States \u2013 and are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.macrotrends.net\/stocks\/charts\/MO\/altria\/gross-profit\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">very profitable<\/a> as smoking remains commonplace in many areas around the world. Meta will likely remain popular too, and with a much larger and lasting scope than tobacco ever dreamed of and a vision to further fuel itself.<br \/>Meta indeed has a reputation as the \u201cbad boy\u201d among technology titans because of its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.trtworld.com\/magazine\/a-recent-history-of-facebook-scandals-26157\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">scandalous history<\/a> of spectacularly large data breaches, foreign influence campaigns, marketing to children in spite of the potential psychological damage the platform may cause and allegedly making its products as addictive as possible. The list goes on.<br \/>Yet despite the seemingly endless string of negative headlines, Meta is humongously <a href=\"https:\/\/www.investopedia.com\/ask\/answers\/120114\/how-does-facebook-fb-make-money.asp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">profitable<\/a> and used by <a href=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/facebook-users\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">2.85 billion<\/a> people, more than one-third of the world\u2019s population of <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/World_population\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">7.9 billion<\/a>.<br \/>What makes Meta so \u201csticky\u201d?<br \/>Yes, it can be an engaging product flush with photos and videos. It contains some compelling content, Facebook Marketplace, Messenger and other practical uses. It even reminds friends to wish each other happy birthday. But content exists elsewhere, too. \u00a0Such usages are the spokes of Facebook\u2019s wheel of success, not its hub.<\/p>\n<p> Meta is so sticky because in addition to being a means to connect, it has conditioned us to believe that connecting on its platform is a mark or symbol of true friendship.\u00a0<br \/>It\u2019s like the \u201cfriendship ring\u201d in elementary school. If you take the friendship ring off, the friend will wonder what happened and may take it as a sign you are no longer friends.<br \/>With Meta, though, the friendship ring does not go away as you grow up. Practically speaking, you cannot escape it. If you are not on Facebook, you will hear about it. If you are, you may loathe it, but you are likely to stay on.<br \/>If you do delete your Facebook profile, your friends will wonder what has happened and may leap to the conclusion that you no longer like them enough to stay connected.\u00a0 Imagine trying to explain to hundreds of people why you no longer want to be called their \u201cfriend.\u201d<br \/>The worst would be if you do it selectively. Then the person from whom you disconnect on Facebook will wonder why you are no longer their \u201cfriend\u201d but still a \u201cfriend\u201d to others.<br \/>To be sure, some digital nomads exist who leave Meta and perhaps other social media altogether. They can send a blanket notice to everyone, stating why they are leaving the platform, as some have done. In so doing, some of their \u201cfriends\u201d still might take it as a slight if Meta is the only remaining means through which they had long remained connected.\u00a0<br \/>Yet many of these nomads return as Meta reminds them by email that if they do not, they may lose all their data and connections. The remaining holdouts risk missing out on major life announcements such as births, marriages, deaths and other information, at least closer to real time.\u00a0<br \/>What a coup \u2014 Meta has woven use of its products in with the very definition of friendship. No wonder there are 2.85 billion active users.<\/p>\n<p> Why do Meta and other social media platforms constantly \u201csuggest\u201d friends for us? Is it because they are trying to be helpful?<br \/>Of course not. They want you to stay engaged and to know more about whom you associate with so they can sell advertisements that market to specific users.<br \/>We want to be where our family and friends are. It is as simple as that. And we do not want to leave or abandon them.<br \/>So riddling is this conundrum that there is even a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fastcompany.com\/1839160\/dump-facebook-keep-your-friends-step-step-guide\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">step-by-step guide<\/a> on how to quit Facebook while keeping your friends.\u00a0<br \/>The many who remain often end up with more \u201cfriends\u201d than they bargained for, even though \u201cthere are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.psychologytoday.com\/us\/blog\/modern-minds\/202003\/facebook-friends-the-real-deal-or-social-mirage\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">limits<\/a> to the number of people we can cultivate meaningful relationships with, online or otherwise. The magic number, according to British anthropologist Robin Dunbar, is about 150.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/0047-2484(92)90081-J\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">His theory\u00a0<\/a>says that we can realistically maintain approximately 150 connections at once.<br \/>Even though the human attention span is only so long, people stay loyal to Meta\u2019s \u201cfriendship\u201d model and are \u201cfriended\u201d by more and more people.<br \/>It is true that some younger people do not believe Meta is cool because their <a href=\"https:\/\/tech.co\/news\/facebook-lost-young-people-forever-2018-06\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">parents use it<\/a>. Yes, it is becoming \u201cold school.\u201d But those same youth still maintain at least a shell of an account, while regularly using other applications owned by Meta, including Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp.<br \/>No wonder Facebook had the audacity to rebrand itself Meta. It already has a \u201cpatent\u201d on friendship, and people go where their friends are. Meta has co-opted the word \u201cfriend\u201d and the concept of friendship. That\u2019s an incredible feat.\u00a0<br \/>If the metaverse takes off as technology evangelists <a href=\"https:\/\/topinfoforex.aladinballet.org\/2021\/09\/the-metaverse-is-coming-heres-what-you.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">predict<\/a>, people will want first and foremost to connect with their friendship circles woven over the years via Meta. In the meantime, over the next <a href=\"https:\/\/theglobalherald.com\/news\/facebooks-metaverse-vp-this-is-very-much-a-long-term-investment-%EF%BF%BD%EF%BF%BD%EF%BF%BD-a-5-10-15-year-journey\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">five, 10 or 15 years<\/a>, Meta will continue to compile hoards of cash with its existing platforms, which Meta can in turn use to fuel its vision to dominate the metaverse.<br \/>Do not expect Congress to stand in Meta\u2019s way. A number of lawmakers own <a href=\"https:\/\/readsludge.com\/2021\/10\/15\/members-of-congress-own-millions-in-facebook-stock-while-weighing-new-tech-laws\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">sizable stock positions<\/a> in Meta. Meta also spends <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2021\/01\/22\/facebook-spent-more-on-lobbying-than-any-other-big-tech-company-in-2020.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">tens of millions<\/a> of dollars in lobbying per quarter, more than any other technology company. Lawmakers may wag their fingers and feign outrage at the latest scandal, but they do little to nothing to impede Meta\u2019s path.<br \/>Provided Meta can keep on par technologically with the competition with its sizable research and development budget, it has a running start with the sticky web of \u201cfriends\u201d it has already woven with billions of people over more than a decade.<br \/>Meta is here to stay. Bet on it.<br \/><em>Chad Bayse is an attorney and Navy judge advocate. He was a counselor to Attorney General <span class=\"rollover-people\" data-behavior=\"rolloverpeople\"><a class=\"rollover-people-link\" data-nid=\"188198\" href=\"\/people\/jeff-sessions\">Jeff Sessions<\/a><span class=\"rollover-people-block\" id=\"rollover-people-188198\"><span class=\"rollover-block\"><span><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" typeof=\"foaf:Image\" src=\"\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/thumb_100\/public\/sessions-jeff-getty.jpg?itok=7bDOOUFt\" width=\"100\" height=\"100\" alt=\"\" \/><a class=\"name\" href=\"\/people\/jeff-sessions\">Jefferson (Jeff) Beauregard Sessions<\/a><a class=\"people-articles\" href=\"\/opinion\/technology\/583139-those-predicting-facebooks-demise-are-blowing-smoke\">Those predicting Facebook&rsquo;s demise are blowing smoke<\/a> <a class=\"people-articles\" href=\"\/opinion\/finance\/582155-if-bitcoin-is-digital-gold-it-should-be-taxed-like-gold\">If bitcoin is &lsquo;digital gold,&rsquo; it should be taxed like gold<\/a> <a class=\"people-articles\" href=\"\/opinion\/technology\/580437-the-metaverse-is-coming-society-should-be-wary\">The metaverse is coming \u2014 society should be wary<\/a> <a class=\"more\" href=\"\/people\/jeff-sessions\">MORE<span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> and attorney-advisor at the National Security Agency. The views expressed in this article are his own and not those of the Department of the Defense or the Navy.\u00a0<\/em><br \/><a href=\"http:\/\/thehill-v4.disqus.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fthehill.com%2Fopinion%2Ftechnology%2F583139-those-predicting-facebooks-demise-are-blowing-smoke\">View the discussion thread.<\/a><br \/>The Hill 1625 K Street, NW Suite 900 Washington DC 20006 | 202-628-8500 tel | 202-628-8503 fax<br \/>The contents of this site are &copy; 1998 &#8211; 2021  Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/opinion\/technology\/583139-those-predicting-facebooks-demise-are-blowing-smoke\">source<\/a><\/p>\n<!--CusAds0-->\n<div style=\"font-size: 0px; height: 0px; line-height: 0px; margin: 0; padding: 0; clear: both;\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&copy; 1998-2021 Nexstar Media Inc. All Rights Reserved Meta, the company formerly known as Facebook, has staked its claim in a future \u201cmetaverse\u201d \u2014 a three-dimensional virtual reality world.\u00a0The reactions to Meta\u2019s rebranding have been mixed at best. The New York Times published Meta\u2019s obituary. Others laugh off this rebranding as a cartoonish fantasy of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"googlesitekit_rrm_CAow1sXXCw:productID":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1865","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-non-classe"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/monblogeur.tech\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1865","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/monblogeur.tech\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/monblogeur.tech\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/monblogeur.tech\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/monblogeur.tech\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1865"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/monblogeur.tech\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1865\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/monblogeur.tech\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1865"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/monblogeur.tech\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1865"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/monblogeur.tech\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1865"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}