It erases YOUR memory, inside “YOUR” diary.

Facebook sucks. If you still disagree, go here. What is less discussed is that Facebook also sucks in a particulary obnoxious way that I first noticed years ago, but had forgotten until last week.

“Facebook is successful precisely because…”

A few days ago, I shared on a Facebook group my not really humble opinion that Gmail sucks (long story for another day). Another member of that group replied, basically, that no, Gmail is what users show they prefer, because “Google is a data driven company. Facebook also, is successful precisely because it is adapted to what the data shows people respond to, and not because it forces its paradigm onto people…."

Huh? Sorry, no. No way. That sentence above could apply to drug dealers and tobacco companies. And indeed, Facebook is just like a tobacco company.

Facebook is addictive, not successful in any healthy, positive sense of the word. People respond to junk food too (including me, alas). So what? It doesn’t mean at all that the very few people who never ate it are wrong, or that their example should not be followed.

And now, that little, BIG reason why Facebook REALLY sucks

During that discussion, I came across something that sucks, but only exists “precisely because” Facebook says so.

The day before that discussion about Gmail, someone (Person A) posted on another Facebook group a harsh critic of the administrator of that group (Person B). Heavy discussion ensued. I and other members of that group completely disagreed with Person A, exchanging lots of comments, with lots of detailed arguments.

After arguing about Gmail, I decided to go back to that discussion, and rediscovered another way in which Facebook “forces its paradigm onto people”.

That post and all the comments it received had vanished. My understanding is that the group administrator simply removed that post, and the whole thread of discussions attached to it.

As far as I am concerned, there was nothing wrong, or worthwhile arguing over anyway, over that cancelation. When someone creates… No, sorry: when someone rents a group for free on Facebook, that person owns it and rules it as he or she pretty darn pleases. Until Facebook allows it, of course. These things happen, and the only sensible way to handle them is this. However…

Where are MY memories?

All the comments that I had made into that canceled thread have also vanished from MY OWN, personal Facebook Activity Log.

This is unacceptable, almost disgusting, I would say. If I come to a party in YOUR house and a fight ensues, you have every right to kick me and everybody else out, without even bothering to figure out what happened.

And if you call the police and they beat and arrest everybody without asking, that is not your fault, of course. But you, or the police, erasing MY memories of that event? NO WAY that can be right.

Yet, this is exactly what Facebook does every time a post is canceled. And everyboby, me included so far, have to tolerate this absurdity, simply because there is no other way to interact with too many people who can’t handle anything but Facebook. And if this is what “people respond to” then people are dead wrong, I don’t care how many they are.

Take away lessons:

• Facebook sucks big time
• always, always make a copy, right away, of everything, everything that you post on Facebook, and that you may want to keep or reuse some day.