Except a bunch of people who matter to me are not as comfortable with technology as HN's readership and for them the easiest way to get hold of me (or anyone else) is via Facebook.
> Anyone that matters will be able to figure out how to get a hold of you.
I used to think like this in university and even a few years after but having grown my social circle beyond tech, I now find this line of thinking snobbish. On the contrary, since these people matter to me, I don't want them to have to figure out how to get hold of me. There should be a default option to get to me and for most of them that is, unfortunately, Facebook.
Yes email didn't suddenly stop working, IRC is still a thing, there are a lot of other apps out there that respect your privacy, etc., but these people buy the Android phone that fits their budget, sees that FB is installed by default and keeps in touch with that. And the UX of Messenger is just, hands down better and more personal than any email client their phone comes with.
It's not snobbish. Your way of thinking is insultingly infantilising.
I'm sorry for the disparity between your post length and mine, but there isn't anything else to say. You view the people around you as fundamentally incapable. "How ever did those poor, stupid assholes figure out how to talk to each other before us technical people came along?"
I don't view the people around me as "fundamentally incapable". I am saying they are _unwilling_ to adopt a mode of communication other than Facebook because of Facebook's _ubiquity_. And I think it's a big mistake not to acknowledge how much this ubiquity factors into Facebook's grip in the social media market.
You are saying: "Delete Facebook. It's easy, you will be happier". And all I am pointing out is why this is such a gross oversimplification of the issue to the point that it does not really contribute a viable solution.
> "How ever did those poor, stupid assholes figure out how to talk to each other before us technical people came along?"
I don't see how my post comes across as something as condescending as this. You misread me greatly.
> Anyone that matters will be able to figure out how to get a hold of you.
I used to think like this in university and even a few years after but having grown my social circle beyond tech, I now find this line of thinking snobbish. On the contrary, since these people matter to me, I don't want them to have to figure out how to get hold of me. There should be a default option to get to me and for most of them that is, unfortunately, Facebook.
Yes email didn't suddenly stop working, IRC is still a thing, there are a lot of other apps out there that respect your privacy, etc., but these people buy the Android phone that fits their budget, sees that FB is installed by default and keeps in touch with that. And the UX of Messenger is just, hands down better and more personal than any email client their phone comes with.