Agreed. Back when FB started, it was a convenient way to keep in touch with school friends. You could go over to their pages and see what they were up to lately. Then they added a chronological news feed, and while some people objected, I didn't mind. By the time I left last year, it was an inscrutable Skinner box full of ads.
The thing that really pisses me off, though, is the way Google has gone downhill. I remember when they launched, in a world of Lycos and Alta Vista, how refreshing it was to have a simple text box for search, that took you to a list of blue links. After awhile, there were clearly-labeled text ads along the right side, which was much better than the flashing banners on other sites. Now, the ads are mixed in with the search results and designed to confuse, and Google boosts its own properties into the carousel on top. I still sometimes use Google, but always vaguely dreading what new clutter or dark pattern they have added to the SERP since my last visit.
In both cases, a once-useful product was A/B-tested to within an inch of its life, maximizing engagement/surveillance while keeping it just bearable enough for not too many users to leave.
The thing that really pisses me off, though, is the way Google has gone downhill. I remember when they launched, in a world of Lycos and Alta Vista, how refreshing it was to have a simple text box for search, that took you to a list of blue links. After awhile, there were clearly-labeled text ads along the right side, which was much better than the flashing banners on other sites. Now, the ads are mixed in with the search results and designed to confuse, and Google boosts its own properties into the carousel on top. I still sometimes use Google, but always vaguely dreading what new clutter or dark pattern they have added to the SERP since my last visit.
In both cases, a once-useful product was A/B-tested to within an inch of its life, maximizing engagement/surveillance while keeping it just bearable enough for not too many users to leave.