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Google makes a lot of genuinely useful products and services. We've all got to wrestle with the privacy tradeoffs of "free" maps, "free" email, "free" Android, etc. But at least the satisfaction of using well-built tools to accomplish more is enough of an offset to many people.

Facebook is much more likely to be seen as a guilty pleasure, or a marvelous time-waster, or something else that's a bit farther down the utility curve.



Perhaps in some countries/demos. I'd bet Instagram and WhatsApp for free, basic communication are seen as much higher utility in a significant amount of the global population.


But much of that utility comes from the fact that everyone uses it, rather than some inherent quality of the product, like is the case for Maps. Feeling somewhat "forced" to use it does not help with a positive view of the company.


> Instagram

Don't see its utility. It is a proper time waste.

> Whatsapp

It is indeed the most popular, but isn't unique in what it offers. Many others do what whatsapp does just as well, but none have the number of users.


Facebook makes products that many people find genuinely useful, it just makes fewer of them.




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