9 Comments
User's avatar
Len Layton's avatar

I always hoped that something would save us from psychopaths like Zuck - advertising has only ever been about 1-2% of gdp but these assholes worked out how to grow the pie via addictive dark patterns and overt behavioural manipulations. Right thinking societies are slowly realizing these platforms only take and add no value whatsoever. Like tobacco, if you can cut of the pipeline, you can stop the harm.

Len Layton's avatar

I always hoped that something would save us from psychopaths like Zuck - advertising has only ever been about 1-2% of gdp. But these assholes worked out how to grow the pie via addictive dark patterns and overt behavioural manipulations. Right thinking societies are slowly realizing these platforms only take and add no value whatsoever. Like tobacco, if you can cut of the pipeline, you can stop the harm.

Fred Portland's avatar

Thanks, Matt, that’s a work in progress. I think I crafted my question too narrowly around my own interests. Of the bigger picture, Facebook and Instagram as you guys said, still have massive audiences, but what does it mean ultimately for advertising on those platforms if they are in a longer term death spiral? Is advertising on Yahoo still effective?

Ralph's avatar

Not soon enough.

Fred Portland's avatar

Ok, I listened to the entirety of your latest podcast, Meta is Dying and I have a $64,000 question. Wait, no, maybe more a 64 billion dollar question: If Meta is dying, and their sole economic engine is advertising, is it still worth it for the small entrepreneur to advertise on their networks, principally, Instagram but you can add Facebook to the list too? I’m a big fan of your show and BIG newsletter!

Matt Stoller's avatar

If it gets you customers, then yes. If not, then no.

An's avatar
Jun 18Edited

Not really. The algorithm doesn't show my posts on IG, and hasn't in a few years. Maybe if I did reels. People are using it as a portfolio, to have if somebody looks you up. Stories have a better reach than posts. It's what I put up and look at, mainly.

I deleted most of what I had posted in my business account on FB years ago, so fed up with the junk of ads. Just didn't have time to delete it all and close the account. It became useless years ago.

The Real Cornpop's avatar

Not a day too soon, but also it's like … duh? Mark is perhaps the most perceptively stupid of the tech bro billionaires in that his delusions aren't even grand like Musks or Thiel's (dark as those grandeurs are, they genuinely invoke imagination in a sort of otherworldly way). Marks tho? I mean it's all SO banal and SO expensive