I have had moderator responsibilities in a group, it’s a thankless job, made more difficult by Facebook. There are structural deficiencies in the platform that make it difficult to follow conversations (can’t categorize or sort, hard to find older conversations), and it provides few tools for moderation; you can’t simply close a thread without deleting it, for example. THAT is what I meant when I said Facebook is a terrible platform for nuanced conversation. I have tried to get a group to move to a real discussion forum platform, but it simply doesn’t happen, the people involved are stuck on Facebook.

So, not “Facebook sucks, that’s the way it is, live with it or leave”, but “Facebook sucks, here are some reasons why I think it sucks, I sympathize, I don’t know what to do”.

The vast majority of the rants I see on Facebook are not from my friends. They are from the members of groups in which I participate. Group communication constitutes the lion’s share of my Facebook interactions. I tend to agree with the comment that Facebook is a terrible platform on which to have nuanced conversation, especially when you are referring to groups

Greta’s comment applies to groups the same as to friends: If the only Facebook interactions you see are mindless and immature ranting, maybe you need different Facebook groups. Because my facebook groups are fucking awesome: I learn a lot, they provide a social safety net, they help with my mental health, and I have met new awesome friends (as in actual friends, not fb “friends”) in these groups.

BTW I did abandon Facebook a while ago, but for other reasons.

I tend to agree with the comment that Facebook is a terrible platform on which to have nuanced conversation, especially when you are referring to groups, and where “ability to engage in nuanced conversation” is not a criterion for participation in the group.

elephantasy @ #2: Can I ask what, precisely, the point is here? Is the point, “Facebook is a terrible platform — so when people say sexist or transphobic or homophobic or otherwise bigoted things, don’t bother speaking up?”

Literally every time women speak up about sexism on the Internet, somebody replies with, “Oh, that’s just Facebook.” “That’s just Reddit.” “That’s just Twitter.” “Or else the generic, “That’s just the Internet.” What are women and other marginalized people supposed to do? The Internet in general, and social media in particular, is a huge part of where human social interaction takes place. It seems like you’re telling us to either ignore it, or leave.

I will say again: When you tell women, trans people, LGB people, and other marginalized people that Facebook just sucks so we should discount it or abandon it — you’re basically saying, “Your fight to improve the world shouldn’t include one of the central places where the world takes place.” You’re telling us to either isolate ourselves, or suck it up.

As for this:

The vast majority of the rants I see on Facebook are not from my friends. They are from the members of groups in which I participate.

So ask your friends to do a better job moderating. When I said, “maybe you need different Facebook friends,” I didn’t just mean “maybe you need friends with less shitty opinions.” I also meant, “maybe you need friends who are willing to moderate and curate their spaces better.”

(Although, if I may venture a suggestion: If the only Facebook interactions you see are mindless and immature ranting, maybe you need different Facebook friends.)

I’ve been coming to exactly this conclusion in my analysis of bad parenting memes at Grounded Parents. Maybe don’t be friends with asshats?