Facebook opening up to non-students was the turning point IMHO. Myspace was big, but everybody knew it was trash so not being on it was fine. If you wanted "a profile" otherwise, you needed your own page. That took effort, so only people with something to say bothered with it. Even Twitter was still SMS based and so only for hardcore addicts.

Facebook gave everyone an effortless voice and lordy, do people talk crap.

[–] grue@lemmy.world 18 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Being opened up to non-students might very well have been the turning point when the experience using it turned to crap, but it's always worth pointing out that it was nefarious from the get-go.

Zuckerberg: Yeah so if you ever need info about anyone at Harvard
Zuckerberg: Just ask
Zuckerberg: I have over 4,000 emails, pictures, addresses, SNS
[Redacted Friend's Name]: What? How'd you manage that one?
Zuckerberg: People just submitted it.
Zuckerberg: I don't know why.
Zuckerberg: They "trust me"
Zuckerberg: Dumb fucks

[–] rottingleaf@lemmy.zip 7 points 11 months ago

I mean, the last line has a grain of truth in it.

[–] rab@lemmy.ca 3 points 11 months ago

I think the iPhone was, that's when every person went online not just the nerds. Initial Facebook was actually pretty awesome before everyone had a smartphone