health: Aaron Hockley

الجمعة، 1 نوفمبر 2013

Aaron Hockley

WTF Hockley, or Facebook and Instagram Redux

Posted: 01 Nov 2013 10:12 AM PDT

tl;dr I (re)joined Facebook and Instagram.

I used to be in both places. Then, almost a year ago, I wrote a bit about deciding to leave both social networks. Without rehashing that entire post, I’ll say that it came down to being opposed to the behaviors of the company.

In the past year we’ve seen that Facebook and Instagram have continued being less-than-perfect. Alternatives have sprung up such as Pressgram¹. Google has started using personal data for explicit advertising, a la Facebook.

We’ve learned that the NSA is watching everything, regardless of company.

By the numbers, most folks are still on Facebook and Instagram when compared with alternative networks. Popularity isn’t everything, but it is something.

In the past several months I’ve had a few personal and a couple professional opportunities missed due to my non-Facebook and non-Instagram stance.

I’ve changed my mind. I’ve decided that while I still disagree with many things about how Facebook / Instagram does business, I suspect that the benefits of having a presence will outweigh potential downsides.

Was I wrong a year ago? Maybe. Am I right now? Maybe. Am I confident in those answers? Maybe.

We’ll see. Let’s be all social networky.

Follow my mobile photography on Instagramn (@hockleyphoto), or add me as a friend on Facebook.