Tuesday, March 27, 2018

My Russian Bot


I don’t spend much time on Facebook: 1) Boomers tend to worry about privacy and 2) my creds are weak—no kids, no grandkids, no creds.
Furthermore, my FB adventure in 2014-15 (see previous post) convinced me the thing worked for Zuck, but didn’t do jack for a woman producing local history.
Last year, I friended a woman with the same name as one who had been in the convent with my sister. Nonetheless, earlier this year, “she” posted a picture of a Norman Rockwell-ish 50s family in church that out-Cleavered the Cleavers: the mom and little girl in hats and white gloves, the dad and boy in suits. The tagline said something about freedom of religion. Next, “she” posted this graphic: Anybody who supports Planned Parenthood and opposes the NRA is a hypocrite.”
I had been getting on Facebook more of late since all the talk of Russian trolls—wanted to see if I could spot one. So after the PP/NRA post I wrote her, “Are U a real person or a Russian ‘bot? In any case, Nyet! If we Americans don’t wake up, cut out the polarizing dictums, posts & thinking we are going to lose the few freedoms we have.” She turned out to be another woman—than had been in the convent with my sister—altogether.

Of course, any critical eye can see that polarization is just what Zuck profits from!

Friday, March 23, 2018

Adventures on FBk or P*#k U Zuck!


If you want to know how Facebook treats the people whose data it sells, here's what happened to me: I made a FB page for the Beall Project (local history) when I was writing/producing it in 2014-15, and then one for myself.
On them, I set about befriending anybody and everybody around town, especially people who came into the Club 528, where I was waitressing then.
FB said I didn't know the people I was befriending by the dozens and some didn't want to be friends with me. 
I said, "I know them better than you do, I saw them at the Club 528 last weekend/month."
FB warned me to stop; I didn't, so they threw me off. 
After a month or six weeks they started sending me messages to come back. I thought F#*k U Zuck; you had your chance with me. By then, I was too busy anyway--in rehearsals for the Beall play.
Though recently, I have gone back on there to see if I can identify who's a Russian troll, and I think I found one.

I guess the bottom line is Facebook has a right to make billions selling everything it can get its hands on but somebody doing local history can’t make an extra $5 or $10 trying to hype her play.