Blathr Wayne Lorentz

I received another check in the mail from Facebook for violating my privacy. I think this is the third check.

Itʼs been said that Facebook makes $20 per month (or is it year?) from each user. Based on the number of months I was a user, and the total amount of the checks I've gotten from Facebook, it lost a bundle on me.

Facebook claims to have the “smartest people in the room” working for it.

If Facebook canʼt keep its web site working, what chance do I have?

My Facebook feed this morning:

• An important service alert from a transit agency in some other city.
• An obviously fake friend request from someone who thinks a Sharpie is an eyebrow pencil.
• A promoted post from some company Iʼve never heard of pushing something I donʼt care about.
• “People You May Know” who are all people I donʼt know.
• Someone elseʼs memory of an event 5 years ago I wasnʼt at and donʼt care about.
• A post from a “neighborhood” group on the other side of town.
• A “Suggested Post” about something I donʼt care about.
• A post in a language that I donʼt speak, but thatʼs OK because I do follow the Yomiuri Giants.
• A post from the state parks people about a state park 400 miles away.
• An image caption repost of a repost of a repost of a repost from someone who thinks that lifeʼs problems can be solved by re-posting other peopleʼs refrigerator magnet thoughts.
• An ad for a coffee chain in another city with no locations within 700 miles.
• A “Breaking News” weather alert about a dust storm last week.
• A news item that a local TV station posted three months ago.
• A photograph of someone I donʼt know who is friends with someone who is friends with someone who might know this person
• A photo from an actual Facebook friend, but itʼs of his tween daughter in a leotard. Ummm…
• An ad for a coffee chain in another country.
• One of those “URGENT! URGENT!1!11!! Please help us find out dog!” re-posts from someone 2,500 miles away.
• A re-post of a image caption thatʼs been around since the 1990ʼs.

Good job, Facebook. Glad to see the $70 billion spent on “user engagement AI” is working out for you.