Friday, January 23, 2015

Facebook Quirk

In December last year, Mark Zuckerberg said Facebook is considering ways users can express their feelings beyond the "like" button. However he quickly dismissed any idea the social network will ever add the long-requested "dislike" button. There are times when you may want the simplicity of a one-click response and a "like" doesn't feel appropriate, but Zuckerberg thinks a "dislike" is too much of a negative sentiment.

The problem with the status quo is that sometimes you can't add a negative comment without clicking on the "like" button first. If Adolf Hitler were to have a Facebook page today, he would easily be flooded with tons of brickbats, all 6 million of which may have to "like" him first. Which is why the number of "likes" is never an accurate measure of popularity.

A netizen came across another interesting feature of Facebook not commonly known. Apparently his very public contribution of a sentiment from the heart vanished mysteriously, only to reappear visible only to him and his Facebook friends. No, his Facebook account was not hacked by some overzealous administrator, but most likely was thwarted by exploiting some privacy setting.

The question remains as to why someone would do that. Especially when this Saturday is supposed to be occasion for a mini version of China's "Hundred Flowers Campaign" (simplified Chinese: 百花运动),  a period in 1956 in the People's Republic of China when the Communist Party of China (CPC) encouraged its citizens to openly express their opinions. The  true nature of the exercise has always been questioned by historians, especially when the "Anti-Rightist Movement" that shortly followed resulted in the persecution of intellectuals, officials, students, artists and dissidents. All of whom would have clicked on the "like" button, if Mao Zedong had a Facebook account.

23 comments:

  1. It was clear that our PM had to resort to the finer tricks in Facebook to make whatever disagreeable comments disappear from the general public. Perhaps, his cronies had consulted the Founder of Facebook who incidentally is among us Singaporeans now, right?

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  2. He could even make disagreeable people disappear if he wanted to. Facebook is meant to save his face.

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  3. Tsk, tsk, tsk..

    And I thought feedback ( of any sort ) is supposed to be embraced. The diversity of views helps understand issues better... I suppose its all just 'noise' to him.

    Ignoring the noise is perilous... it will be more than a roar.

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  4. 50 years and counting, and they continue their ostriches-heads-in-the-sand behavior. Nothing has changed.

    Everyone is a Charlie. But He is a Lee.

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  5. The insincerity is exposed when the Q&A is only open for a very limited period, isn' it? Does the Clown expects the questions to stop the minute it is closed ? Unlike the sheningans still continues even when the apology has been uttered?

    If I were to ask why is the CEO wife still around even when billions have been lost, do you honestly believe he will ever entertain such a question?

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    Replies
    1. I never understood how his wife got to manage a SWF with hundreds of billions of dollars...

      Delete
    2. Father knows best.

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    3. Wow, he allocates 45 minutes only - 11.45 to 12:30 - to fix the citizens' concerns, and spends the rest of his waking hours trying to fix the opposition.

      Delete
  6. Listen only to the good stuff...
    Gold 90.5 FT

    ReplyDelete
  7. His wife is selected by a meritorious panel which is in turn picked by other meritocratic individuals.

    In other words - They scratch his back and he scratch theirs in our system some term as merito-quanxi.

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  8. Pls ask any questions you want, otherwise someone will think everything is fine and everyone is satisfied.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I disagree.
      Better tell the deaf frog everything is fine.
      Let the problems all surface as one crisis after another.
      Why should we pay him a million dollar salary and also have to do his job for him by spoon feeding him all the problems and constructive solutions.
      Let the problems all boil over just like the rat population.

      "The National Environment Agency (NEA) has found 10,000 rat burrows around the island in just the two months of October and November last year."

      SOURCE:
      http://www.theonlinecitizen.com/2015/01/number-of-rat-burrows-very-alarming-expert/

      Delete
    2. /// Let the problems all boil over just like the rat population. ///
      Anonymous1/23/2015 6:04 PM

      You may be on to a good idea there. The rich families I know started questioning PAP and LHL's abilities when they saw the Little India Riots on TV. Nothing wakes up rich people faster than when their property values come under threat.

      Delete
    3. Why should I bother asking PM Lee questions?
      We should just vote in more Opposition MPs to ask PM Lee the questions in parliament.

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    4. The answer is " What's wrong with collecting more money? "
      So what question do you want to ask PM Lee?

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    5. The answer is " The government cannot do everything. "
      The question is ' If you cannot do anything, what for you want to be a parasite government ? "
      Lead, follow or get out of the way.
      Clearly, you and your father should be voted out.

      Delete
  9. He was probably irked because 4823 people "liked' the questions sent by Mr Hengthirteen, questions too uncomfortable to reply. If not taken down, it may balloon to an embarrassingly high number which cannot be ignored, even with his thick flame-proof skin. Who knows, on Saturday during the Q & A, this gabra king may commit his usual gaffes, like when he spilled the beans on fixing the opposition.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You should stop by theonlinecitizen to check out the poll on which 24 PAP MPs should retire in the upcoming GE. LOL.

      Delete
    2. - Just tick the box that says "all of the above"
      - 24 new PAP candidates. We've perfected human cloning.
      - who do these 24 PAP MP represent? PAP or Singaporeans?

      Delete
  10. Anyone want to poke him?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You didn't miss anything. Like his NatCon (National Con), this NetCon (Netizens Con) ended with a wimper, an utter waste of time. So what new earth-shattering stuff have we learned? Both were intended to distratct people from his inadequacies and incompetence. Did he answer Mr Hengthirteen's hard-hitting questions/comments? Perhaps he is too chicken to engage in a real forum, like a debate?

      Delete
    2. Net Con?
      Looks more like mental masturbation or verbal tai chi.
      Reminds me of a circle jerk off.
      A bunch of PAPigs standing in a circle jerking off.
      The one who shoots first is the winner.

      Sort of like a "discussion forum" with an audience of handpicked PAPigs in attendance to guide the discussion.

      Delete
  11. And I thought feedback ( of any sort ) is supposed to be embraced. The diversity of views helps understand issues better... I suppose its all just 'noise' to himfacebook

    ReplyDelete