A New Network!

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I spend way too much time scrolling through social media.  Not only because I can't pull myself away but also because I have to get past all the ads and garbage to get to the people I care about.  Those of us who like to keep connected to our friends and loved ones will not be willing to give up our social networking, even though we are tired of the constant badgering by companies, ads, and reels.  I am rather excited to see that there may be something new to try that will help alleviate some of this frustration and help me pull myself away from the neverending newsfeed! It looks like I might be checking out favs sometime in January of 2024.  This article in TechCrunch explains how favs will allow limited posts, which helps to avoid too much content, and also encourage users to back away from their devices and do other things!  This actually sounds perfect for me and I hope my friends and family will try it along with me.  I am willing to admit I have far too many friends on Facebook and it is completely impossible to keep up with them all.  In fact, many of them have been acquaintances that I don't actually talk to.  A narrower list of friends to keep me updated on those I am closest to and a reminder to take time for other things is just what some of us need.  Let's go favs!  I am ready for you!

Stealth startup Favs raises ~$1M for its close-friends-only social network (TechCrunch 2023)

Comments

  1. Samantha MatherneSeptember 16, 2023 at 10:03 PM

    Shockingly, I'm 35 years old and not on Facebook, never have been. I enjoy being directly connected with the friends and family who choose to stay in my life without using Facebook. Your comment of having way more friends on the platform than you could conceivably keep in true contact with reminded me of that.

    Over a year ago I joined TikTok, though, and that app is way more addictive than I ever expected. #booktok is one of the best and worst things to happen to my reading. I actually appreciate when TikTokers I follow remind me to close the app and read my book! A social media platform having that feature built into it sounds very innovative & positively life-changing for many people. I wonder if Favs will eventually figure out a way to make those breaks from social media encouragements personalized.

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  2. Anna V.September 17, 2023 at 7:55 PM

    The idea of a new social network is so intriguing. I really like that Favs will be focusing on close friends. Facebook is great for keeping in contact with friends and family, and I enjoy reading friends' updates. I don't have a huge number of Facebook friends, however, it's still a lot of information to look through. It would be interesting to see what a smaller network is like. I also think the 10 minute limit on Favs is an excellent idea. The prompt to go and do something else seems like it would gently remind people about how much time they are spending scrolling. I would be interested to see if knowing there is a 10 minute window impacted how people browse, too.

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    Replies
    1. Samantha MatherneSeptember 19, 2023 at 1:11 PM

      I like your point about wondering how the 10-minute window might impact how people browse Favs. If I was limited to 10-minute usage times on TikTok, I would be seeking out my favorite creators, probably not scrolling through my FYP (for you page) very often or even randomly scrolling my following page. My attention would be more focused on creators I know I enjoy watching.

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