[Taek]

I really dislike the suggestion "just have better self control". It's you versus an army of machine learning experts all tuning algorithm on personal data about you to learn your weaknesses and bait you into spending more time on the app.

Blaming the consumer ignores the adversarial role that the apps play in our lives.

[abendy]

I agree. I wasn’t trying to place blame merely stating that there are ways to make the experience personal and closed to the people you know only. The sentence following the one you’re referring to was meant to convey your sentiments.

[sneak]

The fact that you use the term "bait" illustrates that it is about self-control and not compulsion.

It's absolutely not adversarial. People voluntarily install these apps. This is opt-in advertising.

[fdjm]

They don't install the apps for the purpose of seeing advertising, and there's no way to opt out of the ads, so I don't think that is a good assessment.

[sneak]

I never see Instagram ads, but then again I don't have an Instagram account or have the app installed.

The opt out button is the "delete account" button. Instagram and Facebook's surveillance-based advertising systems are one and the same.

[cmoscoso]

Delete the app and the army goes puff.

[Taek]

Then I can't message my extended family. I have no way to reach the friends I made in Costa Rica. Some of my business contacts in Europe only use adtech platforms to communicate.

You can't just delete the app. You have to fully opt out of a significant portion of the global ecosystem.