[fraboniface]

> We know parents want to feel confident that their teens can use social media to connect with their friends and explore their interests, without having to worry about unsafe or inappropriate experiences.

Or how to ignore the fact that the problem with social media is not harmful content, it's the social media itself. The addiction, the loss of time, and the constant comparison with others. Go design a social media without those.

[agoodusername63]

I'm not really sure that's possible. Cohost tried and well, they died.

The nature of social media just leads to it's very unhealthy problems. By taking away the ability for social media to make viral posts, you take away a lot of the reason people use it. To see popular posts and memes. Then nobody uses it, so nobody sees the ads, so advertisers leave, etc etc.

Personally, I'd be happy if we all went back to interest forums that aren't reddit. But I'm not going to pretend that age is going to come back without deeply overreaching legislation.

[CamelCaseName]

People hate it, but the ideal social media platform was early Facebook.

Connect with just your friends and family, and optionally groups/pages.

[DavidPeiffer]

> optionally groups/pages.

My goodness I wish I could go down to just friends and family on Facebook. Maybe 6 months ago they started aggressively showing other groups I don't care about. Right now, it showed:

3 posts from pages or friends I follow

17 from pages I have never cared about or followed

1 from a page I follow

23 from pages I have never followed

It feels more like reddit than what I care about most - my friends and family.

[Ajedi32]

I almost exclusively use the Friends feed[1] now.

Unfortunately it doesn't get rid of sponsored posts or reshares of pages/links from friends, but its closer.

[1]: https://www.facebook.com/?filter=friends&sk=h_chr

[amomchilov]

Engagggge. Consume the slop. Shareholders demand it!

[thefz]

> People hate it, but the ideal social media platform was early Facebook.

Even that has two major flaws:

First, people while using it compare other's highlights to their own norm. Look, this couple can afford a fancy vacation while we don't.

Second, it was still a tool to peer int other people's lives, and gossip.

[iamacyborg]

Early Facebook was great, heck even Google+ at launch was great.

[fraboniface]

Maybe I was unclear (not a native speaker) but that's what I meant: good luck designing a social media without those. So yes, I agree with you.

[jankyxenon]

TikTok forced instagram to go down the route of short form videos that source content from outside your immediate network.

The most attention capturing innovations will take the market. If Facebook didn’t stay on top of it, someone else would.

[tugdual]

The closest thing I believe we have as a neutral social media platform is Telegram. You can follow people, talk to friends with a performant interface without having a company who's main goal financially is making you see ads.

There is very little parasocial relationship on the platform although this could definetly grow as channels become a medium for influencers.

[wubrr]

True, but the things you mentioned are the (unhealthy) reason social media is so popular.

[31337Logic]

And we all know that being popular is the most important thing at all times. :-/

[wubrr]

It's pretty much the most important thing for for-profit social media companies, yes.

[devnullbrain]

This is cute but ignores the rampant unpoliced grooming.