Hacker News Reader

Hacker News

Comment by danjoc | Hacker News Reader

Parent Full thread

danjoc

It works on hacker news too:

>Facebook should not be allowed to...

"It is Facebook's business! Don't like it? Go start your own!"

>Comcast should not be allowed to...

"Right on! Stick it to those price gouging monopolists!"

View on HN

I upvote things like this because it's a rare challenge that will leave everyone more enlightened. (sounds sarcastic but isn't) The internet is a utility now, and America doesn't have a variety of providers. But facebook is also pretty ubiquitous, to the point of employers thinking you're weird if you don't have a page.

Customers have ample alternatives to facebook, and avoidance of that entire product category is not debilitating. Neither are true of comcast's internet services.

what is an alternative to facebook (besides abstention, which I agree is viable in this product category)? the network effect is overwhelmingly strong.

Depends on how you define the product category. What teenagers used Facebook for 10 years ago, they use Snapchat for today. But what adults used Facebook for 10 years ago, adults still use Facebook for today.

Snapchat didn't exist 10 years ago, so I don't see your point.

I was answering the parent's question: if by "alternative to Facebook" you mean that you want the thing that made teenagers use Facebook in 2007, then the answer is that Snapchat is a viable Facebook... somehow. (I'm not too clear on how exactly myself, but it seems to work for them.)

> But what adults used Facebook for 10 years ago, adults still use Facebook for today.

I am a twenty-something without a Facebook account (used to have one, though). IMO, there isn't much I would want to do with Facebook that I can't do with email or texting.

Two different companies with two different types of businesses. I support Facebook's right to decide what's on their site, buto condemn any attempt of Comcast to screw with internet traffic. Especially given the lack of competition in the ISP space, I don't believe they should be anything more than dumb pipes.

"Obamacare" - ACA

Facebook - Comcast

Not.. even similar

How about:

Obamacare:ACA

Xfinity:Comcast

or (for many)

Spectrum:Time Warner

Reply on news.ycombinator.com