One of many reasons for Facebook

Like Facebook or not, here's the kind of thing that keeps Facebook so pervasive as a tool for self expression. One of the NPR shows that I follow, The1A from WAMU Radio, has just shut down the comments section on it's website. It says there is too much abuse and too many bots. They don't have enough resources to moderate the comments section. The notice also says one can continue to comment on their - Facebook page. Also on their Twitter presence. This is because it's easier to verify who's making the comments using the existing Facebook system, rather than managing their own comments section.

Not that I used the comments section that much, but I did use it some. When using it, logged in with another system that I like. It's an alternative to Facebook, but a bit different. A system called Disqus. Disqus is a social media that manages one's comments to other media. I'm afraid Disqus may no longer work for The1A site, at least for now.

My feed on Disqus where I've signed in while to use the comments section in some other medias, such as radio stations and publications. You can get an idea how Disqus works.

One problem with big media outlets, which has been the case for decades. Information overload. This is a big country, now 320 million people. On national media, one's comments are usually lost among thousands of comments, since the internet age when comment pages became available. Before the internet age, one could write letters to the editor, like to the New York Times, but there was only room for a handful of letters given the volume of mail they got. Local media did better being on a smaller scale. The Bellingham Herald used to pride itself in being able to publish almost every letter to the editor it got.

One thing Facebook has done is create a system that breaks up the size of audiences to facilitate more discussion; like breaking a lecture class into group discussions. Except for celebrities, one's personal friends are usually one's most likely audience. Facebook builds from that as often the larger audiences start among friends and then spreads from there. I do think other systems, like Disqus also have merit.