What ads? ... .... (/laughing in TBB and uBlock). You could use Twitter instead of Facebook, at least a bit more control since Twitter overall gives more 'er about GDPR/tracking etc. (Check their settings)
Too many of us work 8 hours plus commute, and then spend whatever limited time we have scrolling Facebook or watching TV like a sack of potatoes. FB is literally designed to consume or waste as much of your time as possible. Period. My goal is to take those same 4-5 hours, and strive to put them towards something useful. (We will see how that turns out.) FB: I have not learned one single thing nor benefited by it's use in all the time I've spent there. The ONLY benefit IMO, is sharing baby pictures or life moments with distant relatives or friends. That, and the utility of Facebook messenger as a consistent means of maintaining contact. Instagram: A place to show off & status whoring at it's best. Who can get the best photo. Twitter: if you have the right feed or group of interests, you can learn & benefit greatly. But it also exposes the toxicity of complete strangers and 'non-friends." Myself, I'd rather be shot in the face, than care about number of likes or approval I get from complete or distant strangers. Concern over the number of likes on a post has crossed my mind. But I realized how stupid that was and walked away. Unless you're into marketing there is no benefit to be had from the effort. (If you're single however, you can also use it to your benefit. But I'm not.)
To be honest, I despise social media. It's easy to be opinionated. Everyone trying to sway opinions of others. The sheer stupidity some of the people have. "Sharia Law can solve anything! We must establish an caliphate!" How the f**k should this thing solve all our problems? "The defense minister is s**t for not blowing up the Chinese military vessel in our territory!" Did they even know that it'll trigger a war. Maybe the educational system has failed big time. What the f**k. Einstein is right about his quote. "Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe."
social media is a place I go for comedy, most people on it are the "ME ME ME look at me crowd where people can say things that aren't true and claim them as facts ! they unfriend people they don't even know they befriend people they don't know , blame trump because it rained, and blame everybody else for the crap life they have
So is a frozen hot dog. All kidding aside, you're correct. It is a double-edge sword in that it can be used for good or evil.
@Joe C: You have a dirty mind. You could use it to feed a rabbid animal or a homeless man and perhaps escape a fate worse than COVID.
That's why audible exists, for the commutes. Also the NYC subway is more interesting that any social media, it should be rated MA, there is strong language, nudity and violence! Social media is more about narcissism, have you taken a look at Snapchat Community posts? Everything these day is about what it looks like! I pity people that want to get married or even have a proper relationship these days. There is a steaming pile of dysfunctional human beings out there to choose from. The term relations**t would be relevant!