204 - Facebook’s Decision to Ban News in Australia?

How do you feel about Facebook’s decision to ban news in Australia? And have your social media habits changed — if so, how? Let us know at nytaustralia@nytimes.com

As a Professional Engineer who migrated to Australia as early as 1976, I have subscribed to Murdoch's News Limited’s "Daily Telegraph" that was delivered to the house. Main reason for choosing telegraph was not the quality of content but the easy Tabloid format that was easy to read on a bus or train on the way to work and back. To wake up, brush teeth and sit down with the newspaper and a hot cuppa in the morning was exactly what my dad did in the 50's and 60's too.

However, say in the last five years I realised I was just looking at the headlines in my Daily Telegraph and not reading the articles as the news was stale already, as it was mostly yesterday's news from CNN, BBC, Al Jazeera, Sky News etc etc. So I unsubscribed From Telegraph for good.

Technological advancements make "News Papers & Magzines Obsolete". All of us remember how we used Audio Tapes and then switched to CD's and then to DVD's. Believe it or not I have a collection of over 1000 original DVD’s; but in 2020 who watches DVDs ?, when Foxtel allows you to watch anything and everything you want from News to Entertainment to Drama, to History to Crime to Sports to even Net Flix. Out went the News Paper and the DVDs and CD's.. News Limited kept bragging for Years that it had max paper sales in Australia, which was hardly worth talking about.

It is not just News Papers that have been affected but also Commercial TV. People loathe watching TV with 10000 commercials. Very few die hards and oldies watch commercial TV stations as Majority are streaming their favourite programs and watching them commercials free. As a Consequence Commercial TVs are Struggling too, as no one wants to advertise their products on TV and the costs are too high as compared to advertising world wide using Google

Cause and Effect - Govt of Australia set up and enquiry, which in my Opinion is questionable and came down heavily on FB and Google

When you beat a Dog with a stick, it has two options to attack you with all its might or cower down and hide. In the 60s in Madras India an angry man locked a cat inside a room and started to beat it with a stick for stealing and drinking Milk. The Big angry Tom cat with no escape route attacked him, jumped on top his head and clawed his eyes out making him blind in one eye. Was it the Cats fault ?

In fact I responded to the CEO of Google Australia, after watching her YouTube Video, saying most newspaper articles people read using Google searches are in fact stale yesterday's news and so Google should ask the media and News Papers for that matter all media and throw the onus back on them giving them the option for Google searches to include or exclude their publications and not pay as demanded, a Simple Switch, that Blocks the search engine from finding their articles

Mr Murdock forgets that his empire grew on a model that suited last century. Today Murdoch's Media strategies have outlived their times and Newpapers and Printing Presses are obsolete and Social media is the best way to publish news.

What we are witnessing Today in OZ is the Battle of the Giants: News Corp backed by Politicians Vs Face Book / Google, a Battle that News Corp cannot win in the Long run.

On another front WhatsApp now owned by FB with over 400 million subscribers in India told its Indians customers that they had to agree to all its new terms and conditions or quit Whatsapp. Overnight people in India found out that this was not applicable Globally but only for WhatsApp users in India.."Europe had rejected the idea as invades individuals Privacy". People in India may be poor but are not Stupid; overnight the news spread like wild fire and millions upon millions downloaded "Telegram App" which has been created by the Original developer of Whatsapp. FB saw the Tsunami on the rise and called a bluff that the conditions were only applicable for business users, but people are too smart for such tricks.  That FB has invested in India's Reliance and JIO owned by the Richest man in India Mukesh Ambani rings alarm bells too.

I quit FB in 2017 as at my age I don't want to know what 650 friends had for breakfast and I quit Twitter too. Whatsapp was good for quick and brief one on one communication with family and friends world wide, untilm FB bought WhatsApp. I have downloaded Telegram and ready to quit Whatsapp if forced to..and the need arises

That "DATA is the New OIL" is materialising

Ram
Sydney Australia
+61400494094