Did Facebook’s ‘Friends Day’ Gift Backfire?
Facebook turned 12 yesterday and celebrated with its virtual holiday called ‘friends day’. the social media giant gave its 1.04 billion daily active users a gift, but it looks like some people didn’t want to receive a video collage of all the people they are Facebook ‘friends’ with but would rather never see in real-life.
Facebook used automated technology to create a video collage of user’s photos and their friends which could then be shared publicly or viewed privately. The technology was unable to distinguish between ex-partners, estranged family members, dead animals and old school friends you haven’t spoken to since high school.
“To help our community celebrate the importance of friendship, we’re delivering a personalized Friends Day video to millions of people around the world. These videos stitch together special moments with your friends in a short film that can be edited and shared,” Facebook said in a press release.
Turns out people weren’t jumping on board:
It’s Friends Day and Facebook gives everyone their own friendship video…
My top friend on Facebook is my mom. Time to delete my page
— Jack Dunlop (@CouRageJD) February 4, 2016
tfw u have so little friends the only people on ur facebook friend day video are ur family
— clodz (@sp0cko) February 5, 2016
My Facebook friend’s day video was mostly pictures of cheese.
— Tim John (@TimJohnish) February 4, 2016
‘Friend’s day’ on Facebook…. A video of photos with people you don’t speak to anymore ☕️
— em x (@emcbrett) February 4, 2016
My Facebook friend’s day video is just 10 pictures of me watching Netflix with a bag of chips and a pizza.
— Carbosly (@Carbosly) February 4, 2016
Watched my Facebook Friends Day video! It was mostly people I don’t know in real life and then my friend who died.
— Richard Lawson (@rilaws) February 4, 2016
Someone tell me when these Friend’s Day videos are all gone so I can go back to Facebook.
— Jayson D. Bradley (@jaysondbradley) February 4, 2016
That moment when Facebook’s “Friend Day” video goes hard down memory lane with your ex. #ThanksForTheMemories
— Ali Vitali (@alivitali) February 4, 2016
Most of the pictures Facebook showed me for my ‘Friend’s Day’ video were of my mum and brothers. Nice way to remind me no one loves me Fb
— Lauren Ingram (@laureningram) February 4, 2016
my Facebook Friends Day video was just a bunch of pictures of my cats and a piece of pizza I found under my couch.
— JAY [ham] KAY (@NurseMurderer) February 4, 2016
Just did that ‘happy friends day’ thing on facebook. It managed to get 3 of my ex’s in the space of about 10 photos. I love you too facebook
— Luke Franks (@luke_franks) February 4, 2016
I don’t even like looking at my own friends, Facebook, let alone other people’s.
— Louise Jones (@louisejonesetc) February 4, 2016
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