LATERAL Plains technology guru George Fong says Facebook's wipe-out of news sources is a good shake-up for the community.
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Mr Fong said while Facebook was a convenient aggregator of news, it was far from the only good source.
Some pages that do not fit traditional definitions of media outlets have also been stripped as Facebook followed through on its threat to ban Australians sharing news on its platform in response to a proposed media bargaining code.
In Ballarat this has included, but is far from limited to: AFL talent pathway program Greater Western Victoria Rebels and the Ballarat Football Netball League; Ballarat Community Health and Central Highlands Rural Health but not Ballarat Health Services; Commerce Ballarat: and, while most schools are standing, St Patrick's College has been blocked.
"The main gripe everyone's seen here is people can't get their news off Facebook but when Facebook becomes a news source, that's a bit worrying too," Mr Fong said.
"Facebook is a bit like a drug and no-one wants to consider the alternatives. A bit like Microsoft, we all like using Microsoft...For the general community, it's a shake-up on something we've taken for granted.
"The past two years with misinformation spreading has shown we can all be a bit more robust in how we communicate across the internet. We really need to think about what it is we want."
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Mr Fong said it was also a good reminder to go back to an original source for information. This could be via websites, like thecourier.com.au, or news apps or other social media channels.
When it comes to search engines, Mr Fong said even Google was far from the only credibly high-performing contender. DuckDuckGo, which bills itself on promoting user privacy, is fast becoming a search go-to.
For those looking to try new social media platforms, Mr Fong's top suggestions are sociall.io and ello.co, the latter has traditionally been a creatives' space.
Some platforms, like MeWe and the now-banned Parler, have a tendency to attract conspiracy theorists. Mr Fong said while sites like this do not necessarily intend to become like this, he said an individual's own views could skew any news feed.
The Courier is still available in print, online and via twitter.
