Two Interesting Numbers
February 2, 2023
I spotted two interesting numbers.
The first appeared in this headline: “Facebook Now Has 2 Billion Users.” I am not sure how many people are alive on earth, but this seems like a big number. Facebook or what I call the Zuckbook has morphed into a penny pinching mini-metaverse. But there is the number: two billion. What happens if regulators want to trim down the Zuck’s middle age spread. Chop off WhatsApp. Snip away Instagram. What’s left? The Zuckbook. But is it exciting? Not for me.
Let’s look at the second number. The factoid appears in “ChatGPT Sets Record for Fastest-Growing User Base in History, Report Says.” I quote:
[The] AI bot ChatGPT reached an estimated 100 million active monthly users last month, a mere two months from launch, making it the “fastest-growing consumer application in history…
The Zuckbook thinks ChatGPT is a meh-thing.
Three differences:
First, the ChatGPT thing is a welcome change from the blah announcements about technology in the last six months. I mean another video card, more layoffs, and another Apple sort of new device. Now there is some zing.
Second, the speed of uptake is less of a positive move because ChatGPT is flawless. Nope. The uptake is an example of people annoyed with the status quo and grabbing something that seems a heck of a lot better than ads and more of Dr. Zuboff’s reminders about surveillance.
Third, ChatGPT offers something that almost anyone can use. The learning curve is nearly zero. Can you figure out how to see street views in Google Maps? Can you make Windows update leave your settings alone?
Net net: Fasten your seat belts. A wild ride is beginning.
Stephen E Arnold, February 2, 2023
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