Former Exec Who Said Facebook Was 'Destroying Society' Still Loves Facebook (gizmodo.com) 46
Remember that former Facebook exec who felt "tremendous guilt" about creating tools "that are ripping apart the social fabric of how society works"? He's now walking back his criticism -- at least somewhat. Gizmodo reports:
Palihapitiya said that he believes that "Facebook is a force for good in the world," and went on to express his belief that the social network is really trying to make its platform less of a hellish garbage fire of misinformation and election interference. "Facebook has made tremendous strides in coming to terms with its unforeseen influence and, more so than any of its peers, the team there has taken real steps to course correct," he wrote in the post...
Facebook is certainly trying to soothe naysayers who think the platform might be rotting the brains of our youth -- a viewpoint that Sean Parker, Facebook's first president, essentially expressed last month... For Palihapitiya's part, Thursday night's statement wasn't a total reversal of his original claims, but seemingly an apologetic gesture toward Facebook (or perhaps friends still working at the company). Yes, social media has the capacity to utterly destroy us, but can't you see that Facebook is trying to be better?
His post argues social media platforms "have been used and abused in ways that we, their architects, never imagined.
"Much blame has been thrown and guilt felt, but the important thing is what we as an industry do now to ensure that our impact on society continues to be a positive one."
His post argues social media platforms "have been used and abused in ways that we, their architects, never imagined.
"Much blame has been thrown and guilt felt, but the important thing is what we as an industry do now to ensure that our impact on society continues to be a positive one."
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Anyway, let's focus on one thing to be outraged at, I'm saving my venom for the chiropractic industry, which is a scam.
Remorse? (Score:2)
That's not a "but", that's a because he still wants ... It's a beaten into him remorse. Probably even his own wife was yelling.
The public think FB is wonderful even for something as pathetic as "Messenger". Yet, email confuses them. Sigh!
Re: Remorse? (Score:2)
No conflating here (Score:2)
Thing is, average Joe bloggs is using Facebook's "Messenger" as an email substitute. To the point where many people are joining up just to use that one feature all because they don't know how to reply-all!
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So... (Score:2)
Was he bribed or threatened?
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Was he bribed or threatened?
No he just realised how many facebook shares he still had
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Yup. Sounds like someone got a talking to .... :)
If you have convictions, you stick with them. Obviously his bread is being buttered by someone else .....
Hate (Score:1)
What Facebook is (Score:4, Insightful)
After I was required to open a facebook account for what I am working on, family and friends found me. Some of them are a little interesting. The tragedy of the commons effect where the worst people who are yelling the loudest did a pretty good job of silencing decent folk, and the little endorphin buzz that many get from likes and replies allowed others to become addicted even as much of Facebook was upsetting or angering them.
The major shitstorm happened after teenagers largely abandoned Facebook and older people took over. So you have a addictive venue with a lot of assholes in the mix.
Re: Upsetting (Score:1)
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Facebook wasn't upsetting them. If one topic begins to upset you, unfollow those groups and choose topics that don't.
You are right about what you should do, but they often get into nasty arguments first. I will scoot out of a group of asshats pretty quickly. Facebook is trying a little to clean up, but we'll see how that goes.
Its going to be a popcorn moment for some coming up. FB has been trying to shut down a lot of the Sexism flame wars. A lot of the women are now getting angry. Seems it started out with shutting out mostly men, but apparently its now not okay to say that all men should be shot, or that its cause
More like... (Score:2)
More like ignored those saying that all along because there was money to be made. That position is not a new discovery.
Did he blink out the word 'TORTURE' in morse code? (Score:2)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
Denton is widely known for enduring almost eight years of grueling conditions as an American prisoner of war (POW) in North Vietnam after his jet was shot down in 1965, and being the first of all the POWs that were held captive and finally released by Hanoi to step off an American plane during Operation Homecoming in February 1973. As one of the earliest and highest-ranking officers to be taken prisoner in North Vietnam, Denton was forced by his captors to participate in a 1966 televised propaganda interview which was broadcast in the United States. While answering questions and feigning trouble with the blinding television lights, Denton blinked his eyes in Morse code, spelling the word "TORTURE" -- and confirming for the first time to U.S. Naval Intelligence that American POWs were in fact being tortured.
That big dumpster ... (Score:2)
called Facebook.
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This is the ninth "walking back" story today. And it's not like Helen Shapiro said, because they aren't leading me to happiness.
Hmm ... this reminds me of somebody ... (Score:2)
Someone who can find value and fulfillment [youtube.com] in things while believing that those same things harm society. Takes a certain level of thinking to be able to simultaneously give both concepts the consideration they deserve.
Two words (Score:2)
They got to him (Score:2)
Obviously.
Learn the difference (Score:2)
Re: fackbook indoctrinates all it touches (Score:2)
Rick James! (Score:1)
The guy was right the first time. (Score:1)
waah waah waah (Score:2)
"We built a compulsively addictive brainwashing and spying propaganda machine and got caught renting it to some people who wanted to use it to bullshit to and brainwash and spy on billions of people. We could never have imagined that"
"Well he would say that, wouldn't he?" (Score:1)
More damage control (Score:2)
Facebook is evil and everyone with a brain knows it.
Facebook was so invested in because its potential to break down society was realized by its big investors. It wasn't a shot in the dark with their billions of dollars. It wasn't a surprise that social media would transform our society. They knew what it was to become and it profits them immensely.
Why do they want to break down society? Because they want to increase the level of control they have. Instead of programming society on the scale of groups, they
"Still loves Facebook". Or else. (Score:1)