‘We’re All Trying to Find the Guy Who Did This’
Good piece and great headline by Charlie Warzel at The Atlantic:
The social-media hall monitors have been so restrictive on “topics
of immigration and gender that they’re out of touch with
mainstream discourse,” Zuckerberg said with the zeal of an
activist. He spoke about “a cultural tipping point towards once
again prioritizing speech” following “nonstop” concerns about
misinformation from the “legacy media” and four years of the
United States government “pushing for censorship.” It is clear
from Zuckerberg’s announcement that he views establishment powers
as having tried and failed to solve political problems by
suppressing his users. That message is sure to delight Donald
Trump and the incoming administration. But there’s one tiny hitch.
Zuckerberg is talking about himself and his own policies. The
establishment? That’s him.
The changes to Meta’s properties, including Facebook, Instagram,
and Threads, are being framed by the CEO as a return “to
our roots around free expression.” This bit of framing is key,
painting him as having been right all along. It also conveniently
elides nearly a decade of decisions made by Zuckerberg, who not
only is Meta’s founder but also holds a majority of voting power
in the company, meaning the board cannot vote him out. He is
Meta’s unimpeachable king. […]
Zuckerberg’s personal politics have always been inextricably
linked to his company’s political and financial interests. Above
all else, the Facebook founder seems compelled by any ideology
that allows the company to grow rapidly and make money without
having to take too much responsibility for what happens on its
platforms. Zuckerberg knows which way the political wind is
blowing and appears to be trying to ride it while, simultaneously,
being at least a little bit afraid of it.
Exactly what I meant by Zuckerberg’s zigging and zagging and now back to zigging in my piece earlier this week on Meta’s policy about-face.
★
Good piece and great headline by Charlie Warzel at The Atlantic:
The social-media hall monitors have been so restrictive on “topics
of immigration and gender that they’re out of touch with
mainstream discourse,” Zuckerberg said with the zeal of an
activist. He spoke about “a cultural tipping point towards once
again prioritizing speech” following “nonstop” concerns about
misinformation from the “legacy media” and four years of the
United States government “pushing for censorship.” It is clear
from Zuckerberg’s announcement that he views establishment powers
as having tried and failed to solve political problems by
suppressing his users. That message is sure to delight Donald
Trump and the incoming administration. But there’s one tiny hitch.
Zuckerberg is talking about himself and his own policies. The
establishment? That’s him.
The changes to Meta’s properties, including Facebook, Instagram,
and Threads, are being framed by the CEO as a return “to
our roots around free expression.” This bit of framing is key,
painting him as having been right all along. It also conveniently
elides nearly a decade of decisions made by Zuckerberg, who not
only is Meta’s founder but also holds a majority of voting power
in the company, meaning the board cannot vote him out. He is
Meta’s unimpeachable king. […]
Zuckerberg’s personal politics have always been inextricably
linked to his company’s political and financial interests. Above
all else, the Facebook founder seems compelled by any ideology
that allows the company to grow rapidly and make money without
having to take too much responsibility for what happens on its
platforms. Zuckerberg knows which way the political wind is
blowing and appears to be trying to ride it while, simultaneously,
being at least a little bit afraid of it.
Exactly what I meant by Zuckerberg’s zigging and zagging and now back to zigging in my piece earlier this week on Meta’s policy about-face.