Tuesday, December 12, 2017

"Hey, we've toned down the 'destroying society' shtick, Facebook insists" (FB)

Following up on yesterday's "Climateer Line of the Day: Neurotransmitters and Facebook Edition".
From The Register:

The Social Network rises to criticism from former exec

https://regmedia.co.uk/2017/09/15/facebook_emoji_shutterstock_editorial_only.jpg?x=442&y=293&crop=1
Facebook has taken the unusual step of responding to comments by former VP Chamath Palihapitiya that the social media giant was "destroying how society works".

Palihapitiya said that executives ignored cautionary instincts when creating Facebook, and he now regretted the consequences. The Sri Lanka-born investor who grew up in Canada joined Facebook in 2005 and was VP of user growth until he left in 2011.

"The short-term, dopamine-driven feedback loops that we have created are destroying how society works. No civil discourse. No cooperation. Misinformation. Mistruth. And it's not an American problem. This is not about Russian ads. This is a global problem."

He bans his children from using social media, he added. You can view his remarks here.
Facebook's first president, Sean Parker, made a similar mea culpa last month, using similar rhetoric.

Parker said Facebook grew by "exploiting a vulnerability in human psychology", the "social-validation feedback loop"...MORE