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Dennis Reynolds

Former Facebook exec says social media is ripping apart society

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Another former Facebook executive has spoken out about the harm the social network is doing to civil society around the world. Chamath Palihapitiya, who joined Facebook in 2007 and became its vice president for user growth, said he feels “tremendous guilt” about the company he helped make. “I think we have created tools that are ripping apart the social fabric of how society works,” he told an audience at Stanford Graduate School of Business, before recommending people take a “hard break” from social media. 

Palihapitiya’s criticisms were aimed not only at Facebook, but the wider online ecosystem. “The short-term, dopamine-driven feedback loops we’ve created are destroying how society works,” he said, referring to online interactions driven by “hearts, likes, thumbs-up.” “No civil discourse, no cooperation; misinformation, mistruth. And it’s not an American problem — this is not about Russians ads. This is a global problem.” 

He went on to describe an incident in India where hoax messages about kidnappings shared on WhatsApp led to the lynching of seven innocent people. “That’s what we’re dealing with,” said Palihapitiya. “And imagine taking that to the extreme, where bad actors can now manipulate large swathes of people to do anything you want. It’s just a really, really bad state of affairs.” He says he tries to use Facebook as little as possible, and that his children “aren’t allowed to use that shit.” He later adds, though, that he believes the company “overwhelmingly does good in the world.”

 

Palihapitiya’s remarks follow similar statements of contrition from others who helped build Facebook into the powerful corporation it is today. In November, early investor Sean Parker said he has become a “conscientious objector” to social media, and that Facebook and others had succeeded by “exploiting a vulnerability in human psychology.” A former product manager at the company, Antonio Garcia-Martinez, has said Facebook lies about its ability to influence individuals based on the data it collects on them, and wrote a book, Chaos Monkeys, about his work at the firm.

 

These former employees have all spoken out at a time when worry about Facebook’s power is reaching fever pitch. In the past year, concerns about the company’s role in the US electionand its capacity to amplify fake news have grown, while other reports have focused on how the social media site has been implicated in atrocities like the “ethnic cleansing” of Myanmar’s Rohingya ethnic group.

In his talk, Palihapitiya criticized not only Facebook, but Silicon Valley’s entire system of venture capital funding. He said that investors pump money into “shitty, useless, idiotic companies,” rather than addressing real problems like climate change and disease. Palihapitiya currently runs his own VC firm, Social Capital, which focuses on funding companies in sectors like healthcare and education.

 

Palihapitiya also notes that although tech investors seem almighty, they’ve achieved their power more through luck than skill. “Everybody’s bullshitting,” he said. “If you’re in a seat, and you have good deal flow, and you have precious capital, and there’s a massive tailwind of technological change ... Over time you get one of the 20 [companies that become successful] and you look like a genius. And nobody wants to admit that but that’s the fucking truth.”

 

https://www.theverge.com/2017/12/11/16761016/former-facebook-exec-ripping-apart-society

 

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I get what the dude is talking about, if perhaps he's being a little dramatic about it. Everybody lives in their own bubble to some extent, with their own basic beliefs, but it's very easy nowadays to stay in that bubble forever and just check for things that validate whatever it is you already believe and dismiss anything that doesn't.

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Society wasn't shit before facebook and won't be shit without facebook, let's not fool ourselves.

As an adult you are responsible for your actions, temptations will always be out there, it is YOU who chooses to act/not act upon them, no one is forcing you to do anything, and you gotta know everything you are doing, good or bad, will have consequences. it doesn't take 2 brain cells to know big companies cater to the impressionable, but it is on these type of people to wake the fuck up and smell the coffee, because once you have no critical ability, you will be pushed in all kinds of directions, and needless to say, it will be easy to make a dollar off of your ass.

7EiHu4r.gif

he's right about taking a break from social media every now and then though, i agree with this part, i also agree with no facebook for impressionable kids younger than 16. Pervs have facebook accounts too with disney cartoon characters profile pics and shit to attract kids.

7EiHu4r.gif

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30 minutes ago, BEAUX said:

Society wasn't shit before facebook and won't be shit without facebook, let's not fool ourselves.

As an adult you are responsible for your actions, temptations will always be out there, it is YOU who chooses to act/not act upon them, no one is forcing you to do anything, and you gotta know everything you are doing, good or bad, will have consequences. it doesn't take 2 brain cells to know big companies cater to the impressionable, but it is on these type of people to wake the fuck up and smell the coffee, because once you have no critical ability, you will be pushed in all kinds of directions, and needless to say, it will be easy to make a dollar off of your ass.

7EiHu4r.gif

he's right about taking a break from social media every now and then though, i agree with this part, i also agree with no facebook for impressionable kids younger than 16. Pervs have facebook accounts too with disney cartoon characters profile pics and shit to attract kids.

7EiHu4r.gif

tenor.gif?itemid=4887388

I think social media:

1) strongly damage our critical ability

2) strongly damage our eyes

3) strongly damage our brain

4) are strongly addictive.

5) are strongly controlled by the Illuminati.

bey5

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16 minutes ago, Dennis Reynolds said:

So...you think society has only had any worth for just a shade over a decade, then? dead1 

Not really, i just think he's being overdramatic about it. Society (collectively) has had issues considering communication between ppl way before facebook was even a thought, as a matter of fact, facebook was a way to make ppl connect to each other in a way to solve this problem (then it became a separate issue itself!)... i mean if these social networks were the issue, then you'd think removing them would automatically solve all problems that "ribs" our society "apart".. BUT this ain't the truth... the truth is that people abused those social networks and used them as an alternative/replacement to real communication... then used them to get their high on likes/shares/loves... people got addicted and these social platforms became like gateway drugs..... ... ppl misused these platforms plain and simple.. some ppl even attach their self worth to the number of likes they get.

tenor.gif

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18 minutes ago, The One Below All said:

tenor.gif?itemid=4887388

I think social media:

1) strongly damage our critical ability

2) strongly damage our eyes

3) strongly damage our brain

4) are strongly addictive.

5) are strongly controlled by the Illuminati.

bey5

it is about how you use it. that's ON YOU.

it damages your eyes cuz you sit way too much in front of a screen with no breaks.. 

it damages your brain cuz you sit way too much glued in front of a screen with no breaks.

yes they are strongly addictive, just like addictive drugs, but unlike some addictive drugs, you can have the will to stop it anytime you want, it is ON YOU.

illuminati is not a thing, bye.

i don't know how old are you, but you gotta know the world is full of manipulation and not everything that shines is gold, social networks is a haven for manipulative entities (regular ppl, celebs, companies, etc..), so you have to criticize everything and to question everything. that's ON YOU. Either you will learn this lesson yourself, or life will teach you, cuz this specific class is obligatory boo.

tenor.gif

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7 minutes ago, BEAUX said:

Not really, i just think he's being overdramatic about it. Society (collectively) has had issues considering communication between ppl way before facebook was even a thought, as a matter of fact, facebook was a way to make ppl connect to each other in a way to solve this problem (then it became a separate issue itself!)... i mean if these social networks were the issue, then you'd think removing them would automatically solve all problems that "ribs" our society "apart".. BUT this ain't the truth... the truth is that people abused those social networks and used them as an alternative/replacement to real communication... then used them to get their high on likes/shares/loves... people got addicted and these social platforms became like gateway drugs..... ... ppl misused these platforms plain and simple.. some ppl even attach their self worth to the number of likes they get.

tenor.gif

Oh yeah, I can get on board with what you're saying here for the most part. Like I said earlier, everyone has their own outlook on things to varying degrees, but I think social media makes it very easy for people to get locked into their outlook more than they maybe should. People love to be validated, and social media is a tool that allows them to surround themselves with info that only reinforces whatever it is they believe (regardless of if it's coming from a biased source or if it isn't even true, in the worst cases) and to shut themselves off from information that conflicts with or outright contradicts what they believe. I think this is a large part of why society is so polarized in very extreme ways.

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Just now, BEAUX said:

it is about how you use it. that's ON YOU.

it damages your eyes cuz you sit way too much in front of a screen with no breaks.. 

it damages your brain cuz you sit way too much glued in front of a screen with no breaks.

yes they are strongly addictive, just like addictive drugs, but unlike addictive drugs, you can have the will to stop it anytime you want, it is ON YOU.

illuminati is not a thing, bye.

i don't know how old are you, but you gotta know the world is full of manipulation and not everything that shines is gold, social networks is a haven for manipulative entities (regular ppl, celebs, companies, etc..), so you have to criticize everything and to question everything. that's ON YOU. Either you will learn this lesson, or life will teach you, cuz this specific class is obligatory boo.

tenor.gif

Yeah I get the argument that is about the way you using it. But let's face it: it's difficult. The addictiveness is very high. It's like with strong drugs. once you use it the first time, you never come back. Sure you can reduce the time, but try to spend a week without socials and you will feel the pain all over your body, just like any other drug.

Illuminati is just a way to say that you are controlled, like everybody else. Everything you type is collected and analyzed for one purpose only: to control you. 

Finally, I try to be not to much close to the screen, but it's hard. I see much better when I'm close to the monitor.

tumblr_mu9kp6vyCx1siigyno1_400.gif

 

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11 minutes ago, The One Below All said:

Yeah I get the argument that is about the way you using it. But let's face it: it's difficult. The addictiveness is very high. It's like with strong drugs. once you use it the first time, you never come back. Sure you can reduce the time, but try to spend a week without socials and you will feel the pain all over your body, just like any other drug.

Illuminati is just a way to say that you are controlled, like everybody else. Everything you type is collected and analyzed for one purpose only: to control you. 

Finally, I try to be not to much close to the screen, but it's hard. I see much better when I'm close to the monitor.

tumblr_mu9kp6vyCx1siigyno1_400.gif

 

it is difficult and addictive, no one can deny, but it won't be difficult if you used it (social networks) in moderation you know, like in small doses... everything is ultimately about balance, boo.  if u abused something, it will hurt you on the long run.

life doesn't have to be about either black or white, grey still exist in this world, maybe try to have a balance, like 2 hours per day online is good, 10 hours online per day is tragic. i've tried once to stay 2 weeks without internet, while it kinda sucked, but i didn't feel any pain or like i'm dying or sth, i felt kinda missing out on things lbr, but i knew i can always rewind, so it wasn't a big deal to me, like i wasn't having panic attacks just cuz i dont have internet. it was a cool experiment. social media detox. 

I know we're watched, i know we get recorded and all that, i can feel it, but again, it is you who chooses to act upon these temptations, like they would collect my data then give me an ad, then what? i am not buying wtv u selling, thanks. ny6 like you have a say in anything, you can say no.. u know! shrug1 

No one can control you if you are alert to what is happening to you/around you. 

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5 minutes ago, BEAUX said:

it is difficult and addictive, no one can deny, but it won't be difficult if you used it (social networks) in moderation you know, like in small doses... everything is ultimately about balance, boo.  if u abused something, it will hurt you on the long run.

life doesn't have to be about either black or white, grey still exist in this world, maybe try to have a balance, like 2 hours per day online is good, 10 hours online per day is tragic. i've tried once to stay 2 weeks without internet, while it kinda sucked, but i didn't feel any pain or like i'm dying or sth, i felt kinda missing out on things lbr, but i knew i can always rewind, so it wasn't a big deal to me, like i wasn't having panic attacks just cuz i dont have internet. it was a cool experiment. social media detox. 

I know we're watched, i know we get recorded and all that, i can feel it, but again, it is you who chooses to act upon these temptations, like they would collect my data then give me an ad, then what? i am not buying wtv u selling, thanks. ny6 like you have a say in anything, you can say no.. u know! shrug1 

No one can control you if you are alert to what is happening to you/around you. 

I'm not convinced about your last sentence, but I get your point.

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14 minutes ago, Dennis Reynolds said:

Oh yeah, I can get on board with what you're saying here for the most part. Like I said earlier, everyone has their own outlook on things to varying degrees, but I think social media makes it very easy for people to get locked into their outlook more than they maybe should. People love to be validated, and social media is a tool that allows them to surround themselves with info that only reinforces whatever it is they believe (regardless of if it's coming from a biased source or if it isn't even true, in the worst cases) and to shut themselves off from information that conflicts with or outright contradicts what they believe. I think this is a large part of why society is so polarized in very extreme ways.

It is a fact SN make us live in our own bubbles, and get locked out, yes, but then again, it is on people to have a critical ability, personally i love when my views get challenged, or like when i actually question what i have always believed in (or what i was made to believe when i was a kid i should say!)... this is the point of communication (to me) .. is for your views to get challenged and to get exposed to new stuffs (ideas, lifestyles, etc..)... like i am aware of my own bubble, but i love for my views to get challenged as well, like you have got to have this need to be challenged.. it is boring to have everything to your liking... 

I am probably the last one to talk about wanting to be validated; like i want to be liked or loved, etc.. but i don't attach my self worth to numbers (money, likes, loves, followers, etc..).. i don't want to be mentally enslaved in such way. if you attached anything to numbers you will never be satisfied. 

I really think it all boils down to how you manage your time, how you deal with your surroundings and how you view yourself.

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