Virtual Zuck Fails To Connect (bbc.com)

Rory Cellan-Jones, writing for BBC: It must have seemed like a good idea. As a taster for a big announcement about Oculus VR on Wednesday, send Mark Zuckerberg on a little virtual reality trip, including a stop in Puerto Rico. But the reviews are in -- and they are not good. The sight of Mr Zuckerberg using VR to survey the devastation of an island still struggling to recover from Hurricane Maria may have been meant to convey Facebook's empathy with the victims. The fact that he was there in the form of a cartoon seemed to many the perfect visual metaphor for the gulf in understanding between Silicon Valley and the real world. Sure, he was talking about all the activities which his company had initiated to help the island, from helping people tell their families they were ok using Safety Check to sending Facebook employees to help restore connectivity. But cartoon Zuck showing us a 360 degree view of a flooded street before zipping back to a virtual California just seemed a little, well, crass. Is Facebook really concerned about the plight of Puerto Rico, or is it merely a handy backdrop to promote Oculus, whose sales have so far proved disappointing?

Comments

Just virtue signaling

[Shotgun]

Is Facebook really concerned about the plight of Puerto Rico

I think we all have come to realize that the SJWs out there are really more concerned with signaling virtue more than actually solving problems.

Re:Just virtue signaling

[Anonymous Coward]

Social justice warriors change the world for the better by fighting oppression and inequality.

I think this is how social justice warriors see themselves.

The rest of us mostly see them as tilting at windmills for their own gratification and/or local social standing.

Re: Just virtue signaling

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm sorry, what SJW made a positive difference?

All I've seen them do is blow a lot of hot air around. Oh, and attack people for cultural appropriation.

These idiots made a guy in Oregon shut down his Hawaiian restaurant because he's white. They don't care that he was born and raised in Hawaii at all.

Re: Just virtue signaling

[gnick]

Although the OP seems to have exaggerated a bit: the owner wasn't "born and raised" in Hawaii, he just had relatives there and went there to visit them every summer as a kid.

What's the minimum amount of time somebody has to live in Hawaii before they can open a Hawaiian-themed restaurant without being insensitive? My opinion? None.

It's a perfect metaphor for Zuckerberg

[barc0001]

He's become one of these people who live in a bubble surrounded by sycophants who blow smoke up his ass all day about how great and meaningful he and Facebook is to the world, despite the fact that if Facebook actually did disappear overnight the only real effect on the world is probably greater productivity and some unemployed Facebook workers who will be needing new jobs. And this guy is coyly hinting he might want to run for President. I personally believe he'd be just as bad as Trump for mainly similar reasons - both think they're the greatest thing since sliced bread. Though where Trump harms by malice, Zuck would harm by out of touch ignorance.

Understanding

[fluffernutter]

I think it is fair to say that most technical leaders of our time don't really understand anything about people in general. Oh they know how to make a buck off of them, but beyond that they are very out of touch.

Re:I think it has promise

[WrongMonkey]

That is just doubling down on tech bubble naivete. Do you really think that disaster relief managers don't know how to assess damage? Do you think that goofing around on a VR headset is going to give better data than reports from professionals on site?