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Virtual Zuck Fails To Connect (bbc.com)

Posted by msmash on from the lack-of-empathy dept.

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?

11 of 141 comments (clear)

  1. I think it has promise by networkBoy · · Score: 4, Interesting

    The real cool part was lost because the message delivery felt like a PR stunt using devastation in PR.

    What this really is good for:
    Using Oculus like this is a way that professional relief planners and project managers can determine optimum load-out of emergency supplies before leaving the warehouse location, when it's much easier to add/remove/change the loadout on short notice.

    There's nothing quite like *seeing* the environment. back-pack street-view cameras on dirt bikes comes to mind...

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    1. Re:I think it has promise by WrongMonkey · · Score: 4, Insightful

      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?

    2. Re:I think it has promise by WrongMonkey · · Score: 4, Funny

      there can be less or unskilled people dropped in with the recording and Tx gear then the final loadout could be adjusted based on what's seen to be needed.

      Why would they do that when they already have trained and skilled professional to assess the damage and created detailed reports? Do you really think that multi-billion dollar relief operations are conducted based on some "general rule of thumb" without any onsite assessment? Just because you never leave your cubicle doesn't mean that other professions operate the same way.

      Obviously I am not a member of an ERT

      Obviously.

      what can tech do to compliment and assist?

      Maybe tech can ask that question before trying to shoe horn in their latest fad.

  2. Just virtue signaling by Shotgun · · Score: 4, Insightful

    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.

    --
    Aah, change is good. -- Rafiki
    Yeah, but it ain't easy. -- Simba
    1. Re:Just virtue signaling by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

      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.

    2. Re: Just virtue signaling by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      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.

    3. Re: Just virtue signaling by Chris+Mattern · · Score: 4, Informative

      Citation please

      Here you go:

      http://www.gazettetimes.com/al...

    4. Re: Just virtue signaling by gnick · · Score: 5, Insightful

      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.

      --
      He's getting rather old, but he's a good mouse.
  3. Understanding by fluffernutter · · Score: 5, Insightful

    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.

    --
    Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
  4. Re:It's a perfect metaphor for Zuckerberg by JohnFen · · Score: 4, Informative

    This. Zuckerberg has indicated many times, through speech and deed, that he is a malicious person who cannot be trusted.

  5. I guess you could say by grasshoppa · · Score: 4, Funny

    ...that zero zucks were given.

    I'll show myself out.

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