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Former Facebook Exec Says Social Media is Ripping Apart Society (theverge.com)

Posted by msmash on from the everyone-agrees dept.

An anonymous reader shares a report on The Verge: 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 âoehard breakâ 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." Also read: Sean Parker Unloads on Facebook 'Exploiting' Human Psychology

5 of 405 comments (clear)

  1. He's right! by DontBeAMoran · · Score: 5, Funny

    Mod me up if you think he's right!

    --
    #DeleteFacebook
  2. Re:Social media is only amplification by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    You realize we just are coming off having a black president for the last 8 years, and damn near elected a female to follow up, right Chicken Little? It's not that we're becoming intolerant. It's that the assholes who have always been a part of society are now using the internet to organize and vocalize.

  3. Re:He's right. by DogDude · · Score: 5, Funny

    You, personally, are, in fact, smart or savvy enough to deal with the internet?

    Yes, I am, thanks.

    --
    I don't respond to AC's.
  4. Re:He's right. by jeauxkewl · · Score: 5, Funny

    This may come as a shock to you, but some people really are of above-average intelligence.

    Like, maybe half?

  5. Re:He's right. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    No, that isn't how averages work.

    For example, the set 1, 1, 1, 5 would have an average of 2. Half of the members of the set are not above-average, only 25% of the members of the set are above average, and 75% of the members are below average.

    If you were of above-average intelligence, you would know this.