Like many people of his privileged upbringing, Mark Zuckerberg has a high verbal IQ. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about his emotional intelligence (or lack thereof), nor his business accumen.
Growing up in an upper middle class household didn’t prepare him for a role that requires reflection and knowing when you’re in the wrong. The Zuckerbergs’ of this world are, quite frankly, stifled by their own narcissism and an inherent savior complex.
Removing him from his position of power (unfortunately, the shareholders’ rather recent attempts to curtail his power within the company failed spectacularly) would allow Facebook to restructure itself, hire a more humble group of executives (contrary to popular belief, they do exist) and re-align itself with the requirements of a social networking platform that is supposed to serve people of all creeds, not mindless, conformist robots.
As a victim of long-term harassment myself (more on this in a later post. As this is a rather arduous and hurtful story), I never felt supported by Facebook.
Quite the contrary. Its heavy reliance on automatic processes doesn’t protect those who only seek a peace of mind, a platform for open debate and a way to communicate with those friends who have helped a person overcome adversity. It doesn’t protect the victims of harassment. It protects the perpetrators. It protects the abusers. It enables those who lie, steal, cheat and blackmail, only to turn around and publicly exclaim “Person X is obsessive! Y’all need to report the motherfucker!” whenever they’re actually caught in the act.
Abandoning an automated report mechanism in favor of a human component to deal only with the most egregious offenses (Community Guidelines ought to serve and protect the community, not regulate memes) would surely make the platform more enjoyable without running the risk of turning Facebook into the digital equivalent of the Wild West.
Rather than a multifaceted but, ultimately, static report form, I envision a dynamic chat feature akin to what is already being offered by vendors of both digital and physical goods and services, such as Amazon or Cricket. Such chat feature could start with automated responses but should, once the need arises, easily flow into a conversation with an actual human being on the other end of the line.
While I understand the inclusion of automated Fake News Checkers is the result of congressional hearings in the aftermath of the 2016 US Presidential Election, there is no excuse for such a poor, biased and outright annoying implementation. While mainstream media outlets often get away with lies of omission or overly exaggerated headlines, I’ve personally witnessed the same “fact checkers” spring for a harmless meme or joke. The same “fact checkers” that will ignore content by the BBC, CNN, Fox or MSNBC, will mark The Onion or The Babylon Bee as “fake news”.
Likewise, Facebook’s newest “innovation”, Facebook Dating may appear seemingly ingenious from a business perspective. Rather than seeking out alternative, specialized dating platforms such as Bumble, OkCupid or Tinder, the user is essentially locked right into the Facebook ecosystem.
What seems innocuous at first is, in all actuality, an incredibly terrible idea fraught with possibilities of fraud and strained relationships. In a world already widely digitalized to the point of constant, seemingly formalized anxiety, do people really want to get involved in their friend’s love life? As a single, do I want to know whether that cute friend is really “digging” me or maybe prefers somebody else? Do you? Would you not rather keep it casual, spend quality time in person and slowly find out whether there is any chemistry or not? What if you’re the person who doesn’t “feel that way” about your friend? Why make human relationships in general and friendships in particular more awkward than they ought to be? What value is there in further automating and dehumanizing the human dating experience?
Facebook could be great again™ if only it focused on what it used to do best. Human communication, the ability to share ideas, stories and experiences, backed by a decent messaging system. A platform that offers something for everybody.
Given my own personal trauma as well as health issues that made me re-evaluate the importance of time, it’s unlikely I’ll ever return to Facebook. However, my hope is that future generations will be able to experience the platform in its pure form once again. For a time being, it used to be a great place to meet new friends, become active in a community and, for me personally, it stoked a sense of adventure and belonging. The possibility of meeting face to face with the people I had previously only talked to online was something positively exhilarating. The one feature I will surely miss.