Filed under: Advertising, Attitude & Aptitude, Authenticity, Brand Suicide, Comment, Context, Culture, Facebook, Management, Marketing Fail, Politics, Prejudice, Racism, Standards
So I, like many of you, have been pretty appalled by Mark Zuckerberg’s stance towards President Trump’s hate filled, violence inducing commentary.
I say his ‘stance’, but the reality is he doesn’t have one, preferring to claim he is an advocate of free speech.
While there’s many reasons we know this is rubbish – from Facebook selling people’s data, to trying to win favour with governments to counter the next wrong doing that is just waiting to be discovered, to trying to get back into China and countless more – the example that always sticks with me was one I wrote about a while back.
Basically, it’s this.
Not that long ago, that photo of that woman breast-feeding her baby was flagged on my Facebook page as potentially causing offence.
A photo.
Of a woman.
Breast-feeding her baby.
One of the most natural acts of humanity you can get.
Now I appreciate it was less Zuck and more his AI that flagged this, but if it can [wrongly] identify imagery, surely it can also identify factually incorrect claims and/or words that incite violence.
Or it could if Zuck wanted it too.
For me, the fact this photo was censored highlights Zuck’s double standards, reinforced by the speed he criticised Twitter for doing possibly the best thing they’ve ever done and the amount of [senior] people in Facebook who have broken rank to say Zuckerberg is wrong
It won’t make a jot of difference.
Because Zuck is about Zuck.
And for all his claims of being torn, he is actively choosing to remain ignorant.
For money and ego … and absolutely not for freedom of any speech.
#BlackLivesMatter #SilenceIsViolence
20 Comments
Zuck has the most dangerous combination of traits. Stubbornness and arrogance. He won’t care about brands not advertising on the platform because he knows they need his audience more than he needs them. He won’t care about internal morale because he knows he can just hire new people to replace them. I didn’t like my time there at all.
Comment by Bazza July 7, 2020 @ 6:43 amBang goes your non- disclosure.
Comment by Pete July 7, 2020 @ 6:54 amLegally what I’ve expressed is opinion.
Comment by Bazza July 7, 2020 @ 7:12 amSeems you need better legal advice.
FTW
Comment by DH July 7, 2020 @ 2:39 pmI remember how surprised I was at the speed you left. Since then, a number of friends have been there for equally short times. I know there are people who love it there, but from the outside, it polarizes like few others in the valley, with the exception of Oracle.
Comment by George July 7, 2020 @ 7:46 ami was fucking shocked at how much cash they fuckers were paying him. you owe me baz. you fucking owe me big time.
Comment by andy@cynic July 7, 2020 @ 1:56 pmI read recently in a meeting about the brands not using facebook, he told a bunch of his execs, “they’ll be back”.
He might be right, but it’s still a pretty arrogant statement.
Comment by Rob July 7, 2020 @ 8:02 amDictatorship.
Comment by DH July 7, 2020 @ 2:41 pmRob should work there, he’s good with them.
Comment by Bazza July 7, 2020 @ 3:01 pmThe problem I see with people like Zuckerberg is he sees this all as a test of his smarts and strength. Can he outsmart government departments and brand boycotts? He knows if he can, he not only gains more power but he appeals even more strongly to governments that want commitment to their cause whatever the headwinds. China for example. The last market that would help Facebook grow by a third.
What do you think Rob?
Comment by Pete July 7, 2020 @ 6:58 amI don’t know what Rob thinks but I think you’ve just added a conspiracy theory to a point Rob already made in his post.
Comment by Bazza July 7, 2020 @ 7:11 amI wish there was a comment delete button on here.
Comment by Pete July 7, 2020 @ 7:35 amYou think Robert would give us the opportunity to save our dignity at times of comment stupidity?
Comment by George July 7, 2020 @ 7:43 amAmateur mistake Pete.
Comment by Bazza July 7, 2020 @ 7:56 amI think Baz is right with his comment above, haha.
That said, I do think you make some interesting points. I absolutely know he is desperate to get back into China as that would keep growth coming for the next 10 years … but what he needs to know is the Chinese Government are more stubborn than him and the only way he could do it is to make some compromises that I think would be too much for Western Governments to stand.
But he’ll try. In fact, he’s trying but I won’t go into that as I also signed an NDA when they wanted me to work on a project with them a couple of years back, hahahaha.
Comment by Rob July 7, 2020 @ 8:03 amYou did some work for FB?
Comment by Bazza July 7, 2020 @ 8:34 amYep. A while ago though …
Comment by Rob July 7, 2020 @ 8:43 amzuck is a fucking evil prick. its part of the reason i never go on facebook any more. that and I was fucking over only seeing 10,000 fucking updates of inane shitness by you campbell.
Comment by andy@cynic July 7, 2020 @ 1:55 pmFollowing Rob on social is like being attacked by oversharing bombs.
Comment by DH July 7, 2020 @ 2:39 pmattacked is spelt b-o-r-e-d t-o d-e-a-t-h.
Comment by andy@cynic July 7, 2020 @ 9:46 pm