Time for a Reckoning

Selena Gomez has come out with a strong critique of social media and big tech. One might say that she sees social media as anti-social.

I note as well that Facebook critic Roger McNamee, an early Facebook mentor and facilitator who has turned against Zuckerberg & Co., has recently blamed the Washington meltdown on Facebook and its bottom-line-focus-at-all-cost business model for facilitating it. I agree with McNamee and think his idea of focusing on the social media firms’ business models that rely on algorithms designed to increase viewers’ time on site so as to justify advertisers buying time on the platforms is what needs to be addressed. In this CNBC interview he also implicates social media for violence perpetrated by the far left.

https://www.cnbc.com/video/2021/01/07/banning-trumps-facebook-account-is-a-small-move-roger-mcnamee.html

McNamee says he doesn’t think censorship is the answer as he is a strong first amendment advocate. But business models are another issue altogether. I commend him for his take on this issue.