Imagery: Short animation I created about Zuckerberg

Intro

• Rebranding as Meta will not erase Mark Zuckerberg’s negative contributions to the modern digital landscape
• Zuckerberg has only learned one thing from the toxicity he perpetuated through Facebook: that he can get away with it.

Meta’s Harmful Branding Rhetoric

• The tech language used by Zuckerberg to describe Facebook is eerily similar to the language he uses to now describe the Metaverse
• Zuckerberg is promoting ideas of Technological Determinism
• Problematic because:

1. This viewpoint refuses to leave space for potential downfalls of the technology, and therefore no room for accountability or growth
2. It’s the same Silicon Valley, idealistic, and reductionist propaganda that continues to pollute digital spaces today

Creating an Empire Through Exploitation

• Meta is a monopoly in the waiting
• Zuckerberg has already set the precedent for how digital spaces are operated
• Although this means of operation has continually shown to be harmful, he continues to stick to it because it is lucrative.
• Zuckerberg has slithered his way into every dark corner of the web. He has tentacles everywhere.
• He is finding more ways to pry his way into our perception of reality for his own gain

Why This is Harmful/Frightening

• Zuck has already managed to create an all-consuming environment through Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, etc. He has sunken his claws into our psyche. Imagine the damage he can do with a VR experience.

Conclusion

• The shininess of the Metaverse should not blind us to the infrastructure that exists in Facebook, and therefore the hands of Mark Zuckerberg
• It does not have to be this way. The digital landscape can change with proper policy and an emphasis on making ethics in technology a priority.
• We need to:

1. Hold Zuck accountable
2. Encourage our senators to take a stance against the monopoly of big tech
3. Advocate for increased digital literacy

Potential sources (bolded is class reading):

Vaidhyanathan, Siva. “Introduction: The Problem With Facebook Is Facebook.” Antisocial Media: How Facebook Disconnects US and Undermines Democracy, Oxford University Press, New York, NY, 2021.

Chang, Emily. Brotopia : Breaking up the Boys’ Club of Silicon Valley. Portfolio/Penguin, 2018.

Alisyn Camerota ; Margaret Talev ; Dean Obeidallah. “Boebert Apologizes For Anti-Muslim Remarks About Omar; Rep. Greene: McCarthy Doesn’t Have The Support To Be Speaker; Researchers Link Social Media To Girls’ Depressive Episodes; Whistleblower Testifies On Facebook’s ‘Toxic’ Effect On Girls; NASA Launches Spacecraft To Smash Into Asteroid. Aired 3:30–4p ET.” CNN Newsroom, Atlanta: CQ Roll Call.

“Facebook: Toxic Smear Campaign.” Week (London, England : 1995), no. 1203, London: Dennis Publishing Ltd, pp. 51–51.

Wiederhold, Brenda K. “Ready (or Not) Player One: Initial Musings on the Metaverse.” Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking, vol. 25, no. 1, United States: Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers, pp. 1–2, doi:10.1089/cyber.2021.29234.editorial.

Hoffmann, Anna Lauren ; Proferes, Nicholas ; Zimmer, Michael. “‘Making the World More Open and Connected’: Mark Zuckerberg and the Discursive Construction of Facebook and Its Users.” New Media & Society, vol. 20, no. 1, London, England: SAGE Publications, pp. 199–218, doi:10.1177/1461444816660784.

Published by Statista Research Department, and Aug 11. “U.S. Social Media Customer Satisfaction Index Score 2021.” Statista, 11 Aug. 2021, https://www.statista.com/statistics/236726/us-customer-satisfaction-index-of-social-media-sites/.