Facebook and Its Advertising: In Newspapers No Less

March 26, 2018

Google is allegedly earmarking millions to help dead tree publications survive the digital winter. Will the money help? Probably not.

I noted what struck me as an interesting move. The BBC’s write up “Facebook Boss Apologizes in UK and US Newspaper Ads” reveals to non newspaper readers the company’s fascinating mea culpa white out.

I learned:

Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg has taken out full-page adverts in several UK and US Sunday newspapers to apologies for the firm’s recent data privacy scandal.

Let’s recap the view of some dead tree senior managers.

  • Digital media recycles our content and does not pay producers of “real news”
  • Facebook and Google have replaced traditional newspapers and magazines as the gatekeepers of what’s right and what’s wrong, saying, “Hey, that’s our job.”
  • Digital giants are indifferent to the downstream impacts of their nifty technologies.

Now Facebook is using the dead tree channels to explain:

“This was a breach of trust, and I am sorry.”

I assume that some at Facebook see the matter as off the table.

Ironic? Nope, just implement the “it’s easier to apologize than ask permission” method.

My question, “Has Facebook bought some Adwords or hired Cambridge Analytica-type outfits to make this apology more efficacious?”

Stephen E Arnold, March 26, 2018

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