Facebook Reputation Glitch: Just a Misunderstanding or a Warning Signal?
June 1, 2021
I read “Facebook Battles Reputation Crisis in the Middle East.” Interesting but narrow. Why? I think the write up identifies an issue—a serious one at that. However the “crisis” extends beyond the Middle East. The write up has a narrow focus, but it identifies a critical weak spot for the Zuck machine.
Here’s a passage I noted:
Facebook is grappling with a reputation crisis in the Middle East, with plummeting approval rates and advertising sales in Arab countries, according to leaked documents obtained by NBC News. The shift corresponds with the widespread belief by pro-Palestinian and free speech activists that the social media company has been disproportionately silencing Palestinian voices on its apps – which include Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp – during this month’s Israel-Hamas conflict.
As US monopolies wrestle with the challenges of unfettered content flowing from equally free spirit users, Facebook cannot be friends with everyone. Don’t hit that like button automatically.
Facebook, however, is a monopolistic-type of operation which is a digital nation. The collision of the datasphere and the real world is going to test the precepts of Zuckland.
Are there real world consequences from this reputation glitch? Yes, and among them is the very significant risk that the ripples will spread. Can one contain ripples in a pond or the wave in a digital ocean? Maybe.
Stephen E Arnold, June 1, 2021
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