Keller @ Large: Is Facebook Really Making The World A Better Place?
BOSTON (CBS) - Congratulations go out to the world's fifth-richest man, Facebook mogul Mark Zuckerberg, whose real wealth just doubled with the birth of his second child. I wish the young family all the best.
Unfortunately, Zuckerberg, in typical fashion, couldn't just announce the baby's arrival, hand out cigars to everyone on earth, and leave it at that.
The king of generational virtue-signaling had to add this in his Facebook post addressed to his new daughter:
'You only get to be a child once, so don't spend it worrying too much about the future. You've got us for that, and we'll do everything we possibly can to make sure the world is a better place for you and all children in your generation.''
Will you really? Pardon my skepticism.
Check out this litany of troubling stories about Facebook from just the past few weeks.
A new study finds Facebook rewards political extremism with more followers, making it "less likely that lawmakers will compromise or moderate their positions, further dividing the two major parties," thus continuing Facebook's track record of polluting political discourse.
A UN agency is criticizing Facebook for allowing itself to be used by slave traders to "broadcast videos of migrants being tortured to try to extort money from their families."
And the company is developing a competitor to the Amazon Echo that includes the ability to recognize people through its camera, a huge red flag for the already massive privacy concerns the company has historically been reluctant to address.
Making the world "a better place," Mr. Zuckerberg?
So far, maybe for your kids, but not for ours.