So tired of people in general, but tech journalists specifically (because they should know better), blindly blaming Facebook and social media for Trump.
Social media is the problem the same way that frosting on a cake is the delicious part. There are 7 layers of shit underneath.
The culture is broken, social media is just highlighting it for you.
How about the American people focus on the core issues like money in politics, gerrymandering, failed education and healthcare systems, massive and growing economic disparity, tabloid journalism, glorification of celebrity, spineless leaders, voter ID laws, mass incarceration, an inactive liberal voter base that’s more interested in fighting amongst themselves - on and on. These are the things that drive people to vote for a psychopath - not some Facebook posts.
Also, saying "Mark Zuckerberg should have known better" is the perfect "man in the arena" fallacy. Hindsight is 20/20.
A few other points...
1. Russia didn't HACK Facebook. They used FB to stoke the existing fault lines in American culture.
2. Facebook DOESN'T SELL YOUR DATA OR PRIVACY
Related: Making fun of people's EQ and personality (or worse: their looks) is the lowest form of critique.
// Inspired by Kara Swisher's appearance on Realtime With Bill Maher
Some related posts:
1. It wasn't the Russians: https://medium.com/@chri…/it-wasnt-the-russians-2af554abd658
2. Don't #DeleteFacebook because of Cambridge Analytica https://medium.com/…/do-not-deletefacebook-because-of-cambr…
3. The top 10 questions to ask ourselves before getting outraged by the news https://medium.com/…/the-top-10-questions-to-ask-ourselves-…
