ecall the NY Times video that we watched during our 2nd class meeting, "How Facebook is Changing Your Internet". (To refresh your memory, see https://nyti.ms/2y8o8WC .) With this in mind, please respo

https://nyti.ms/2FLVBei

Opinion | OP-E D C O N TR IB U TO R

Facebook Doesn’t Like What It Sees When It

Looks in the Mirror

By NOAM COHEN JA N . 1 6 , 2 0 18

D ECA D ES a g o , t h e b ril lia nt s a tir is t T om L eh re r s k ew ere d t h e e n gin eer’s w illf u l ig nora n ce o f t h e

co n se q u en ce s o f h is d esig ns in a d it ty a b ou t W ern her v o n B ra u n , t h e s c ie ntis t w ho m oved f r o m

N azi G erm an y’s r o ck et f a cto rie s t o t h e U nit ed S ta te s s p ace p ro gra m . “ O nce t h e r o ck ets a re u p,

w ho c a re s w here t h ey c o m e d ow n?” M r. L eh re r s in gs. “ T hat’s n ot m y d ep artm en t, s a ys W ern her

v o n B ra u n .”

B ut M r. L eh re r’s t a rg et w as b ig ger t h an e n gin eers w ho c o u ld f o cu s o n ly o n t h e r e se a rc h in

f r o n t o f t h em . T here w as n o a m ora l a p pro ach t o s c ie nce , M r. L eh re r r e m in ded u s. S eein g s c ie nce

a n d t h e t o ols a n d c o n nectio ns it p ro vid es a s a g o od in it se lf is p ro fo u n dly d an gero u s a n d w ro n g.

F ou n ded b y y o u n g c o m pu te r e n gin eers , F ace b ook, G oogle a n d o th er S il ic on V alle y

co m pan ie s h ave b een h ap py t o v ie w t h eir p ow erfu l in ven tio ns a s n eu tr a l p la tfo rm s. O nce t h e

posts a re u p, w ho c a re s w here t h ey c o m e d ow n? T hese c o m pan ie s h ave c o n verte d a n e n gin eer’s

d is re g ard f o r r e a l- w orld o u tc o m es in to a l ib erta ria n id eo lo gy t h at b elit tle s t h e h arm s t h at s te m

fr o m t h eir p la tfo rm s a n d r e je cts r u le s a n d r e g u la tio ns m ea n t t o p re v en t t h ose h arm s.

In a r e ce n t e ssa y , S am A lt m an , t h e p re sid en t o f t h e i n flu en tia l t e ch in cu bato r Y C om bin ato r,

d en ou n ce d “ p olit ic al c o rre ctn ess” a s a d an ger t o e co n om ic p ro gre ss. “ T his is u n co m fo rta b le ,” h e

w ro te o n h is b lo g, “ b u t it ’s p ossib le w e h ave t o a llo w p eo p le t o s a y d is para g in g t h in gs a b ou t g ay

p eo p le if w e w an t t h em t o b e a b le t o s a y n ovel t h in gs a b ou t p h ysic s.”

I t’s e a sy t o f in d s im ilarly b lu n t s ta te m en ts f r o m S il ic on V alle y l e a d ers . F or e x am ple , w hen a

F re n ch o ffic ia l d esc rib ed h er d ete rm in atio n t o e n co u ra g e t e ch in nova tio n w ithou t e x tr e m e in co m e

in eq u alit y, t h e v en tu re c a p it alis t M arc A ndre esse n re sp on ded m ock in gly o n T w itte r : “ C ap it alis m ,

withou t a ll t h at m essy c a p it alis m !” A nd w hen I n dia r e je cte d a p ro p osa l f r o m F ace b ook t o

in tr o d u ce a f r e e v ers io n o f in te rn et a cce ss t h at w as l im ited t o F ace b ook a n d a s m all a sso rtm en t o f oth er s it es, M ark Z uck erb erg , t h e c o m pan y’s c h ie f e x ecu tiv e, r e sp on ded m ore in s o rro w t h an

an ger. “ H isto ry t e lls u s t h at h elp in g p eo p le is a lw ays a b ette r p ath t h en s h uttin g t h em o u t,” h e

ex p la in ed , g lid in g p ast t h e I n dia n g o vern m en t’s a rg u m en t t h at in tr o d u cin g in co m ple te a cce ss t o

th e in te rn et w as a w ors e p ath .

B ut 2 0 18 , it s e em s, is g o in g t o r e p re se n t w hat S il ic on V alle y w ou ld c a ll “ a n in fle ctio n p oin t” o n t h e

m ora lit y g ra p h . F ace b ook is le a d in g t h e c h arg e , w ith th e a n nou n ce m en t l a st w eek b y M r.

Z uck erb erg t h at t h e c o m pan y f e lt “ a r e sp on sib ilit y t o m ak e s u re o u r s e rv ic es a re n ’t j u st f u n t o u se ,

b u t a ls o g o od f o r p eo p le ’s w ell- b ein g.” I n p ra ctic al t e rm s, t h is m ea n s t h at F ace b ook w ill b e

re d u cin g t h e a m ou n t o f s o -c a lle d p u blic c o n te n t — o ft e n p ro vo ca tiv e p osts f r o m b u sin esse s a n d

new s o rg an iz atio ns — in f a vo r o f p ers o n al c o n te n t, p osts f r o m f r ie nds a n d f a m ily.

T he p u blic f a ce s t h e u n sa tis fy in g q u estio n: I s it b ette r t o s u ffe r a n e n gin eer’s n eg le ct o r a n

en gin eer’s c o n ce rn ?

Sin ce F ace b ook’s e a rlie st d ays, M r. Z uck erb erg h as b een f a sc in ate d b y t h e p ow er t o

u n ders ta n d a n d m an ip ula te u se rs b y a p ply in g a lg o rit hm s t o t h e d ata it c o lle cts . I n 2 0 05, s p ea k in g

at S ta n fo rd , h e d esc rib ed h ow h e a n d a f r ie nd w ere “ s e ein g if w e c o u ld u se t h e in fo rm atio n t h at w e

had t o c o m pu te w ho w e t h ou gh t w ere g o in g t o b e in r e la tio nsh ip s. S o, w e t e ste d t h is a b ou t a w eek

la te r, a n d w e r e a liz ed t h at w e h ad o ver a t h ir d c h an ce o f p re d ic tin g w heth er t w o p eo p le w ere

g o in g t o b e in a r e la tio nsh ip a w eek f r o m n ow .” T hro u gh t h is d eep k n ow le d ge o f it s u se rs , M r.

Z uck erb erg e x p la in ed , F ace b ook c o u ld d ete rm in e “ w hat a ctu ally m atte rs t o e a ch p ers o n o n a m ore

g ra n ula r l e v el.”

M ore t h an a d eca d e l a te r, F ace b ook is s til l u sin g t h ese s o cia l- e n gin eerin g t o ols t o p ro b e it s

use rs ’ p sy ch es. N ow , h ow ev er, t h e c o m pan y, w hic h re p orte d $ 4.7 b il lio n in p ro fit s in t h e t h ir d

qu arte r, a ssu re s u s t h at t h ese t o ols w ill b e r e fa sh io ned t o t a k e a cco u n t o f t h e h ea lt h o f o u r s o cie ty .

In D ece m ber, F ace b ook’s r e se a rc h ers tr ie d t o a n sw er t h e q u estio n o f w heth er s o cia l n etw ork s

w ere a f o rc e f o r g o od a n d r e tu rn ed w ith a s p lit v erd ic t.

“ W hen p eo p le s p en d a l o t o f t im e p assiv ely c o n su m in g in fo rm atio n — r e a d in g b u t n ot

in te ra ctin g w ith p eo p le — t h ey r e p ort f e elin g w ors e a ft e rw ard ,” t h e c o m pan y s a id . B y c o n tr a st,

“ a ctiv ely in te ra ctin g w ith p eo p le — e sp ecia lly s h arin g m essa g es, p osts a n d c o m men ts w ith c lo se

fr ie nds a n d r e m in iscin g a b ou t p ast in te ra ctio ns — is l in ked t o im pro vem en ts in w ell- b ein g.”

M r. Z uck erb erg s a ys F ace b ook w ill b e s te erin g u se rs t o h ea lt h ie r in te ra ctio ns. “ I e x p ect t h e

tim e p eo p le s p en d o n F ace b ook a n d s o m e m ea su re s o f e n gag em en t w ill g o d ow n,” h e w ro te in a

p ost o n F ace b ook. “ B ut I a ls o e x p ect t h e t im e y o u d o s p en d o n F ace b ook w ill b e m ore v a lu ab le .

A nd if w e d o t h e r ig ht t h in g, I b elie ve t h at w ill b e g o od f o r o u r c o m mun it y a n d o u r b u sin ess o ver

th e l o n g t e rm t o o.”

A t a g e 3 3, M r. Z uck erb erg is a lr e a d y w orrie d a b ou t h is g o od n am e, b u t u n lik e p ast b u sin ess

tit an s — R ock efe lle r, C arn eg ie , G ate s — h e d oesn ’t t h in k h e n eed s t o w ait u n til a ft e r h e h as b u il t his e m pir e t o d o g o od . M r. Z uck erb erg s a ys h e is m ak in g c h an ges t o F ace b ook s o t h at w hen h is

yo u n g d au gh te rs , M ax a n d A ugu st, g ro w u p, t h ey w ill “ fe el l ik e w hat t h eir f a th er b u il t w as g o od

fo r t h e w orld .”

S o w hat d oes M ark Z uck erb erg t h in k m ak es t h e w orld g o od ? I n a n op en l e tte r , p u blis hed

u pon M ax ’s b ir th in 2 0 15 , M r. Z uck erb erg a n d h is w ife, P ris cil la C han , l a id o u t s o m e g o als . F ir st,

w as “ a d va n cin g h um an p ote n tia l,” w hic h t h ey d esc rib ed a s “ p u sh in g t h e b ou n darie s o n h ow g re a t

a h um an l if e c a n b e.” M ost in tr ig uin gly , t h ey p osit ed t h at s o m ed ay w e c o u ld “ le a rn a n d e x p erie nce

10 0 t im es m ore t h an w e d o t o d ay.”

T he o th er w as “ p ro m otin g e q u alit y,” w hic h t h ey d efin ed a s “ m ak in g s u re e v ery o n e h as a cce ss

to t h ese o p portu n it ie s — r e g ard le ss o f t h e n atio n, f a m ilie s o r c ir cu m sta n ce s t h ey a re b orn in to .”

O ft e n , “ a cce ss” a p pea rs t o m ea n r e ly in g o n t h e in te rn et t o p ro vid e a n e d u ca tio n o r w ork

o p portu n it y. C on nectin g p eo p le is w hat k eep s s o cie ty c h urn in g, im pro vin g. “ F or e v ery 1 0 p eo p le

w ho g ain in te rn et a cce ss, a b ou t o n e p ers o n is l if te d o u t o f p overty a n d a b ou t o n e n ew j o b is

c re a te d ,” t h ey w ro te .

T urn s o u t, a n e n lig hte n ed , s o cia lly e n gag ed F ace b ook h as a s im ilar o u tlo ok a s t h e a m ora l,

a u die nce -s e ek in g F ace b ook. E ach s e es c o n nectin g o n lin e a s k ey t o t h e g o od l if e.

In o th er w ord s, d on ’t c o u n t o n F ace b ook t o d is ru pt F ace b ook a n y t im e s o on .

Noam Cohen is the author of “The Know-It-Alls: The Rise of Silicon Valley as a Political Powerhouse

and Social Wrecking Ball.”

I invite you to join me on Twitter, @noamcohen.

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A v e rs io n o f th is o p-e d a ppears in p rin t o n J a n uary 1 7, 2 018, o n P age A 19 o f th e N ew Y ork e dit io n w it h th e h eadlin e:

F ace book D oesn ’t L ik e W hat It S ees in th e M ir ro r.