Silicon Valley was in dismay after Trump’s victory.
Is the founder and CEO of Facebook feeling it’s time to enter politics? A recent post of Mark Zuckerberg makes us think so as he has announced a US tour to take a status quo on how the country is divided by the impact of technology and globalization.
The CEO of the most visited and most successful social media website in the world till date has made US tour part of his personal challenge. During his tour, Zuckerberg will meet people from all states in the US and get to know how they are currently thinking and living in the highly globalized world that is fuelled by technology. Zuckerberg also wants to learn from them their hopes for the future.
In his Facebook post, Zuckerberg says 2016 was a year of happenings, filled with events that will definitely go into history books. In the post, Zuckerberg says there is a definite sense of division in the US society created by globalization and technology, which needs an urgent cure.
His post reads: “Going into this challenge, it seems we are at a turning point in history. For decades, technology and globalization have made us more productive and connected. This has created many benefits, but for a lot of people it has also made life more challenging. This has contributed to a greater sense of division than I have felt in my lifetime. We need to find a way to change the game so it works for everyone.”
In the later part of his post, Zuckerberg introspects his role in the society and says his endeavor to help get people connected is a unique mission that needs guidance and inputs from people and since a lot has happened in the last year (indirectly pointing at the election results that shocked the Silicon Valley) there is an urgent need to focus on issues that cause the division in the society.
Zuckerberg says: “My work is about connecting the world and giving everyone a voice. I want to personally hear more of those voices this year. It will help me lead the work at Facebook and the Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative so we can make the most positive impact as the world enters an important new period.”
There have been many instances during the Presidential election where fake news spread through Facebook, reaching people like wildfire unabatedly and causing damage to the reputation of a few while giving undue advantage to others. One such incident was the fake news that Pope had backed Donald Trump in the election, which got more publicity than many real stories. Facebook also faced criticism for creating filter bubbles, where users only see posts that reflect their own opinions.
Silicon Valley was in dismay after the victory of Donald Trump in the presidential election, mainly because top CEOs couldn’t fall in line with the rhetoric of the Republican. After winning the election, Trump had convened a meeting of top executives of the tech firm that saw the attendance of Peter Thiel, a Facebook board member who is on Mr. Trump’s transition team, and Elon Musk of Tesla and SpaceX and Travis Kalanick of Uber have signed on as advisers. how the country has been divided by the impact of globalization and technology.
Even though Zuckerberg has not been vocal about his political lenience, he had during a talk in last April criticized the idea of building walls; an idea forwarded by Donald Trump with reference to US-Mexico border.
Zuckerberg says he has visited many US cities in the past years along with his Wife Priscilla. In the coming trip, Zuckerberg and Priscilla plan to visit small towns, universities, and Facebook offices.
“Priscilla and I have enjoyed taking road trips together since we started dating. Recently, I’ve traveled around the world and visited many cities, and now I’m excited to explore more of our country and meet more people here,” reads Zuckerberg’s Facebook post.