#Meta Platforms

[gyaari]

Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams

I want to start off this post by saying I’m genuinely not surprised about most of the stuff in this book. Am I disappointed? Yes. Surprised? Not at all. I do however think this is an incredibly important book to come out and I’d recommend anyone read it. I’d also recommend it for base level literacy media classes.

I also wanted this post to be a little more structured than I’m going to make it, but that’s mostly because I’m tired and I’ve been going hard for a week straight with travel and a whole broken foot. Which, btw, nothing is ADA accessible, which wasn’t surprising either. At least this week lacks surprise? I guess???

Anyway, complete spoilers ahead. Please buy the book.

Careless People is a part-autobiography, part tell-all about the inner workings of Meta (previously Facebook), and a part world history book. It’s written from the perspective of Sarah Wynn-Williams, a woman from New Zealand who saw a revolution in Facebook earlier than anyone else and wanted to be part of the good in the world.

Unfortunately, contrary to Sarah’s wishes and predictions, Facebook has been used as a driving force in pretty much every bad thing that has happened both globally and at home. She was partially correct about it being a revolution, but it wasn’t for good. And, to her horror, she helped make it happen quite enthusiastically.

This is Sarah, who experiences a number of absolutely insane events in her life. The first of these events happen when she was a child, where she was almost killed in a shark attack and subsequently infection. She served at the UN Environment council, and eventually began at Facebook circa 2011 to guide its governmental outreach programs.

I didn’t start quote collecting until about halfway through the book and I didn’t do it consistently, but Sarah articulates the problems pretty plainly. Again, I’m not surprised by anything, but it was surreal to hear it from the horse’s mouth.

There were early warning signs in Facebook’s leadership being profit driven and wanting to take over the world. Mark and Sarah have a conversation where he tells her that “Jackson’s the greatest president that America’s ever had, that he was ruthless, a populist and an individualist, and that he ‘got stuff done’.” Sarah, even though she wasn’t from the United States, is the only one to mention the massacre of Native Americans that Jackson was responsible for.

It doesn’t stop there. Facebook began casing China for expansion into its territory. Hong Kong protesters and activists had used Facebook’s massive platform to arrange protests. China responded with violent suppression, and the head of the China expansion project was fully ready to make a statement about the rule of law and the lack of responsibility the government had for its own violent actions. Sarah is forced to tell him about the Nuremberg Trials and human rights laws putting soldiers on trial for “just following the law”. This Facebook exec was apparently unaware that you can’t just kill people because your boss told you to.

The Chinese expansion obviously did not stop with the Hong Kong protests. Sarah pushed for Facebook to stop the reach in, since China is known for killing and torturing dissenters to their own government. This is neither new nor shocking information. China is fraught with human rights abuses, censorship, and illegal data collection. Multiple memos have gone out explaining this to any company that has or will ever work with China, and no company that operates within China is allowed to operate servers separate from them.

This part was particularly concerning due to recent events concerning the TikTok ban and Chinese propaganda trying to make them seem innocent. Sarah specifically outlines the exact ways that China gets into servers and uses the data exchanged to commit war crimes against its own citizens. Not related to TikTok, but related to Facebook, she quotes a memo actually sent out about companies working with China.

“Facebook employees will be responsible for user data responses that could lead to death, torture, and incarceration.”

Besides China, Facebook leadership was rife with sexual harassment. Before getting into an actual supervillain, Sarah goes into detail about a surprising perpetrator.

Meet Sheryl. Professional feminist, girlboss, and a woman who can truly do it all, this woman repeatedly asked other employees (seemingly all women) to go to bed with her. I don’t mean sex, I mean cuddling on private jets and at home.

This woman bought her underlings designer underwear, gave them designer clothes to wear, and allowed use of her luxury houses. This all sounds great, right? This is was their boss. That is absolutely never okay.

Not only this, but she published books and spoke at conferences essentially discouraging motherhood and went on to punish her employees for having families and lives outside of Facebook. Sarah specifically had two high risk pregnancies, one of which she was sent to the heart of the Zika epidemic for. Sheryl discouraged her from leaving trips to take care of her infant child who was experiencing medical emergencies.

And this is Joel, who sexually harassed and then later sexually assaulted Sarah and was almost fully responsible for her leaving Facebook. This man has so many horrific things on his list that I can’t go into detail about all of them. At this point in my post my phone is lagging so bad I’m about a word and a half ahead of where it’s typing, so I’ll try to wrap up kinda quick.

On his resume before Facebook, he worked on republican campaigns, which as current day show, are basically a prerequisite for sexual assault allegations. When he finally did come into Facebook, he led a coordinated effort that ignored foreign governments and policy, which again, not surprising.

Calling your employees from your bed, asking for details about breastfeeding, and asking where your subordinate is bleeding from after she was put into a medical coma and used 48 bags of blood after birth is up there on the worst things you can possibly do.

He continued by sinking lower, forcing his parts against her during a work party and then forcing the investigation to close down afterwards. This man is absolutely despicable and I deleted everything else in my brain about him because of how abysmal he is.

Joel, I hope you’re having the worst day possible and tomorrow is even worse.

And finally, resident strange alien person put on this earth for probably experimental purposes, Mark Zuckerberg. At least according to Sarah, he’s not responsible for anything personally repulsive, but he is a power hungry childish weirdo that happens to be in charge of the world’s most powerful company.

There’s a lot about him in this book. From the beginnings where he was a grumpy tech engineer to the almost presidential tour he had in 2017, stretching even as far as the very weird “protect the sperm” tour he did when he was trying for a baby and couldn’t be exposed to anything dangerous for it (despite putting Sarah in horrific spots having to do with fertility), he’s depicted as exactly what pretty much everyone expected him to be.

As of current day, Mark and his team have done everything in their power to suppress the release of this book. So please, please, go and buy it. Read it, quote it, sing it to the heavens. Even though nothing is surprising in it, besides how Sarah is alive (love u girlie but you have lived A Life and Two More by now), it is incredibly important to make everyone aware of the pitfalls of social media and the reality of how much you see is a coordinated effort to keep you doomscrolling. It might even make you more aware of something you might not have thought about.

Anyway, I’m going to go make brownies and think about everything for a while.

[mothers-and-fuckers-of-the-jury]

so yeah. great. cool.

[diagnozabam]

Ford donează un milion de dolari și o flotă de vehicule pentru inaugurarea lui Donald Trump

Ford a anunțat că va dona un milion de dolari și o flotă de vehicule pentru ceremonia de inaugurare a președintelui ales al Statelor Unite, Donald Trump, programată pentru ianuarie. Aceasta se aliniază cu un val de donații substanțiale din partea unor mari companii din sectorul tehnologic și auto, care au promis contribuții semnificative pentru fondul inaugural al viitorului președinte. În…

[squanchmallow]

Today is a great day to buy a social media strategist a drink

[bytetrending]

Meta aposta em IA em larga escala enquanto Apple enfrenta dificuldades no setor

A Meta está dando passos largos em direção ao futuro das superinteligências digitais, com investimentos significativos em inteligência artificial. A empresa está expandindo sua infraestrutura e contratando os melhores talentos do setor, oferecendo salários milionários para isso. Enquanto a Meta avança, a Apple enfrenta dificuldades para se firmar no panorama competitivo da IA. Crescimento…

[roostro]

Everybody "Booooo" this occupation.

[rickladd]

Leaving Facebook Permanently?

So this happened to me today. I received this message informing me “MY” Instagram account doesn’t follow their rules. I have no idea who aelizabeth_mehyh3821 is. I’ve been Rick Ladd on FB since approximately 2005. That’s my name on IG and Threads as well. So I clicked on “Log into your Instagram account”. This (below) was the message I received. Sounds pretty final, eh? Then I checked my Threads…

[sohaibsmart]

The Dow jumps 300 factors as unhealthy job report factors to Fed rate of interest cuts

The Dow Jones Industrial Common shot larger Friday morning, following a day of steep declines that have been largely pushed by sturdy tech earnings that however spooked traders fearful about corporations’ enormous AI spending. AI instruments revolutionizing content material creation — Together with an Emmy-winning breakthrough, says exec In the meantime, the U.S. economic system added…

[apieinvestavimapaprastai]

Meta Platforms Inc. Stock Price Forecast: Long-Term Investment Insights

Discover Meta Platforms stock price forecast and financial performance. Learn why patience might be key in optimizing your investments. #MetaPlatforms #MetaPlatformsanalysis #MetaPlatformsPrice #InvestmentInsights #META #StockInsight #InvestmentStrategy

Meta Platforms, Inc., formerly known as Facebook, Inc., is a multinational technology conglomerate headquartered in Menlo Park, California. The company owns and operates several widely-used social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger. Meta is also heavily invested in augmented and virtual reality technologies, with products like Meta Quest (VR headsets) and…

[virtualrealitynewstoday]

Meta Horizon Worlds v141 更新：迎接年末的全新功能與改進

隨著2023年即將結束，Meta Horizon Worlds 的最新更新——v141版本——為用戶帶來了一系列引人注目的新特性和改進。這次更新不僅凸顯了 Meta 團隊對用戶體驗的持續關注，還展示了他們對社群成員的深厚感激。無論是投入大量時間創建新世界的創作者，還是偶爾進入虛擬世界探險的玩家，每個人都為這個社群增添了獨特的色彩。 新功能推出：提升交互體驗 最新更新中一個引人矚目的功能是改善語音識別和麥克風通知。當虛擬世界中的噪音增多時，玩家現在可以通過雙擊左手控制器上的菜單按鈕，快速識別出附近正在說話的人。這種快速響應機制不僅方便用戶加入對話或跟隨新朋友，還可以輕鬆靜音或訪問其他玩家的個人資料。 此外，新的麥克風狀態通知能更好地告知玩家進入世界時麥克風的開啟狀態，這一改進在測試階段，可能會限於特定世界。 引入時間管理工具 為了幫助玩家更好地管理在虛擬世界中的時間，Meta…

[elsaclack]

Yeah okay so like I said in the tags of the last post I’m rising from my tumblr grave to say that the ban on TikTok is symptomatic of a MUCH larger and more terrifying problem. Because yes, on its surface it’s silly dances and asmr and cooking videos and whatever, but in truth and at its core, TikTok single-handedly revolutionized the way 170 million Americans communicated with each other AND the rest of the world. Non-Americans love to point out how America-centric Americans are, but fail to realize that we are purposefully raised in an isolated, insulated environment where we are told from basically day 1 that America Is The Best and not to even bother taking a look around because it’s all downhill from outside of here. TikTok has, for MANY Americans, single-handedly destroyed that notion and allowed them (us!!) to broaden our world-view and realize that actually, things are better in other countries, and it did so in a kind, empathetic, and compassionate way.

And yeah most people wake up to the truth of that on their own as they get older, but holy shit!! The VAST majority of the Americans on TikTok are millennials and gen z (and even some older gen alpha)!! People who are becoming disillusioned with “The American Dream” (said with the HEAVIEST sarcasm) while they’re still school-aged or are just entering young-adulthood!! People who are entering - or TRYING to enter - the American workforce who suddenly have an unfiltered window into non-American lives and are wondering why tf we’re struggling and penny-pinching and toeing the line of poverty while our rich elected officials sit around and fight and argue over everything that actually matters to the citizens they supposedly represent and get richer all the while. THAT is why they’re banning the app, and that fact alone should terrify every single American citizen.

Not to mention the precedent it sets for other social media platforms!! You think some nebulous, unproven, and unfounded “threat to national security” will stop with TikTok?? They’ve already censored Adult Material on tumblr, who’s gonna stop them from coming back and doing it again or getting rid of it altogether for the exact same reason? It’s a blatant act of censorship and a direct attack on the American first amendment right to free speech.

NOTHING radicalized me the way tiktok did. I watched people in my life who were STAUNCH Trump supporters in 2016 AND 2020 wake up to the truth and vote blue for the first time in their lives BECAUSE OF TIKTOK, and did so with al the nuanced understanding that even Democrats are severely failing this country, but are at least better than the alternative. That level of awareness and presence in the average US citizen scares American politicians.

The fact that the vast majority of them - including the ones loudly opposing the ban!! - bought stock in Meta BEFORE the ban was legalized/upheld by the Supreme Court?? That Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk were legally allowed to lobby congress to ban TikTok when BOTH stood to DIRECTLY financially gain from their biggest competitor being banned in the US and are guilty of unethically gathering data and selling it to MULTIPLE third parties?? The fact that Trump is now teasing that he may or may not intervene to save TikTok when he was the one who talked about banning it in the first place AND ALSO OWNS HIS OWN COMPETING SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM??

It’s the burning of Alexandria. It’s the loss of a significant chunk of culture. It’s the sharp and sudden loss of contact with the rest of the world for more than half of all American citizens. It’s the loss of $240 BILLION dollars in the GDP when the country is already TRILLIONS of dollars in debt. And on an individualistic level, it’s the loss of millions of small businesses and primary income streams for so many individuals and families who found their primary audience on TikTok. Is the app perfect? HELL no. Are there significant changes needed to make it a safe environment for all users? ABSOLUTELY. But that can also be said of ANY social media platform. TikTok openly fostered connection and communication and creativity and compassion that is completely unique to that platform! It made so many people - myself included!! - feel less alone. I get the feeling I know what the general consensus is about TikTok on this site, but the ban on this app should scare the shit out of everyone.

[headlinehorizon]

Meta Implements New Return-to-Office Policy: Striking a Balance on the Headline Horizon

In a bold move, Meta Platforms has implemented a new policy requiring some employees to report to the office three times per week. This latest news sparks the ongoing debate over remote work and in-person collaboration.

[richdadpoor]

Facebook Userbase Is Apparently Unbothered by Canadian News Ban

Image: Pan Xunbin (Shutterstock) Meta’s decision to block news in Canada has seemingly been met with a shrug by its user base. Data shows that Facebook’s users have remained steady even though the social media platform has banned news links. Meta’s Apparent Firing Goof Canada’s Online News Act would force Big Tech to pay news outlets for content that is shared on its platforms—and Big Tech is…

[crushfin]

Threads: Unveiling Meta's Innovative Microblogging Revolution

Microblogging has changed the manner in which we associate and offer data in the computerized age. With the ascent of web-based entertainment Platforms, microblogging has turned into a fundamental piece of our web-based associations. Meta Platforms, previously known as Facebook, has divulged its own microblogging stage called Threads, intended to change the way we microblog and draw in others. In…

[biglisbonnews]

A truly connected and digital Africa is within reach Promoted | Internet exchange points are key to unlocking the potential of a digital, connected Africa, says Open Access Data Centres. https://techcentral.co.za/truly-connected-digital-africa-oadc-oadpr/229532/

[theeleventhsignofthezodiac]

Meta Platforms