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I can see a number of potential reasons why Zuck wouldn't want to be US president. Firstly, it seems to me that it could potentially poison his brand overseas.
by Digit-Al 9y ago
I can see a number of potential reasons why Zuck wouldn't want to be US president.
Firstly, it seems to me that it could potentially poison his brand overseas. Everyone knows that Facebook can potentially exert a lot of influence in very subtle ways. How many countries would want most of their citizens under the potential influence of a company owned by the president of a potentially hostile country? It could cause Facebook to be banned in some countries (like it already is in China).
Secondly, it could be argued that the owner of Facebook already has more power than the US president, so it would be a step down. After all, Facebook has influence over more people than POTUS. And considering the subtle ways we can be manipulated by social media, it can surely be argued that he can influence people more directly and more powerfully than POTUS.
So it seems to me that becoming President gains him nothing but aggravation and stress, and stands to lose him valuable overseas business.
- lettergram 9y agoAlthough I agree Facebook has a lot of subtle influence, it's only to a point. I firmly believe (no evidence) they are unable to change most peoples minds, they may be able to change their moods. People create their own social bubbles outside of Facebook, Facebook then gives those social bubbles a way to communicate (messages, images, etc.) online - that's it. If Facebook started trying to do more manipulation, i.e. tried to change peoples minds or something, then people would likely stop using Facebook, because it would no longer be subtle.
- dogruck 9y agoI disagree that the head of an online advertising company has more power than the POTUS.
- T-hawk 9y agoThe POTUS has 300 million users. Facebook has 2 billion.
- pscsbs 9y agoThe POTUS has nukes and one of the most highly trained and best-equipped militaries in the world. Facebook can be shutdown by POTUS in an instant. Power is not measured by “users.”
- dogruck 9y agoShockingly, my post was quickly downvoted a few times. Seems that several HN users also think that Zuck has more power than Trump.
- Karunamon 9y agoIs the mainstream media powerful in that they can shape opinion? If yes, then Facebook must necessarily be powerful by the same metric. If no, why not?
- dogruck 9y agoThe US just had a national election where every mainstream media outlet fervently supported the losing candidate. In any case, even if the MSM effectively shapes public opinion, the POTUS commands the armed forces.
- Karunamon 9y agoI'm not sure that's relevant here. The only way that flies is if the armed forces are deployed against the companies in question, something that is expressly forbidden in federal law. (And if that ever becomes an issue, the USA as we know it has already ceased to exist)
- dogruck 9y agoIf I understand your point, you are conceptualizing the discussion as "how could Trump attack FB" vs "how could Zuck attack the US"? Is that fair? Or do I not understand your point?