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Anyone else suspicious that Zuckerberg may be gearing FB to ban the analytic tools of his competition if/when he runs? If Zuckerberg does run, I wonder to what
by IIAOPSW 9y ago
Anyone else suspicious that Zuckerberg may be gearing FB to ban the analytic tools of his competition if/when he runs? If Zuckerberg does run, I wonder to what extent FB will be his personal tool? Could you imagine if an old school news paper baron ran for president and his journalists always wrote in his favor?
- bmpafa 9y agoHe's got full control right now, and opinions of him seem pretty negative overall (esp. wrt privacy/trust). I can't imagine it'd be any easier to manipulate opinions en masse if he were actively seeking office.
- jadedhacker 9y agoPeople aren't that dumb, but it is still pretty scary that he'd be able to scientifically design an electoral campaign that can be updated in real time using various FB tools. No other politician has access to power like that. I can't imagine what kind of coalition he could assemble. I don't know if it would win, but if he takes whatever position his data tells him, the only obvious thing that would sink him would be his lack of authenticity. Imagine a candidate that always had an appealing take to a slim to large majority on whatever issue (for people that don't know too much about the issue). In the previous 2016 race, HRC was perceived as inauthentic and lost. DJT was perceived as authentic to a substantial fraction the right (not the media class, though that has changed with the direction of the wind) and inauthentic to the left.
- xienze 9y agoZuck is a Democrat, he’d get a pass on all that, especially if it meant getting Trump out of office. Let’s not kid ourselves, hardly anyone in the media and government would make a stink about what he does with FB to get elected. This is all hypothetical of course, he has to be one of the most unlikeable people in ages, and the reception to his “I identify with you, middle Americans” tour really solidified that feeling.
- meowface 9y agoYeah, there are large numbers of billionaire CEOs with far more charisma and public support than Zuckerberg (like Mark Cuban and Elon Musk). Hate him or not (I'm in the former group), Trump also has charisma. Zuckerberg has brains but not an ounce of charisma or PR ability.
- jadedhacker 9y agoI'm inclined to agree with you, but I'm also in agreement that I'm not sure he could win anyway. Zuck would be the personification of neoliberal imperial agendas so I imagine the establishment, perhaps on both sides, would line up behind him.
- rhizome 9y agoIf he was going to run, he would want win and manipulation carries too much risk. I think it's likely that he uses FB analytics to determine what most people already want, then make that his platform.
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- digitalantfarm 9y agoI'm 99% sure there's no way anyone would vote for him, regardless of anything.
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- nradov 9y agoPeople said the same thing about Ronald Reagan and Arnold Schwarzenegger before they were each elected as Governor of California.
- xienze 9y agoThey at least had charisma and decades of being beloved movie stars working in their favor.
- JetSpiegel 9y agoZuck could hire Jesse Einsenberg for the ads.
- username223 9y agoI don't know what people thought of William Randolph Hearst during his lifetime, but I think Zuck has made himself toxic enough that he can't run for US President (or God) for quite awhile. He's rich enough that he can probably build an island or planet for retirement, though.
- lsseckman 9y agoHearst did this, was some outcry about it