Facebook has fired back at its former executive who previously said that social media was "ripping apart" society.
Social media certainly has its good and bad sides, with social networks such as Facebook entrenching themselves into our daily routine. Many expected Facebook to defend itself, but the response that it gave against the allegations was an unexpected one.
Facebook Is Destroying Society, Former Exec Claims
Chamath Palihapitiya, Facebook's former VP of user growth, in a speech at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, said that he is feeling "tremendous guilt" for his part in building up the social network and its negative impact on society.
According to Palihapitiya, he helped Facebook in creating tools that are now "ripping apart the social fabric of how society works."
Palihapitiya said that the online reactions made possible by Facebook are destroying how society works. He added that while people may have thousands of friends on the social network, no real connections are being forged between them.
Palihapitiya then advised everyone to take a break away from the clutches of social media, as the technology is negatively affecting society and relationships between people.
The allegations made by Palihapitiya are reported a month after comments were made by Sean Parker, the founding president of Facebook, regarding the social network. He claimed that its creators purposely made Facebook addictive, as it exploits vulnerabilities in the human psychology.
Facebook Says That It Has Changed
Facebook, which would normally ignore such claims made against the social network, unusually issued a direct response to Palihapitiya's remarks. However, even more unexpected were the contents of Facebook's answer.
Instead of dismissing Palihapitiya's allegations, Facebook instead makes it appear that the company that Palihapitiya used to work has changed.
Through a spokesperson, Facebook said that back when Palihapitiya was working in the company six years ago, the focus of the social network was on creating new social media experiences and expanding throughout the world.
"Facebook was a very different company back then and as we have grown we have realized how our responsibilities have grown too," the company's reply continued, adding that it has been working with experts to understand Facebook's effects on society and using what it learns in the development of its products.
"We are also making significant investments more in people, technology, and processes, and — as Mark Zuckerberg said on the last earnings call — we are willing to reduce our profitability to make sure the right investments are made," Facebook said to end its response.
