Early Facebook investor compares site’s techniques to Nazi propaganda
Roger McNamee compares social media site's practices to fascist propaganda
An early Facebook investor likened the social media site’s practices to Nazi propaganda.
Roger McNamee made the comparison Friday in an interview with the Telegraph. He said Facebook has borrowed methods from Nazi propaganda chief Joseph Goebbels.
“In order to maintain your attention they have taken all the techniques of Edward Bernays and Joseph Goebbels,” said Roger McNamee, also referring to an Austrian-American public relations pioneer known for marketing cigarettes to women. “And all of the other people from the world of persuasion, and all the big ad agencies, and they’ve mapped it onto an all day product with highly personalised information in order to addict you. We are all to one degree or another addicted.”
McNamee, who made a fortune as an early investor in the internet giant, said Facebook was creating a culture of “fear and anger” and was “lowering civil discourse.” He added that the company had “weaponised” the First Amendment to “essentially absolve themselves of responsibility.”
Two former Facebook employees recently apologised separately for helping to invent the “Like” feature, which they said gave rise to an “attention economy” that is hurting humanity.
“It is very common for humans to develop things with the best of intentions and for them to have unintended, negative consequences,” Rosenstein told the Guardian.
Facebook has come under fire for facilitating the spread of fake news reports, which some people believe swayed the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Representatives of Facebook, Google and Twitter were grilled under oath last month by members of Congress over the use of their platforms for this purpose by Russian agents.
In September, news reports revealed that the three internet giants allowed the sale of ads tied to anti-Semitic and otherwise bigoted keywords, like “Jew hater,” “How to burn jews,” and “History of ‘why jews ruin the world.’” In both cases, all three companies apologised and said safeguards were being developed to fix the problem.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
