Love/Hate
You Desperately Need Fewer Facebook Friends
It would hurt their business — but redeem the platform
If Mark Zuckerberg ever came to me for advice, wondering why people hated Facebook so much, I’d have him close his eyes and remember his freshman year at Harvard — all the friends he made (except these guys), the lasting relationships (except this one), and the meaningful late-night debates they all had around building global technology platforms that could wreak havoc on society.
Seriously though, when Zuckerberg first built Facebook, he was simply looking to digitally connect his college friends, a small community of folks he knew in the offline world. But today, of course, 14 years later, Facebook is worlds apart from that original vision. It is much less Harvard Yard than it is a bloated colosseum of the shouting, seething masses competing with each other to be heard and shared.
“We hate what Facebook has become and need it to change,” I’d whisper in Imaginary Mark’s ear, with the gentle hiss of the grim reaper.
Imaginary Mark would protest. He’d point out that Facebook has done a lot of good in the world. Its suicide prevention feature detects worrisome messages and sends mental health resources to the user or their friends. Its election reminders have…
