Mark Zuckerberg, Meta overlord and part-time hoodie enthusiast, has decided to call it quits on fact-checking across Facebook and Instagram. Yes, you heard that right. In an interview on Joe Rogan’s podcast (because where else would a tech billionaire make major announcements?), Zuck defended this eyebrow-raising move with the calmness of someone who definitely doesnβt read the comments section.
Zuckβs Version of βOopsβ
According to Zuckerberg, the whole fact-checking thing started thanks to two giant plot twists in the worldβs reality show: Donald Trumpβs election as U.S. president and the Brexit vote. Oh, and then the 2020 pandemic decided to show up, because why not?
βIβve been working on this for a long time,β he said, which is tech-bro speak for βPlease donβt @ me; I tried, okay?β
When It All Went South
Apparently, the fact-checking frenzy began because of what Zuck describes as βmassive institutional pressure.β Translation: Everyone was yelling at him like he was the manager of Earthβs customer service department.
Back in 2016, when Trump shocked the world by becoming president, Zuck says he bought into media chatter that misinformation was to blame. βThereβs no way this guy could have gotten elected except for fake news!β some people cried. Zuckerberg, sipping his soy latte, probably thought, Yeah, maybe? and decided to play the hero.
Cue the fact-checking machineβa third-party system designed to sniff out hoaxes like βthe Earth is flatβ or βpineapple belongs on pizza.β But things quickly spiraled out of control.
Fact-Checking: The Slippery Slope Edition
What started as a noble crusade against obvious nonsense somehow turned into a political mud-wrestling match. Zuck likened it to living in George Orwellβs 1984, which might be the first time someone compared Facebook policies to dystopian literature and wasnβt entirely wrong.
“It got to a point where this was destroying so much trust, especially in the U.S.,β he admitted. You know itβs bad when even Zuck is like, Yeah, we mightβve been doing the most.
Soβ¦ Whatβs Next?
Instead of policing misinformation like a digital hall monitor, Meta will now embrace a βcommunity notesβ approach, inspired by Elon Muskβs Twitter, er, X. (Nothing says βinnovativeβ like copying your rival’s homework.)
Zuckerbergβs logic? Let the internetβfamously known for its calm, reasonable discussionsβdecide whatβs true. What could possibly go wrong?
Zuckβs move is a bit like watching the captain of a ship throw away the navigation system and hand out compasses to the passengers. Buckle up, because itβs going to be a bumpy ride in the Meta-verse.