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 doesn’t read the comments section.
Zuck’s Version of “Oops”
According to Zuckerberg, the whole fact-checking thing started thanks to two giant plot twists in the world’s reality show: Donald Trump’s election as U.S. president and the Brexit vote. Oh, and then the 2020 pandemic decided to show up, because why not?
“I’ve been working on this for a long time,” he said, which is tech-bro speak for “Please don’t @ me; I tried, okay?”
When It All Went South
Apparently, the fact-checking frenzy began because of what Zuck describes as “massive institutional pressure.” Translation: Everyone was yelling at him like he was the manager of Earth’s 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. “There’s no way this guy could have gotten elected except for fake news!” some people cried. Zuckerberg, sipping his soy latte, probably thought, Yeah, maybe? and decided to play the hero.
Cue the fact-checking machine—a third-party system designed to sniff out hoaxes like “the Earth is flat” or “pineapple belongs on pizza.” 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 Orwell’s 1984, which might be the first time someone compared Facebook policies to dystopian literature and wasn’t entirely wrong.
“It got to a point where this was destroying so much trust, especially in the U.S.,” he admitted. You know it’s bad when even Zuck is like, Yeah, we might’ve been doing the most.
So… What’s Next?
Instead of policing misinformation like a digital hall monitor, Meta will now embrace a “community notes” approach, inspired by Elon Musk’s Twitter, er, X. (Nothing says “innovative” like copying your rival’s homework.)
Zuckerberg’s logic? Let the internet—famously known for its calm, reasonable discussions—decide what’s true. What could possibly go wrong?
Zuck’s 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 it’s going to be a bumpy ride in the Meta-verse.