Reading lesson: Death of Society

Death of Society

A former Facebook leader has made a statement saying social media is greatly harming society around the world. Chamath Palihapitiya joined Facebook in 2007 and served as vice president, responsible for increasing user numbers. Mr. Palihapitiya said he feels responsible for more people using the social network. He said businesses like Facebook are destroying society because they are changing people’s behavior. He continued by saying that twenty years ago, people communicated face to face. Today, people only send virtual messages. There is a negative increase in people caring about what others think. They post photos and wait for “likes” or comments. If people don’t respond, there are real psychological effects.

Mr Palihapitiya continued by saying that people need to take a long break from social media so they can experience real life. He wants people to value each other instead of valuing social media responses. Palihapitiya also points out how fake news is affecting our experience of reality. Large websites are able to publish whatever information they want, even if it is not true. It is also becoming easier to hurt or attack others online. Anyone can create a fake username and post lies. Palihapitiya said this was a global issue. He is so worried about social media that he has stopped his children from using it.