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Is Mark Zuckerberg The World’s First “Digital Dictator”?
Facebook is enormous, bigger than 99.9% of countries, and Mark Zuckerberg is unequivocally its leader. Does this make him a dictator?
Richard Goodwin
08:15, 1 Jun 2016
Mark Zuckerberg has been described as the first internet dictator by Pirate Bay founder Peter Sunde. And the guy has a point too. Facebook’s growth over the years makes Apple’s and Google’s look average. The social network is now a global social network in every respect, with more users than most country’s populations.
Facebook and its assets, which now include WhatsApp and Instagram, is the biggest online entity of its kind in existence, a place that is home to billions of people, and Mark Zuckerberg sits right at the top, calling the shots. Put in that context, Sunde definitely has a point.
Speaking with CNBC at a conference organised by The Next Web in Amsterdam, Sunde said: “Facebook is the biggest nation in the world and we have a dictator, if you look at it from a democracy standpoint. Mark Zuckerberg is a dictator. I did not elect him. He sets the rules.”
And despite assertions to the contrary, Facebook’s growth is showing no signs of slowing down. The company recently destroyed analyst expectations during its Q4 2015 earnings call with increases in profits, users and revenues across the board. The Zuck also highlighted a bunch of stats and figures, which included:
- 100 million hours of video watched per day
- 1 billion users on Groups
- 80 million users on Facebook Lite
- 500 million users on Events
- 123 million events created in 2015
- 50 million small and medium sized business on Pages
Does this make Mark Zuckerberg a dictator? Does being successful with his social network make him the same as Stalin, Pal Pot and Castro? I’m going to say NO IT DOES NOT. For starters, a dictator, by definition, rules without mandate of the people. They dictate. And last time I checked Facebook is voluntary — you don’t need to be a part of anything to do with Zuckerberg’s empire. Just as you can use Bing instead of Google.
However, according to Sunde, this isn’t possible because he misses invitations to parties, loses contact with friends and people stop talking to you. And while this might be true, it hardly makes Mark Zuckerberg an evil overlord. You’re free to write letters and call your family and friends on the phone.
I do understand what he’s saying, I really do. Facebook is a thing and life is just easier if you have an account. But by doing this you are directly contributing the rise and sustainability of the Zuckerberg empire.
But surely if this is indeed the case then surely that makes Facebook rather useful? If something is integral to your life then it becomes more than just a service. This is where Zuckerberg’s business becomes so successful. It’s also why he bought Instagram and WhatsApp — because they’re integral to millions of people’s lives.
I get the point that Sunde is making, though: Mark Zuckerberg is fast becoming THE controller of the Internet. He sits at the top of the three most used web applications on the planet. Zuckerberg is a big deal. So much so that heads of states — Obama and Merkel, for instance — actually treat him as if he is a political leader, which, I agree, is kind of weird.
Sunde says the EU should take a harder line with Facebook and Mark Zuckerberg. I don’t know if I agree with this, but I do understand why some people are concerned about the level of influence Facebook now has in billions of people’s lives.
What’s your opinion on all this? Is The Zuck REALLY a dictator? Or is he just some guy that got lucky in college and is now one of the most powerful men in the world?