Mark Zuckerberg stated Facebook will “keep building.”
JamesMartin
In the days leading up to F8, Facebook’s yearly designer fest, the social media network has actually been clear about its message.
In an unusual business area, which debuted recently and aired throughout the greatly seen NBA Playoffs, Facebook provided an earnest mea culpa. The business starts by highlighting the social media network’s roots in linking good friends. “But then something happened,” a voice states. “We had to deal with spam, clickbait, fake news and data misuse.”
Then the voice states: “That’s going to change.”
On Tuesday, Mark Zuckerberg, the 33- year-old CEO of Facebook who’s made billions from his social media network, doubled down on that guarantee. He did so onstage prior to 5,000 software application designers, put together media and a host of electronic cameras relaying his words worldwide.
“If you believe, like I do, that giving people a voice is important, that building relationships is important, that creating a sense of community is important, and that doing the hard work of trying to bring the whole world closer together is important, than I say this: We will keep building,” Zuckerberg stated in San Jose,California He talked to the cadence of a political leader awakening a crowd at the end of a stump speech.
The F8 keynote is Zuckerberg’s greatest speech of the year– an address where he typically gets individual and talks straight to Facebook’s 2.2 billion users. Last year, he discussed the violence being transmitted on Facebook Live, the social media network’s livestreaming service. The year prior to that, he spoke up versus “building walls,” in what lots of thought to be a veiled chance at then-presidential prospect DonaldTrump A year prior to that, he reviewed turning 30 years of ages.
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Facebook’s F8: All the highlights in under 3 minutes
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This year, the speech came on the heels of the biggest crisis in Facebook’s 14 years of existence. The social network was rocked by a scandal last month involving Cambridge Analytica, a digital consultancy that inappropriately accessed data on as many as 87 million Facebook users. Before that, Facebook was skewered for not doing enough to prevent Russian trolls from spreading fake news and divisive content on the platform in an attempt to meddle in the 2016 US election.
“There’s no guarantee that we get this right,” Zuckerberg said. “We will make mistakes, and there will be consequences, and we will need to fix them. But what I can guarantee is that if we don’t work on this, the world isn’t moving in this direction by itself.”
The appearance was a chance for Zuckerberg to publicly address Facebook’s problems on his own terms. Earlier this month, Zuckerberg found himself on national TV trying to make amends for Facebook’s screwups, but the situation was anything but a controlled environment. He sat in the hot seat for 10 hours for two congressional hearings. During the grilling, Zuckerberg was asked about illegal opioid listings on Facebook, perceived bias against conservative content and accusations the social network has fueled genocide in Myanmar.
The setting was far more comfortable on Tuesday. Attendees gathered in a packed conference hall with pulsating blue lights and loud pop music playing as they took their seats. Zuckerberg was wearing a long-sleeve blue shirt and jeans — not exactly his standard gray, but much more relaxed than the suit and tie he wore on Capitol Hill.
Moving forward
Even while Zuckerberg apologized on stage for the scourges that have recently haunted Facebook, he tried to get on with business as usual.
During the two-hour keynote, Facebook made announcements related to virtual and augmented reality, its chat app Messenger and Instagram. The company teased a new VR feature that could transport you into your childhood home. The social network even announced a new dating app feature.
Still, the event, which was aimed at wooing software developers to build for Facebook’s platform, was overshadowed by the Cambridge Analytica scandal. The controversy has spurred Facebook in recent weeks to tighten its grip on the data it usually shares with developers and third parties.
For example, Facebook said it’s stopped working with third-party data providers like Acxiom and Experian to help marketers target ads at Facebook users. Facebook is going to approve all apps that request access to information such as check-ins, likes, photos, posts, videos, events and groups.
“Our goal here isn’t to be difficult,” said Ime Archibong, head of partnerships. “It’s only to ensure the small minority of bad actors doesn’t ruin it for everyone.”
In January, Zuckerberg pledged to “fix” Facebook. The CEO is known for his elaborate annual challenges, sort of New Year’s resolutions on steroids. In the past, he’s vowed to learn Mandarin, build an artificially intelligent digital assistant for his house, and only eat meat from animals he’s personally slaughtered.
The New Year’s pledge came as Zuckerberg tried to address Russian meddling on its platform. The Cambridge Analytica scandal would come two and a half months later.Â
Zuckerberg acknowledged the rough patch almost from the moment he took the stage on Tuesday.
“It’s been an intense year,” he said.Â
Facebook’s F8 Developer Conference: Follow CNET’s coverage.
Cambridge Analytica: Everything you need to know about Facebook’s data mining scandal.
