Facebook Inc (FB) CEO Mark Zuckerberg has a new vision for his company of serving as a bulwark against rising isolationism. In a letter to users on Thursday, he said that his social platform could be the globe’s “social infrastructure.”
Zuckerberg’s post reflect his political ambitions
In a 5,700-word manifesto, Zuckerberg quoted Abraham Lincoln, who was President during the Civil War, and offered a philosophical sweep that was unusual for a business magnate.
In the present world, the most powerful people are not just elected leaders or dictators but also corporate leaders who can do a lot to influence and control the experiences of billions of people on a daily basis. Thus, from Zuckerberg’s comments, it seems he has ambitions of becoming a politician himself, and let’s not forget that there have been such rumors before. The company has 1.86 billion monthly users, and since Zuckerberg is its head, he knows well that he already holds plenty of power.
He told Facebook Inc (FB)’s 1.9 billion users, “The dogmas of the quiet past, are inadequate to the stormy present.”
This was a quote he picked from a letter Lincoln wrote to Congress in the depths of the Civil War.
Facebook (FB) can do more than just connecting friends
Without naming specific movements, Zuckerberg said, “Across the world there are people left behind by globalization, and movements for withdrawing from global connection.”
The 32-year-old executive said the question here is whether the path ahead was to connect more or reverse course, adding that he believes and stands for bringing people together.
According to Zuckerberg, Facebook Inc (FB) could go beyond its roots of working as a network for friends and families to communicate, adding that it could play a role in five areas. He referred to them all as “communities,” ranging from boosting civic engagement to strengthening traditional institutions and providing help during and after crises.
Such comments from the CEO come at a time when many people and nations around the world are taking an increasingly inward view, notes Reuters. In his inaugural address, President Donald Trump pledged to always put “America first.” This followed Britain’s decision to exit the European Union in June 2016.
Zuckerberg’s post received many comments from users who praised him for staying positive, while some said that “globalism” was dead. Zuckerberg’s letter was “a bit more ambitious and a bit more of the 30,000-foot view than I see from most tech company CEOs,” Peter Micek, global policy and legal counsel at the international digital rights group Access Now, told Reuters.
