Facebook's Failings and the "Metaverse"

Misinformation, the immersive Meta, and the Antichrist spirit

Facebook is trying to find its way out of a monthlong crisis. Earlier in October, the social media giant went offline for hours all over the world. The six-hour outage impacted all kinds of businesses who depend on it to reach customers. Individuals who depend on their Facebook login to access other sites across the internet were also inconvenienced by the system-wide disruption.

That same week, a former Facebook product manager named Frances Haugen testified before a Senate subcommittee about civic integrity issues at the company. She revealed herself as the whistleblower who released thousands of pages of documents that revealed Facebook was fully aware of its toxic effect on the culture:

“I am here today because I believe that Facebook’s products harm children, stoke division, and weaken our democracy,” she said during her opening remarks. “The company's leadership knows how to make Facebook and Instagram safer but won't make the necessary changes because they have put their astronomical profits before people. Congressional action is needed. They won't solve this crisis without your help.”

Based on her documents, the Wall Street Journal published a multi-part investigation of Facebook that showed the company was aware it had become a source of misinformation around the world—including here in the United States. Those are now called the Facebook Papers.