Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, which includes social media giants such as Facebook, Instagram and Meta, recently joined the program of controversial podcast host Joe Rogan. In the interview, which lasted about three hours, topics such as virtual reality, content management, government and the FBI were discussed. Zuckerberg even explained the reason for his famous ‘robotic’ facial expression on the show.
One of the topics that the famous billionaire talked about was Instagram, one of his company’s social media platforms. These statements of Zuckerberg about the giant photo and video platform contradicted the recent allegations about Instagram.
Zuckerberg thinks Instagram is a positive space
In his statements, Zuckerberg stated that he thinks the platform has positive effects, using the expressions “I think Instagram is a super positive space”. The 38-year-old billionaire also stated that positive things can be assimilated on Instagram and added: “I can say that the feedback we receive from Instagram is extremely positive. It’s pretty easy to spend time there.”
These statements of the CEO contradict the claims of company informant Francis Haugen, which emerged last year. Haugen said that Instagram consists of comparing people’s bodies and lifestyles, and stated that the giant platform harms the mental health of people, especially young girls. The informant, who shook the world with his allegations, stated that Zuckerberg should also resign.
According to reports, Instagram is making teens feel worse about their bodies
A 2020 internal research obtained by the Wall Street Journal supported Haugen’s claims. This research included statements showing that 32% of teenage girls on the platform felt bad about their bodies, and Instagram made it worse. Moreover, it was documented that 13% of young users of the platform in the US and 6% of young users in the UK were suicidal.
Haugen also said that the issue was constantly ignored in a statement he gave to Congress last year on the subject. In short, while data and explanations show that Instagram is not a very positive place, Zuckerberg disagrees. So what kind of platform do you think Instagram is? You can share your thoughts in the comments.
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