Meta Is Dying
Tech zombies trap users and vendors then scam for cash to the bitter end.
Welcome to the podcast Organized Money. You can listen to today’s episode on Apple on Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Last month, veteran journalist Julia Angwin wrote an op-ed, “Meta Is Dying. It’s About Time,” which details the ways in which Facebook, Instagram, and Whatsapp have become a kind of zombie business: think Yahoo, Myspace, and AOL after their dot-com peaks. In this episode, we invite Julia on the show to discuss her op-ed and dance on Meta's grave—just a little, because it turns out a dying company can still be a dangerous one. From Meta's money-burning forays into the metaverse, failed acquisition sprees, and gross exploitation of fraudulent ads on their marketplace, we discuss the ways Meta is losing reach and influence, while still maintaining vast power over politics and the gatekeeping of information.
Then, we pivot to talking about Julia's new book, now available for pre-order: “On Courage: How to be a Dissident in an Age of Fear,” a reported account of how dissidents from around the world fight against authoritarianism and how we can learn from them in our own struggles. Fighting autocrats doesn't just mean holding up signs and storming the capital; it can also mean small acts of resistance we can all practice in our own way to make big change in our communities.
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We also provide transcripts and video for every episode. Here is last week’s episode.
Thank you so much for listening. If there’s a monopoly you’d like us to explore this year, or if you have anything else to tell us, please let us know by leaving a comment or by responding directly to this email.
I always hoped that something would save us from psychopaths like Zuck - advertising has only ever been about 1-2% of gdp but these assholes worked out how to grow the pie via addictive dark patterns and overt behavioural manipulations. Right thinking societies are slowly realizing these platforms only take and add no value whatsoever. Like tobacco, if you can cut of the pipeline, you can stop the harm.
I always hoped that something would save us from psychopaths like Zuck - advertising has only ever been about 1-2% of gdp. But these assholes worked out how to grow the pie via addictive dark patterns and overt behavioural manipulations. Right thinking societies are slowly realizing these platforms only take and add no value whatsoever. Like tobacco, if you can cut of the pipeline, you can stop the harm.