Adam Mosseri, the head of Facebook’s Instagram service, came under a flurry of criticism Thursday after comparing the value of social networks to society to that of cars.
“We know that more people die than would otherwise because of car accidents, but by and large, cars create way more value in the world than they destroy. And I think social media is similar.” This was the statement given by Adam Mosseri after which, he had to face a series of criticism. The comments come after a series of reports by The Wall Street Journal this week based on internal Facebook files. A Tuesday report from the series revealed Facebook has repeatedly found its Instagram app is harmful to a number of teenagers. Among the findings was an internal presentation that said 32% of teen girls said Instagram made them feel even worse when they were feeling bad about their bodies.
Following the report, U.S. lawmakers on both sides of the aisle demanded answers from Facebook about how its services impact the mental health of teens and children. Some called on the company to abandon its plans to launch a “kids version” of Instagram.
Numerous Twitter users criticized Mosseri for the comparison and pointed out that, unlike social media, the automobile industry is heavily regulated. Among those critics was former Facebook executive Brian Boland.
