People are mad at Facebook — for being too big, too powerful, too omniscient. Last week a co-founder of the company joined the calls from politicians like Senator Elizabeth Warren for the government to break up the social media giant.
Facebook has repeatedly asked for regulation, with CEO Mark Zuckerberg appealing to the government in a Washington Post op-ed this spring. Thus far, regulatory proposals have treated Facebook as a traditional telecom or media company. But the unending public anger toward the company, coupled with a sense of helplessness toward the influence it has over society, suggests that regulation shouldn’t be approached with benevolence. Given the numerous studies describing the addictive nature of social media, perhaps Facebook should be regulated the same way as other vices like tobacco, alcohol and gambling.
