Facebook News: CEO Mark Zuckerberg Tours Devastated Puerto Rico to Promote Virtual Reality
Facebook's chief executive officer Mark Zuckerberg promoted their virtual reality (VR) contribution by using Puerto Rico's current hurricane-devastated state.
Social media sites are a powerful way of cascading information and messages. Despite this, Facebook has come under fire after it was revealed that their site was the main form of communication used by Russian accounts to promote politically-sensitive and negatively toned messages. The VR incident definitely did not help to curb the backlash.
According to reports, Zuckerberg and his head of the VR department Rachel Franklin paid a visit to various locations to show off Facebook's version of the technology that promotes a social aspect. This tool is known as Spaces, and users will be able to go from one place to another through virtual reality. In the physical world, Zuckerberg and Franklin were in their respective offices. A few minutes into the livestream, Zuckerberg went on ahead to tour in devastated Puerto Rico, where people were shown to be enduring through the aftermath of hurricane Maria.
Fans were alarmed at Zuckerberg's seemingly tone-deaf promotion. Although he did say that the company donated $1.5 million for disaster relief, some claimed that the livestream was borderline heartless. Zuckerberg's point had been to promote the population maps wherein relied organizations can utilize it to pinpoint where help is most needed. Despite his intentions, Zuckerberg's use of Puerto Rico angered many.
"One of the most powerful features of VR is empathy. My goal here was to show how VR can raise awareness and help us see what's happening in different parts of the world," said Zuckerberg in a statement, as reported by CNBC. "I also wanted to share the news of our partnership with the Red Cross to help with the recovery. Reading some of the comments, I realize this wasn't clear, and I'm sorry to anyone this offended."
Fans are hoping that Facebook will eventually realize the proper and more sensitive way of getting their messages across.
