1 00:00:04,160 --> 00:00:05,880 Speaker 1: There Are No Girls on the Internet, as a production 2 00:00:05,920 --> 00:00:13,000 Speaker 1: of My Heart Radio and Unboss Creative. I'm Bridget Todd 3 00:00:13,200 --> 00:00:14,880 Speaker 1: and this is There Are No Girls on the Internet. 4 00:00:17,400 --> 00:00:20,720 Speaker 1: Last month, we heard from former Facebook data scientists turn 5 00:00:20,760 --> 00:00:24,840 Speaker 1: whistleblower sophies On about the ways Facebook has spread harm. 6 00:00:25,120 --> 00:00:27,680 Speaker 1: Her entire story, from taking a job at Facebook to 7 00:00:27,720 --> 00:00:30,200 Speaker 1: deciding to blow the whistle on the company at great 8 00:00:30,240 --> 00:00:34,400 Speaker 1: personal risk, is worth listening to. Here's a clip. When 9 00:00:34,440 --> 00:00:37,559 Speaker 1: you think about Facebook, are you is there part of 10 00:00:37,560 --> 00:00:39,159 Speaker 1: you that it's hopeful that do you think that it 11 00:00:39,159 --> 00:00:40,920 Speaker 1: can be, that it can be saved, Can it be 12 00:00:40,960 --> 00:00:43,080 Speaker 1: a force for good? Or is it just too late? 13 00:00:44,479 --> 00:00:47,640 Speaker 1: It's reattractive for people to say the road is fundamentally 14 00:00:47,680 --> 00:00:50,000 Speaker 1: to only broken then can't be fixed. Therefore I'm not 15 00:00:50,040 --> 00:00:53,120 Speaker 1: going to do anything unless it becomes itself a funny prophecy, 16 00:00:53,120 --> 00:00:55,360 Speaker 1: and then you can see I was right. Nothing changed 17 00:00:56,400 --> 00:00:59,120 Speaker 1: because in the end nothing, nothing will happen, none and 18 00:00:59,240 --> 00:01:01,120 Speaker 1: us and us will be the people make it happen. 19 00:01:01,280 --> 00:01:03,680 Speaker 1: Because if everyone writes it off and says it's Facebook, 20 00:01:03,720 --> 00:01:07,319 Speaker 1: it's broken, then what's the point. We already know that 21 00:01:07,520 --> 00:01:09,960 Speaker 1: it's already awful. We can't do anything then and then 22 00:01:09,959 --> 00:01:12,640 Speaker 1: that will become a self fulfending prophecy, and no one votes, 23 00:01:12,760 --> 00:01:15,080 Speaker 1: and no, because no one was stup forward to fix 24 00:01:15,120 --> 00:01:17,440 Speaker 1: it will change it in the first place. M hm. 25 00:01:19,480 --> 00:01:22,680 Speaker 1: And so the question if anything happened, that's rending up 26 00:01:22,680 --> 00:01:25,720 Speaker 1: to us. It's it's up to it's up to yourself, 27 00:01:25,760 --> 00:01:27,600 Speaker 1: it's up to me, it's up to the people and listening. 28 00:01:28,400 --> 00:01:31,080 Speaker 1: So what can we do? How can we, just as 29 00:01:31,120 --> 00:01:35,360 Speaker 1: regular people who use the platform, hold Facebook accountable? It 30 00:01:35,400 --> 00:01:37,360 Speaker 1: can sometimes feel like we don't really have a lot 31 00:01:37,360 --> 00:01:41,000 Speaker 1: of power against a billion dollar global tech company like Facebook. 32 00:01:41,720 --> 00:01:45,360 Speaker 1: But Cairos, an organization that builds power for black and 33 00:01:45,400 --> 00:01:49,120 Speaker 1: brown communities online, is hoping to change that, starting with 34 00:01:49,240 --> 00:01:52,520 Speaker 1: asking everyone to log off of Facebook starting November ten. 35 00:01:54,520 --> 00:01:58,520 Speaker 1: Of Facebook's revenue comes from ads targeted at us, just 36 00:01:58,640 --> 00:02:02,160 Speaker 1: regular people who use Facebook. Okay, that means the revenue 37 00:02:02,200 --> 00:02:07,040 Speaker 1: depends on our regular use of and engagement with the platform. No, 38 00:02:07,200 --> 00:02:11,200 Speaker 1: Cairo's is not asking people to delete Facebook. Instead, it's 39 00:02:11,200 --> 00:02:15,040 Speaker 1: more like a strike. The Facebook logout campaign is an 40 00:02:15,080 --> 00:02:18,360 Speaker 1: attempt to harness the economic power of consumers to directly 41 00:02:18,400 --> 00:02:23,519 Speaker 1: impact Facebook's bottom line, and for Gilani, Drew Davey Cairo's 42 00:02:23,520 --> 00:02:27,560 Speaker 1: campaign director. It's all about power, taking it away from 43 00:02:27,600 --> 00:02:31,239 Speaker 1: tech billionaires and building it for marginalized people. So, first 44 00:02:31,240 --> 00:02:33,800 Speaker 1: of all, how did you wind up doing the work 45 00:02:33,880 --> 00:02:35,120 Speaker 1: that it is that you do? Like, how did you 46 00:02:35,120 --> 00:02:39,040 Speaker 1: get to where you are right now? Yeah? I smile 47 00:02:39,120 --> 00:02:42,600 Speaker 1: because I'm like, I don't really know either. But UM, 48 00:02:43,120 --> 00:02:48,239 Speaker 1: I was an organizer, grassroots organizer for a while, UM, 49 00:02:49,160 --> 00:02:53,280 Speaker 1: and I decided that I needed a break a little bit. 50 00:02:53,639 --> 00:02:55,680 Speaker 1: I think it was really enriched. I lived in Richmond, 51 00:02:55,760 --> 00:03:00,280 Speaker 1: Virginia in seventeen Charlottesville and all the things, and I 52 00:03:00,400 --> 00:03:03,640 Speaker 1: was kind of deep in it, and you know, we 53 00:03:03,680 --> 00:03:06,040 Speaker 1: get burnt out as organizers, and that's what happened to 54 00:03:06,040 --> 00:03:09,799 Speaker 1: me as a grass its organizer. UM. And my friend 55 00:03:09,960 --> 00:03:12,040 Speaker 1: was like, hey, well you should do digital organizing and 56 00:03:12,080 --> 00:03:15,720 Speaker 1: I was like, what even is that? So I decided 57 00:03:15,760 --> 00:03:20,160 Speaker 1: to apply for the Cairos Fellowship. We really got skilled 58 00:03:20,280 --> 00:03:24,519 Speaker 1: up and what digital organizing was in a way that 59 00:03:25,080 --> 00:03:28,640 Speaker 1: I think is very different because it's focused on racial 60 00:03:28,680 --> 00:03:33,840 Speaker 1: equity and equality and really about changing the field of 61 00:03:34,200 --> 00:03:37,920 Speaker 1: digital organizing UM and putting black and brown people into 62 00:03:38,000 --> 00:03:40,680 Speaker 1: it to do the work for our people. And I 63 00:03:40,760 --> 00:03:45,280 Speaker 1: kind of fell in love with taking down big tech UM, 64 00:03:45,320 --> 00:03:48,960 Speaker 1: which is a strange sentence to say, but it's something 65 00:03:49,280 --> 00:03:51,040 Speaker 1: you know, I like to make cereos have a really 66 00:03:51,080 --> 00:03:53,640 Speaker 1: bad day. And I'm happy to have landed full circle 67 00:03:53,680 --> 00:03:57,920 Speaker 1: back at CAIROS now that we campaign UM running campaigns 68 00:03:57,920 --> 00:04:02,200 Speaker 1: at the intersection of tech and racial all justice. Johnny, 69 00:04:02,200 --> 00:04:03,640 Speaker 1: you and I have been on some many calls together, 70 00:04:03,800 --> 00:04:06,520 Speaker 1: so many different coalition beings together. We have been talking 71 00:04:06,520 --> 00:04:12,320 Speaker 1: about making like tech billionaires having the worst, making them 72 00:04:12,320 --> 00:04:14,720 Speaker 1: have a bad time for a very long time, and 73 00:04:14,760 --> 00:04:18,320 Speaker 1: it's interesting that we're in this moment where a lot 74 00:04:18,360 --> 00:04:20,080 Speaker 1: of the public is kind of catching up to us. 75 00:04:20,120 --> 00:04:23,200 Speaker 1: You know, Facebook has had a really intense couple of 76 00:04:23,240 --> 00:04:25,760 Speaker 1: weeks in terms of like all of this stuff that 77 00:04:25,800 --> 00:04:29,080 Speaker 1: we have known for a while becoming public in these 78 00:04:29,200 --> 00:04:32,320 Speaker 1: very um specific ways. What are your thoughts on just 79 00:04:32,400 --> 00:04:35,760 Speaker 1: like what we're seeing coming out of Facebook with these 80 00:04:35,800 --> 00:04:39,240 Speaker 1: whistleblowers and you know, all of this, all of these 81 00:04:39,240 --> 00:04:41,720 Speaker 1: revelations that we've known for a while being made so 82 00:04:41,760 --> 00:04:46,120 Speaker 1: painfully clear to folks who might not have been so aware. Yeah, 83 00:04:46,520 --> 00:04:50,400 Speaker 1: I don't think I've seen a time since maybe Cambridge 84 00:04:50,400 --> 00:04:53,840 Speaker 1: Analytica and like that first whistleblower that we saw come 85 00:04:53,839 --> 00:04:57,800 Speaker 1: out where it's been so much attention on Facebook, and 86 00:04:57,839 --> 00:05:03,960 Speaker 1: I think in the last don't know year with COVID disinformation, 87 00:05:04,240 --> 00:05:08,520 Speaker 1: with an elect presidential election happening last year, with January six, 88 00:05:09,040 --> 00:05:13,400 Speaker 1: that has all changed. Like you said, I you know, personally, 89 00:05:13,600 --> 00:05:17,040 Speaker 1: I'm like where were y'all at? And you know, professionally, 90 00:05:17,040 --> 00:05:20,040 Speaker 1: I'm like, let's go, let's organize people, Let's get all 91 00:05:20,160 --> 00:05:23,880 Speaker 1: people to you know, really take back their power. Um. 92 00:05:23,880 --> 00:05:26,800 Speaker 1: This is definitely a different moment in time where you know, 93 00:05:26,839 --> 00:05:33,039 Speaker 1: we're seeing Facebook's direct harm on children, our society or democracy, 94 00:05:33,360 --> 00:05:37,599 Speaker 1: and you know, people are really desperate, I think, to 95 00:05:37,600 --> 00:05:41,440 Speaker 1: be able to do something about it. It's so interesting 96 00:05:41,480 --> 00:05:44,200 Speaker 1: that you use the phrase take back our power. I 97 00:05:44,200 --> 00:05:47,560 Speaker 1: think before I was very involved in like platform accountability work, 98 00:05:48,240 --> 00:05:52,240 Speaker 1: I just had this us, this blanket assumption that as 99 00:05:52,279 --> 00:05:55,240 Speaker 1: a person who use social media, person that use technology, 100 00:05:55,320 --> 00:05:57,720 Speaker 1: I had no power, Like who was I to tell 101 00:05:57,920 --> 00:06:00,599 Speaker 1: the Mark Zuckerberg's of the world how to run these 102 00:06:00,640 --> 00:06:03,320 Speaker 1: these these platforms And I didn't fully understand how they work. 103 00:06:03,400 --> 00:06:06,080 Speaker 1: Like I'm not a software engineer, I'm not a data person, 104 00:06:06,520 --> 00:06:10,000 Speaker 1: and I think that for me, what really clicked. Was 105 00:06:10,320 --> 00:06:13,280 Speaker 1: this change of like, well, actually, it wouldn't exist if 106 00:06:13,279 --> 00:06:15,919 Speaker 1: not for you know, the people who use these platforms, 107 00:06:15,920 --> 00:06:19,039 Speaker 1: and so if we mass a mass together, we actually 108 00:06:19,080 --> 00:06:21,280 Speaker 1: do have power. And when I started thinking like that, 109 00:06:21,320 --> 00:06:23,800 Speaker 1: I was like, why was that so quick to believe this, 110 00:06:23,800 --> 00:06:27,359 Speaker 1: this fiction that people who use social media have no 111 00:06:27,560 --> 00:06:30,520 Speaker 1: power and have no right to say, you know, what 112 00:06:30,640 --> 00:06:33,000 Speaker 1: their experience on these platforms look like. When they are 113 00:06:33,040 --> 00:06:35,359 Speaker 1: the lifeblood of these platforms. They wouldn't exist if not 114 00:06:35,400 --> 00:06:39,680 Speaker 1: for for users. Yeah, And it's it's this thing I 115 00:06:39,680 --> 00:06:43,360 Speaker 1: think that where tech companies want us to think like that, 116 00:06:43,400 --> 00:06:46,440 Speaker 1: Like Facebook wants us to think that we're just just 117 00:06:46,640 --> 00:06:50,279 Speaker 1: a user and we just someone with a profile, when 118 00:06:50,320 --> 00:06:52,760 Speaker 1: that's not actually true. We are the reason why they 119 00:06:52,760 --> 00:06:55,000 Speaker 1: make money. We are the reason why they are even 120 00:06:55,000 --> 00:06:58,080 Speaker 1: existing in the first place. And so even beginning to 121 00:06:58,160 --> 00:07:01,760 Speaker 1: shift your understanding of your power when it comes to 122 00:07:02,480 --> 00:07:06,920 Speaker 1: social media platforms and technologies that we used is huge. 123 00:07:07,040 --> 00:07:09,120 Speaker 1: Like that is a huge win. I think if we 124 00:07:09,120 --> 00:07:13,600 Speaker 1: can start doing that for in massive amounts of people. Yeah, 125 00:07:13,680 --> 00:07:16,000 Speaker 1: I mean, so let's talk about that a little bit. Um. 126 00:07:16,040 --> 00:07:19,280 Speaker 1: I know that Cairos is doing the log out Facebook campaign, 127 00:07:19,280 --> 00:07:21,640 Speaker 1: which I'm so excited about um, and it seems to 128 00:07:21,640 --> 00:07:25,160 Speaker 1: be just one avenue that folks, just every day folks 129 00:07:25,240 --> 00:07:27,640 Speaker 1: using social media can start to take back some of 130 00:07:27,640 --> 00:07:29,320 Speaker 1: that power. Can you tell us a little bit about 131 00:07:29,320 --> 00:07:31,880 Speaker 1: how that campaign came to be? Yeah, for sure. So 132 00:07:32,040 --> 00:07:34,520 Speaker 1: you know, this campaign was really born out of frustration 133 00:07:35,440 --> 00:07:38,600 Speaker 1: is born. You know, when you go to our website, um, 134 00:07:38,760 --> 00:07:41,760 Speaker 1: the Facebook logout dot com, the first thing you're gonna 135 00:07:41,800 --> 00:07:44,640 Speaker 1: see is we're really over Facebook. And that was the 136 00:07:44,680 --> 00:07:46,800 Speaker 1: first thing I think I typed when I was planning 137 00:07:46,840 --> 00:07:50,400 Speaker 1: this campaign, like I'm really over it. Um. So it's 138 00:07:50,400 --> 00:07:53,520 Speaker 1: born out of that kind of spirit of we don't 139 00:07:53,600 --> 00:07:57,480 Speaker 1: want to do anymore talking to people on the inside. 140 00:07:57,480 --> 00:07:59,920 Speaker 1: Although that is a lane where I think a lot 141 00:08:00,040 --> 00:08:02,280 Speaker 1: people are doing a lot of great work, but we 142 00:08:02,320 --> 00:08:06,400 Speaker 1: don't want to do that. We don't want to continue 143 00:08:06,440 --> 00:08:08,640 Speaker 1: to put out little fires here and there or big 144 00:08:08,680 --> 00:08:11,240 Speaker 1: fires here and there. What we want to do is 145 00:08:11,240 --> 00:08:15,160 Speaker 1: find a new angle to really try to take Facebook 146 00:08:15,360 --> 00:08:19,120 Speaker 1: and you know, hold it accountable. UM. And that for 147 00:08:19,200 --> 00:08:23,560 Speaker 1: us was users. That really I think for us, it's 148 00:08:23,600 --> 00:08:27,880 Speaker 1: a people power thing. Like when we do think about Facebook, 149 00:08:28,280 --> 00:08:31,520 Speaker 1: we do think about Facebook users, and like you said, 150 00:08:31,520 --> 00:08:34,600 Speaker 1: before users aren't. I think users and people were not 151 00:08:34,720 --> 00:08:37,280 Speaker 1: aware that we have power over these things in our 152 00:08:37,320 --> 00:08:41,040 Speaker 1: pocket that we scroll through every day. And so for us, 153 00:08:41,120 --> 00:08:45,680 Speaker 1: it's you know, part changing people's minds, changing people's orientation 154 00:08:45,840 --> 00:08:50,719 Speaker 1: to a platform like Facebook, but also getting people to 155 00:08:51,080 --> 00:08:54,040 Speaker 1: take and go from you know, a pledge like pledge 156 00:08:54,080 --> 00:08:57,040 Speaker 1: to log out, to actually take the action, um and 157 00:08:57,080 --> 00:08:59,680 Speaker 1: log out with us for a couple of days to November. 158 00:09:02,000 --> 00:09:15,480 Speaker 1: Let's take a quick break. One of the tensions that 159 00:09:15,559 --> 00:09:18,520 Speaker 1: I feel as a digital organizer is that I have 160 00:09:18,800 --> 00:09:21,280 Speaker 1: a Facebook and bare I barely use it, but I 161 00:09:21,280 --> 00:09:24,400 Speaker 1: have Instagram where i'm I'm I'm active. Um. The reason 162 00:09:24,440 --> 00:09:27,920 Speaker 1: why I still have Facebook is because you know, some 163 00:09:28,000 --> 00:09:30,120 Speaker 1: of the organizing spaces I'm in a lot of that 164 00:09:30,160 --> 00:09:33,280 Speaker 1: work happens on Facebook. And that's a real tension that 165 00:09:33,400 --> 00:09:35,840 Speaker 1: I feel around being on the platform at all. So 166 00:09:35,880 --> 00:09:38,000 Speaker 1: I guess do you ever, like, like, how do you 167 00:09:38,080 --> 00:09:42,240 Speaker 1: navigate that tension of like asking people to take these 168 00:09:42,240 --> 00:09:45,480 Speaker 1: steps to divest from Facebook in this way, but knowing 169 00:09:45,559 --> 00:09:48,720 Speaker 1: that some people use it for things like you know, organizing, 170 00:09:48,800 --> 00:09:51,080 Speaker 1: some people use it for communicating with you know, friends 171 00:09:51,080 --> 00:09:54,680 Speaker 1: and family outside of the US, Like, how do you 172 00:09:54,760 --> 00:09:57,920 Speaker 1: navigate that tension of oh man, Facebook is really created 173 00:09:57,960 --> 00:10:01,800 Speaker 1: an ecosystem where so any of us really do have 174 00:10:01,920 --> 00:10:05,040 Speaker 1: to rely on it, but we maybe don't love that 175 00:10:05,040 --> 00:10:08,840 Speaker 1: that this relationship that we have with Facebook. Yeah, totally. 176 00:10:09,040 --> 00:10:11,800 Speaker 1: So I also have a Facebook that I don't really use. 177 00:10:12,760 --> 00:10:15,559 Speaker 1: I'm on Instagram though, and I joke that I'm part 178 00:10:15,559 --> 00:10:17,880 Speaker 1: of the problem, but like, I'm part of the problem. 179 00:10:18,040 --> 00:10:20,480 Speaker 1: So but even doing this work, you know, there is 180 00:10:20,520 --> 00:10:22,320 Speaker 1: a real tension, and we talked about it all the 181 00:10:22,360 --> 00:10:25,360 Speaker 1: time internally. We also talked about it to people who 182 00:10:25,880 --> 00:10:28,400 Speaker 1: you know, respond to our emails saying, hey, I use 183 00:10:28,520 --> 00:10:30,760 Speaker 1: this from my small business or use this for organizing. 184 00:10:31,120 --> 00:10:34,080 Speaker 1: And so that's why we're not saying delete Facebook. We're 185 00:10:34,080 --> 00:10:36,680 Speaker 1: not saying just delete it, leave and figure out what 186 00:10:36,720 --> 00:10:40,400 Speaker 1: you're going to do afterwards. We're saying, you know, use 187 00:10:40,440 --> 00:10:44,560 Speaker 1: your power to essentially strike from Facebook, you know, as 188 00:10:44,760 --> 00:10:48,480 Speaker 1: as workers would strike like how Amazon workers. Um, you 189 00:10:48,480 --> 00:10:51,439 Speaker 1: know we're on strikes. So you know, we're definitely not 190 00:10:51,480 --> 00:10:53,840 Speaker 1: going to a delete Facebook route. I think the tension 191 00:10:54,080 --> 00:10:57,560 Speaker 1: is is an interesting one and I think, you know, 192 00:10:57,640 --> 00:11:02,440 Speaker 1: looking forward and a more visionary way, I'm interested in 193 00:11:02,520 --> 00:11:05,760 Speaker 1: having more conversations with people who do lock out of Like, Okay, 194 00:11:06,360 --> 00:11:08,520 Speaker 1: if Facebook is not the place where you want to 195 00:11:08,600 --> 00:11:11,080 Speaker 1: be or not a place that is going to be 196 00:11:11,080 --> 00:11:15,240 Speaker 1: better for us, then how do we create a world 197 00:11:15,280 --> 00:11:19,160 Speaker 1: where tech is working for us, where social media platforms 198 00:11:19,160 --> 00:11:22,760 Speaker 1: are working for us. UM. So we definitely here, and 199 00:11:22,800 --> 00:11:25,440 Speaker 1: we definitely hear the organizing like a lot of black 200 00:11:25,440 --> 00:11:28,480 Speaker 1: and brown people organize on Facebook. We definitely hear around 201 00:11:29,120 --> 00:11:32,240 Speaker 1: businesses um. And so we're not expecting people just to 202 00:11:32,320 --> 00:11:34,720 Speaker 1: up and leave, but we do want to encourage people 203 00:11:34,760 --> 00:11:37,200 Speaker 1: to take back their power in those in those couple 204 00:11:37,240 --> 00:11:41,280 Speaker 1: of days UM. And you know, from there we will 205 00:11:41,320 --> 00:11:44,000 Speaker 1: see and we're hopeful that we can start building a 206 00:11:44,040 --> 00:11:47,920 Speaker 1: new future. Mm hmm. I really like that. Yeah, I think, 207 00:11:48,840 --> 00:11:50,200 Speaker 1: you know, I almost would have think of it as 208 00:11:50,240 --> 00:11:53,400 Speaker 1: a kind of like harm reduction. Like I have Facebook, 209 00:11:53,480 --> 00:11:56,040 Speaker 1: but I don't have it on my phone, so I 210 00:11:56,080 --> 00:11:58,360 Speaker 1: don't get any kind of notifications from it when I want. 211 00:11:58,400 --> 00:12:00,040 Speaker 1: When I need to go to Facebook, I have I 212 00:12:00,200 --> 00:12:03,120 Speaker 1: go to my computer, open up the browser, type in 213 00:12:03,240 --> 00:12:06,880 Speaker 1: Facebook dot com and hit enter. And even that, at 214 00:12:06,960 --> 00:12:10,160 Speaker 1: least for me individually, creates a little bit of a 215 00:12:10,200 --> 00:12:13,400 Speaker 1: barrier where it's not just buzzing in my pocket all 216 00:12:13,400 --> 00:12:16,720 Speaker 1: the time, and so little things for me, you know, 217 00:12:17,320 --> 00:12:20,319 Speaker 1: helped me create the conditions just in my own personal 218 00:12:20,360 --> 00:12:23,600 Speaker 1: life so that Facebook didn't have such a tight grip 219 00:12:24,000 --> 00:12:28,079 Speaker 1: on my the way that I understood discourse and community 220 00:12:28,080 --> 00:12:29,720 Speaker 1: and how I kept in touch with bolts right, and 221 00:12:29,760 --> 00:12:32,760 Speaker 1: so I didn't outright and delete it, you know, but 222 00:12:33,200 --> 00:12:35,360 Speaker 1: just finding these little ways that works for me to 223 00:12:35,520 --> 00:12:39,320 Speaker 1: make it less of a part of my daily life. 224 00:12:39,440 --> 00:12:41,319 Speaker 1: And honestly, so another one that I did was I 225 00:12:41,520 --> 00:12:45,160 Speaker 1: stopped posting on facebooks by rarely make a Facebook post. 226 00:12:45,400 --> 00:12:47,920 Speaker 1: And I think I usually tell people want you delete 227 00:12:47,920 --> 00:12:50,760 Speaker 1: it from your phone, and you stopped making posts, you'd 228 00:12:50,760 --> 00:12:53,160 Speaker 1: be surprised how little you care what's on Facebook? Right, 229 00:12:53,160 --> 00:12:54,600 Speaker 1: You're like, like, you log in and you're like, oh, 230 00:12:54,679 --> 00:12:57,400 Speaker 1: it's the same three people having the same silly argument 231 00:12:57,440 --> 00:13:00,880 Speaker 1: that I don't care about. And for me, that really 232 00:13:01,280 --> 00:13:04,160 Speaker 1: helped loosen the grip that Facebook had in my own life, 233 00:13:04,200 --> 00:13:05,960 Speaker 1: where I was like, yeah, why do I care what 234 00:13:06,120 --> 00:13:11,120 Speaker 1: like Megan from my Spanish class and I said about whatever, 235 00:13:11,160 --> 00:13:12,600 Speaker 1: like I don't even know these people. Like it really 236 00:13:12,600 --> 00:13:16,920 Speaker 1: created this way for me to make Facebook less a 237 00:13:17,000 --> 00:13:20,960 Speaker 1: part of my like overall, um diet, I guess. And 238 00:13:20,960 --> 00:13:23,480 Speaker 1: so I think asking folks to log out for a 239 00:13:23,520 --> 00:13:25,960 Speaker 1: couple of days is a good way of being like, listen, 240 00:13:26,000 --> 00:13:29,439 Speaker 1: we're not saying delete it all together. We're saying temporarily 241 00:13:29,840 --> 00:13:31,760 Speaker 1: get off of it and maybe even use that time 242 00:13:31,760 --> 00:13:35,040 Speaker 1: to assess the role that it plays in your life overall. Yeah, 243 00:13:35,120 --> 00:13:38,360 Speaker 1: for sure, I think there's definitely a more like mental health, 244 00:13:38,720 --> 00:13:42,720 Speaker 1: um and like digital kind of wellness part of this, 245 00:13:42,960 --> 00:13:46,800 Speaker 1: for sure. And I also think that even so two things. 246 00:13:46,840 --> 00:13:49,440 Speaker 1: I think you know, when Facebook shut down the glorious 247 00:13:49,440 --> 00:13:52,800 Speaker 1: six hours when Facebook was not online, we really did 248 00:13:52,880 --> 00:13:55,920 Speaker 1: see how many people were lying on this thing, and 249 00:13:56,000 --> 00:13:59,800 Speaker 1: not just in the US, but globally. And the global 250 00:14:00,040 --> 00:14:03,800 Speaker 1: part was really striking because you know, there's countries outside 251 00:14:03,800 --> 00:14:06,640 Speaker 1: of the US where you open the Internet and it's 252 00:14:06,679 --> 00:14:11,040 Speaker 1: Mark Zuckerberg's Internet, and or if you like use WhatsApp 253 00:14:11,120 --> 00:14:13,680 Speaker 1: for example, um, that is the only way where you 254 00:14:13,679 --> 00:14:16,439 Speaker 1: can communicate. And so you know, that's a part of 255 00:14:16,440 --> 00:14:18,160 Speaker 1: the reason why we're saying, like, don't you don't have 256 00:14:18,200 --> 00:14:20,600 Speaker 1: to delete it's because we know it's so integral to 257 00:14:20,640 --> 00:14:23,360 Speaker 1: people's lives. And I also will say that you know, 258 00:14:23,400 --> 00:14:26,520 Speaker 1: I was reading an article today around I think Facebook 259 00:14:26,880 --> 00:14:30,680 Speaker 1: banned a developer who created this tool to help people 260 00:14:31,280 --> 00:14:34,840 Speaker 1: unfollowed their feed like have an unfollowed I guess the 261 00:14:34,840 --> 00:14:39,160 Speaker 1: thing and their feed um to unfollow friends and pages 262 00:14:39,160 --> 00:14:42,040 Speaker 1: and those sort of things. They said they came with 263 00:14:42,160 --> 00:14:46,440 Speaker 1: cease and desist energy for this person. They sent you know, 264 00:14:46,680 --> 00:14:51,280 Speaker 1: legal people after them and banned them from Facebook. I 265 00:14:51,280 --> 00:14:56,480 Speaker 1: guess for a life or for a very long time. Um. 266 00:14:56,520 --> 00:14:59,360 Speaker 1: And that is the thing that we're trying to point out. 267 00:14:59,560 --> 00:15:04,040 Speaker 1: So like, even if Facebook cares about their engagement, and 268 00:15:04,120 --> 00:15:07,600 Speaker 1: even if you take three days off, that's gonna matter 269 00:15:08,600 --> 00:15:10,920 Speaker 1: um to the company, which means like you do have 270 00:15:10,960 --> 00:15:14,440 Speaker 1: power for sure, and go outside, take a walk, all 271 00:15:14,480 --> 00:15:16,880 Speaker 1: those things when you log off with us in November. 272 00:15:17,440 --> 00:15:20,280 Speaker 1: What are the demands that y'all are asking a Facebook. 273 00:15:20,280 --> 00:15:22,520 Speaker 1: I know that you're asking for folks to you're asking 274 00:15:22,560 --> 00:15:24,840 Speaker 1: for just individuals to log out for three days, But 275 00:15:24,880 --> 00:15:27,640 Speaker 1: then you have specific demands that you're making a Facebook. 276 00:15:27,680 --> 00:15:29,560 Speaker 1: Can you talk to talk us through some of those. 277 00:15:29,840 --> 00:15:32,400 Speaker 1: Our demands are really focused on kind of stemming the 278 00:15:32,520 --> 00:15:35,960 Speaker 1: harm that's happening now. UM. So we know we need 279 00:15:36,000 --> 00:15:39,800 Speaker 1: an immediate removal of Mark Zuckerberg is CEO. He's doing 280 00:15:39,840 --> 00:15:43,040 Speaker 1: a lot straight straight fired. You want him done, gone, 281 00:15:43,480 --> 00:15:46,320 Speaker 1: like gone, you know what I mean. I would make 282 00:15:46,360 --> 00:15:49,640 Speaker 1: a reference to um the Apprentice, but I think that's 283 00:15:49,680 --> 00:15:55,320 Speaker 1: like you can't, we can't really do that. So you know, 284 00:15:55,400 --> 00:16:00,800 Speaker 1: we're just gonna say fired, fired out. UM. So yeah, 285 00:16:00,840 --> 00:16:03,440 Speaker 1: that is one of our demands. You know, he's he 286 00:16:03,640 --> 00:16:06,680 Speaker 1: is both CEO and chairman. He holds a lot of 287 00:16:07,760 --> 00:16:11,440 Speaker 1: power and the company, and he's making disastrous decisions. Um. 288 00:16:11,520 --> 00:16:14,920 Speaker 1: And it kind of stems from him. Oh and then 289 00:16:15,040 --> 00:16:18,680 Speaker 1: other other demands go over content moderation policies. So we 290 00:16:18,680 --> 00:16:22,920 Speaker 1: would like to see, you know, an overhaul of their policies. Um. 291 00:16:22,960 --> 00:16:28,000 Speaker 1: We want implementation of privacy centered data policies, a strategy 292 00:16:28,080 --> 00:16:32,800 Speaker 1: for combating disinformation that doesn't prioritize our bottom line that 293 00:16:33,160 --> 00:16:37,680 Speaker 1: like actively removes this information that is harmful to folks. Um. 294 00:16:37,720 --> 00:16:39,520 Speaker 1: And these are just kind of the tip of the iceberg. 295 00:16:39,960 --> 00:16:42,240 Speaker 1: We you know, see this as the beginning of a 296 00:16:42,320 --> 00:16:46,320 Speaker 1: long term fight to ensure that Facebook is like a 297 00:16:46,320 --> 00:16:53,440 Speaker 1: safe place for people, communities to gather more. After a pickbreak, 298 00:17:03,920 --> 00:17:06,920 Speaker 1: let's get right back into it in terms of like 299 00:17:07,359 --> 00:17:10,800 Speaker 1: asking him to step down I feel like there aren't 300 00:17:10,840 --> 00:17:13,200 Speaker 1: a lot of people calling throns a lot of organizations 301 00:17:13,240 --> 00:17:16,280 Speaker 1: calling for Zuckerberg to step down, which is interesting when 302 00:17:16,280 --> 00:17:19,639 Speaker 1: you think about, like what a terrible job he is 303 00:17:19,680 --> 00:17:22,080 Speaker 1: doing at his If if you or I was as 304 00:17:22,160 --> 00:17:24,760 Speaker 1: bad at our jobs as Zuckerberg is, we would have 305 00:17:24,800 --> 00:17:27,160 Speaker 1: been fired a long time ago. And so it's interesting 306 00:17:27,160 --> 00:17:29,800 Speaker 1: how it feels to me that a lot of people 307 00:17:29,840 --> 00:17:33,760 Speaker 1: are not calling for him to step down or be fired. 308 00:17:34,160 --> 00:17:36,760 Speaker 1: And I love that y'all are just right out the gate. 309 00:17:37,160 --> 00:17:39,640 Speaker 1: He shouldn't be allowed to be a decision maker anymore, 310 00:17:39,720 --> 00:17:43,760 Speaker 1: or he's proven himself to not be responsible, responsible, you know, 311 00:17:44,040 --> 00:17:48,760 Speaker 1: leader of this massive you know, massive platform. M hmm, yeah. 312 00:17:48,800 --> 00:17:50,400 Speaker 1: I mean if I was as bad as my job, 313 00:17:50,640 --> 00:17:52,320 Speaker 1: you know, I would be gone. If I even thought 314 00:17:52,359 --> 00:17:55,480 Speaker 1: about being as bad as he was, people would have 315 00:17:55,560 --> 00:17:58,280 Speaker 1: be fired for sure. And that is I think that 316 00:17:58,480 --> 00:18:00,959 Speaker 1: is on you know, what we've he touched on around 317 00:18:01,080 --> 00:18:04,320 Speaker 1: People don't think that that is an ask that they 318 00:18:04,359 --> 00:18:07,720 Speaker 1: can make. Um, And it's not something new that I 319 00:18:07,760 --> 00:18:10,920 Speaker 1: think I've heard in spaces that we're in, Like there's organizations, 320 00:18:10,960 --> 00:18:15,000 Speaker 1: mostly organizations with people of color, who have been like, yo, 321 00:18:15,040 --> 00:18:18,120 Speaker 1: this dude has to go, you know, UM, and so 322 00:18:18,680 --> 00:18:23,480 Speaker 1: that that is one of our demands because he's he 323 00:18:23,720 --> 00:18:26,399 Speaker 1: is just doing the most and not in a good way, 324 00:18:26,600 --> 00:18:30,200 Speaker 1: like he's failing to keep people safe offline and online, 325 00:18:30,880 --> 00:18:33,280 Speaker 1: and you know, we just we don't want to anymore. 326 00:18:33,800 --> 00:18:36,440 Speaker 1: When we think about, you know, some of the harm 327 00:18:36,520 --> 00:18:39,280 Speaker 1: that we know that Facebook has been responsible for, you 328 00:18:39,440 --> 00:18:42,160 Speaker 1: you have to say, is there anything that surprises you 329 00:18:42,359 --> 00:18:44,840 Speaker 1: or shocks you about the about some of the harm 330 00:18:44,960 --> 00:18:47,840 Speaker 1: that we know Facebook has been you know, Party two. 331 00:18:49,840 --> 00:18:52,119 Speaker 1: I think at this point nothing shocks me when you 332 00:18:52,160 --> 00:18:54,800 Speaker 1: know these reports come out and like, yes, of course 333 00:18:54,840 --> 00:18:58,359 Speaker 1: they have, UM. But something that was like striking recently 334 00:18:58,680 --> 00:19:03,360 Speaker 1: was the information around Instagram and youth and specifically teenage girls, 335 00:19:04,119 --> 00:19:06,840 Speaker 1: and that I think hit home for a lot of 336 00:19:06,960 --> 00:19:10,000 Speaker 1: parents and a lot of people who like we're teenage 337 00:19:10,080 --> 00:19:13,840 Speaker 1: girls or our teenaged girls or just young people on 338 00:19:13,880 --> 00:19:17,280 Speaker 1: the internet because you know, so much of I think 339 00:19:17,320 --> 00:19:20,520 Speaker 1: being young and being on the internet is like identity formation. 340 00:19:21,080 --> 00:19:23,960 Speaker 1: I know for me, like I was on Tumbler figuring 341 00:19:23,960 --> 00:19:26,919 Speaker 1: out like am like what is my sexual wality? Like 342 00:19:27,000 --> 00:19:29,680 Speaker 1: what is gender? Oh? There's multiple genders? Cool? Like all 343 00:19:29,720 --> 00:19:33,840 Speaker 1: those things and I can't imagine being on Instagram at 344 00:19:34,280 --> 00:19:37,959 Speaker 1: fifteen or sixteen or even you know, ten eleven, twelve 345 00:19:38,200 --> 00:19:42,199 Speaker 1: like kids are now and being fed really really harmful 346 00:19:42,280 --> 00:19:46,440 Speaker 1: information um and then trying to go to school and 347 00:19:46,920 --> 00:19:49,119 Speaker 1: do all the other hard things that middle high school do. 348 00:19:49,720 --> 00:19:51,919 Speaker 1: And so that was something that was super striking. But 349 00:19:51,920 --> 00:19:55,159 Speaker 1: I don't think it was surprising. I'm the same right wait, right, 350 00:19:55,240 --> 00:19:57,280 Speaker 1: Like I came of age on the internet. If it 351 00:19:57,320 --> 00:20:01,439 Speaker 1: wasn't for you know, America online and when I was fourteen, 352 00:20:02,000 --> 00:20:04,919 Speaker 1: I would have never. I would have never kind of 353 00:20:05,280 --> 00:20:08,480 Speaker 1: it was a It was a real place of self discovery, 354 00:20:08,840 --> 00:20:11,119 Speaker 1: and I think there was not I didn't have the 355 00:20:11,200 --> 00:20:15,639 Speaker 1: sense that it was like a marketplace for my pain 356 00:20:15,800 --> 00:20:18,680 Speaker 1: and for my negative experiences where someone was going to 357 00:20:18,720 --> 00:20:22,959 Speaker 1: be making money incentivizing me feeling bad about myself. And 358 00:20:23,000 --> 00:20:26,200 Speaker 1: I know the kind of teenager that I was. If 359 00:20:26,240 --> 00:20:28,720 Speaker 1: that had been the case, I don't know where I 360 00:20:28,720 --> 00:20:30,560 Speaker 1: would be, Like, I don't I know that I would 361 00:20:30,600 --> 00:20:36,239 Speaker 1: not have had the ability I It worries me. It's 362 00:20:36,280 --> 00:20:37,880 Speaker 1: one of those things where I'm like, Wow, I'm really 363 00:20:37,960 --> 00:20:40,000 Speaker 1: lucky to have come of age when I did. And 364 00:20:40,040 --> 00:20:42,760 Speaker 1: I think that our generation, like the generation that is 365 00:20:42,760 --> 00:20:45,960 Speaker 1: coming of age online today. They deserve a media they 366 00:20:46,000 --> 00:20:47,800 Speaker 1: deserve to come of age and a media landscape that 367 00:20:47,920 --> 00:20:51,000 Speaker 1: is not a marketplace for their pain. And I was 368 00:20:51,280 --> 00:20:54,120 Speaker 1: We're so lucky that that it wasn't like that when 369 00:20:54,119 --> 00:20:57,439 Speaker 1: we were coming of age, And they absolutely deserved to 370 00:20:57,520 --> 00:21:00,280 Speaker 1: grow up in a landscape and find themselves on line 371 00:21:00,320 --> 00:21:03,120 Speaker 1: and have these online experiences that can lead the self 372 00:21:03,160 --> 00:21:06,040 Speaker 1: discovery and can be so self affirming. They deserved that, 373 00:21:06,160 --> 00:21:09,160 Speaker 1: just like I got mm hmm. Yeah, absolutely, And they 374 00:21:09,200 --> 00:21:13,600 Speaker 1: deserve to know that there are people that are doing 375 00:21:13,640 --> 00:21:16,720 Speaker 1: that for them. And I'm not even just talking about 376 00:21:16,760 --> 00:21:18,800 Speaker 1: groups like our groups, but I'm talking about like the 377 00:21:18,800 --> 00:21:23,280 Speaker 1: actual companies like well they we're talking about Instagram for 378 00:21:23,440 --> 00:21:27,280 Speaker 1: kids and responding to the Wall Street Journal reports Facebook 379 00:21:27,280 --> 00:21:30,399 Speaker 1: which is like, well, it wasn't that bad or we 380 00:21:30,440 --> 00:21:32,640 Speaker 1: didn't really know or to do it, and it's like 381 00:21:33,240 --> 00:21:35,199 Speaker 1: do you all hear yourselves? Like do you do you 382 00:21:35,240 --> 00:21:37,520 Speaker 1: know children? Have you seen the child at all? Do 383 00:21:37,520 --> 00:21:40,760 Speaker 1: you have children? Like I'm so confused over why you 384 00:21:40,800 --> 00:21:44,720 Speaker 1: think this is okay? Um, but yeah, kids, kids deserve 385 00:21:44,920 --> 00:21:49,000 Speaker 1: to create communities online that are safe for them, and 386 00:21:49,560 --> 00:21:51,359 Speaker 1: that is part of the future that I want to see. 387 00:21:52,480 --> 00:21:56,480 Speaker 1: So when you think about the future of our digital landscape, 388 00:21:56,600 --> 00:22:00,399 Speaker 1: are you hopeful? Are you like pessimistic? Like what are 389 00:22:00,400 --> 00:22:03,520 Speaker 1: your thoughts? I have to be hopeful, like otherwise I 390 00:22:03,520 --> 00:22:06,320 Speaker 1: wouldn't be in this work, um, and I would be 391 00:22:06,320 --> 00:22:09,719 Speaker 1: out real quick. So I'm hopeful and I'm hopeful because 392 00:22:09,760 --> 00:22:14,600 Speaker 1: there's groups, you know, not only ours but our partners, um, 393 00:22:14,720 --> 00:22:17,800 Speaker 1: who really think about this stuff in a way that 394 00:22:17,920 --> 00:22:22,640 Speaker 1: is visionary. And I really see more and more that 395 00:22:22,840 --> 00:22:28,280 Speaker 1: technology issues are integrated into different other issues. So you know, 396 00:22:28,320 --> 00:22:33,119 Speaker 1: for example, we have green groups signed on to this campaign, 397 00:22:33,200 --> 00:22:35,280 Speaker 1: We have groups like Ultra Violet that are working on 398 00:22:35,320 --> 00:22:39,760 Speaker 1: this campaign, and we you know, have groups coming from 399 00:22:39,760 --> 00:22:43,920 Speaker 1: not just a civil liberties or tech accountability angle, UM. 400 00:22:43,960 --> 00:22:46,679 Speaker 1: They really see the intersection. So I feel hopeful. I 401 00:22:46,720 --> 00:22:49,160 Speaker 1: feel like one day we're going to take down Facebook 402 00:22:49,280 --> 00:22:53,280 Speaker 1: or make something beautiful that's otherwise and it's going to 403 00:22:53,400 --> 00:22:56,359 Speaker 1: be great. M Well, I'm glad that we have folks 404 00:22:56,400 --> 00:22:59,959 Speaker 1: like you on our side on this site. Folks want 405 00:23:00,000 --> 00:23:03,000 Speaker 1: to join us in the campaign, they can go to 406 00:23:03,080 --> 00:23:07,480 Speaker 1: the Facebook logout dot com, take the pledge, sign up, 407 00:23:07,560 --> 00:23:11,640 Speaker 1: and we'll see y'all in November for a glorious three 408 00:23:11,720 --> 00:23:25,680 Speaker 1: days logged out of Facebook, taking or para. Got a 409 00:23:25,720 --> 00:23:27,800 Speaker 1: story about an interesting thing in tech, or just want 410 00:23:27,800 --> 00:23:29,800 Speaker 1: to say hi? You can reach us at Hello at 411 00:23:29,800 --> 00:23:32,200 Speaker 1: tang godi dot com. You can also find transcripts for 412 00:23:32,240 --> 00:23:34,920 Speaker 1: today's episode at tangdi dot com. There Are No Girls 413 00:23:34,920 --> 00:23:37,280 Speaker 1: on the Internet was created by me Bridget Tod. It's 414 00:23:37,280 --> 00:23:40,560 Speaker 1: a production of iHeart Radio and Unboss creative Jonathan Strickland 415 00:23:40,560 --> 00:23:43,280 Speaker 1: as our executive producer. Terry Harrison is our producer and 416 00:23:43,320 --> 00:23:47,080 Speaker 1: sound engineer. Michaelmato is our contributing producer. I'm your host, 417 00:23:47,119 --> 00:23:49,919 Speaker 1: Bridget Todd. If you want to help us grow, rate 418 00:23:49,960 --> 00:23:53,080 Speaker 1: and review us on Apple Podcasts. For more podcasts from 419 00:23:53,080 --> 00:23:55,679 Speaker 1: I Heart Radio, check out the iHeart Radio app, Apple podcast, 420 00:23:55,800 --> 00:24:02,200 Speaker 1: or wherever you get your podcasts. It is My Hater 421 00:24:03,000 --> 00:24:07,560 Speaker 1: MP and not Hater Worm w