‘Internet giants make us stupid and unhappy’ – Michael Buerk

VETERAN broadcaster Michael Buerk has accused internet giants Facebook, Google and Twitter of having “no concern” about the truth.

The BBC presenter – and former reporter with our sister paper the South Wales Echo – said the age of social media and reality TV shows had seen public discourse become increasingly shallow.

“And the point about Facebook, Google, Twitter, is that they have no concern about the truth,” he said.

“They are about us looking at ourselves, albeit in the mirror of other people’s lives, not interrogating the outside world. And they are making us ignorant, stupid and unhappy. And they are phenomenally successful. More fool us.”

Speaking at the Headmasters’ and Headmistresses’ Conference in Manchester, Buerk said Facebook was applying new techniques to an old idea.

“What Facebook is doing is capturing and selling people’s attention, much the same, I suppose, as mass-market newspapers and ad-funded TV does,” he said. “What’s different is how they do it – the complexity, the ruthlessness with which they identify and track us, and the impact the whole thing is having on our society in selling our eyeballs and wallets. It is indifferent to the actual content on its site except insofar as it helps target and sell advertisements.

“The psychology is basic too. People want to look at what other people are doing, to compare, to boast, and to show off.”

A spokesman for Twitter said: “Twitter is deeply committed to improving the health of the public conversation and civic debate online.

“We are also working hard to ensure we are surfacing the highest-quality and most relevant content and context first.”