Dear Mr. Zuckerberg,
There is a purpose for my reaching out to you but first I would like to thank you for your efforts in creating a way for people to connect. I will admit that when I first heard about Facebook I was not sure if it would be something for me. I slowly joined the ranks of Facebook users and over time began to make connections with friends and family, many of whom I had lost contact with over the years. It was so great to catch up, to see pictures, to laugh with some and cry with others. It was Facebook that allowed my son with Autism to connect with the world. Due to his difficulty with social interactions, Facebook gave him a voice and for the first time, friends, many of whom he has met and connected with here in our city of Richmond, VA. It was Facebook that alerted me to a dear friends illness and because of my knowledge in the medical field allowed me to reach out, move him to a better hospital and buy an extra nine months of life for him to get things in order and say good-bye. It was Facebook that allowed me to share and grow the non-profit, Richmond Autism Integration Network (RAIN), that I founded in 2012, to provide middle and high school students a summer camp and social skills program designed just for them. It is Facebook that allows me to stay connected with my biological Dad and Mom (I was adopted at 3 months of age in 1964) and the brothers and sisters I never knew I had. There are so many great things about Facebook and I thank you for making it possible.
I recently read an article on CNN Tech which quoted a post you wrote on Facebook,"For the ways my work was used to divide people rather than bring us together, I ask forgiveness and I will work to do better." It is this heartfelt comment by you that I wish to respond to and therefore is the purpose of this letter.
Facebook has changed over the years and although I know the goal was/is to "boost the well-being" of the people that use it by encouraging them to communicate and connect I am afraid that the damage has already been done, but it is NOT your fault nor should you apologize. It is the condition of the human heart I am afraid, that has caused the challenges Facebook now faces. It was not Facebook that wrote and reported false news, it was the writer of that news that used Facebook as the medium to spread it, it is not Facebook that bullies it's users, it is Facebook users that do the bullying. Facebook is not the only source abused, YouTube and other social media are used to degrade and demoralize others daily. I am not sure if the human heart was in such a sad state when Facebook first came to fruition but I will tell you that I see it regularly outside of social media. People do not seem to care about each other any more. There is a growing boldness in public where people display anger, contempt and hatred as I have never encountered and quite honestly never thought I would. It has become a "me" society where Good Samaritans are few and far. The media is inundated with violence and the reports are rarely uplifting, I would assume because those stories don't bring in an audience. How sad that we have abandoned "one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." to become a nation that blames everyone else for every issue but rarely takes a good look at ourselves.
It has become the norm for people of all ages, races, religions and nationalities. We are becoming more desensitized and insensitive proving over and over again that we will abuse whatever social media available, to say whatever we feel, because we can. Fake news, rumors, bullying via social media is not the fault of the platform, it is the responsibility of the writer/user.
I am sure if anyone reads this letter there are some who will call me names. They will say I am an idiot or that I am uneducated or possibly that I am some conservative bleeding heart that lives under a rock and should stay there. To be quite honest with you there have been posts that I have read that have caused me to become angry and judgmental too.I am not immune to the horrific stories and the words that I see and read, however my heart and soul are sensitive enough to know that what I am taking in on Facebook and YouTube or any other social media is not exactly healthy for me. I learned long ago that the pen/tongue is mightier than the sword and it is proven daily through the media as well as in our communities.
Therefore Mr. Zuckerberg, please know that it is not your fault, it is the condition of the human heart and the only one I know who can change a heart is God.
Warmest Regards,
Robin M Davis
There is a purpose for my reaching out to you but first I would like to thank you for your efforts in creating a way for people to connect. I will admit that when I first heard about Facebook I was not sure if it would be something for me. I slowly joined the ranks of Facebook users and over time began to make connections with friends and family, many of whom I had lost contact with over the years. It was so great to catch up, to see pictures, to laugh with some and cry with others. It was Facebook that allowed my son with Autism to connect with the world. Due to his difficulty with social interactions, Facebook gave him a voice and for the first time, friends, many of whom he has met and connected with here in our city of Richmond, VA. It was Facebook that alerted me to a dear friends illness and because of my knowledge in the medical field allowed me to reach out, move him to a better hospital and buy an extra nine months of life for him to get things in order and say good-bye. It was Facebook that allowed me to share and grow the non-profit, Richmond Autism Integration Network (RAIN), that I founded in 2012, to provide middle and high school students a summer camp and social skills program designed just for them. It is Facebook that allows me to stay connected with my biological Dad and Mom (I was adopted at 3 months of age in 1964) and the brothers and sisters I never knew I had. There are so many great things about Facebook and I thank you for making it possible.
I recently read an article on CNN Tech which quoted a post you wrote on Facebook,"For the ways my work was used to divide people rather than bring us together, I ask forgiveness and I will work to do better." It is this heartfelt comment by you that I wish to respond to and therefore is the purpose of this letter.
Facebook has changed over the years and although I know the goal was/is to "boost the well-being" of the people that use it by encouraging them to communicate and connect I am afraid that the damage has already been done, but it is NOT your fault nor should you apologize. It is the condition of the human heart I am afraid, that has caused the challenges Facebook now faces. It was not Facebook that wrote and reported false news, it was the writer of that news that used Facebook as the medium to spread it, it is not Facebook that bullies it's users, it is Facebook users that do the bullying. Facebook is not the only source abused, YouTube and other social media are used to degrade and demoralize others daily. I am not sure if the human heart was in such a sad state when Facebook first came to fruition but I will tell you that I see it regularly outside of social media. People do not seem to care about each other any more. There is a growing boldness in public where people display anger, contempt and hatred as I have never encountered and quite honestly never thought I would. It has become a "me" society where Good Samaritans are few and far. The media is inundated with violence and the reports are rarely uplifting, I would assume because those stories don't bring in an audience. How sad that we have abandoned "one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." to become a nation that blames everyone else for every issue but rarely takes a good look at ourselves.
It has become the norm for people of all ages, races, religions and nationalities. We are becoming more desensitized and insensitive proving over and over again that we will abuse whatever social media available, to say whatever we feel, because we can. Fake news, rumors, bullying via social media is not the fault of the platform, it is the responsibility of the writer/user.
I am sure if anyone reads this letter there are some who will call me names. They will say I am an idiot or that I am uneducated or possibly that I am some conservative bleeding heart that lives under a rock and should stay there. To be quite honest with you there have been posts that I have read that have caused me to become angry and judgmental too.I am not immune to the horrific stories and the words that I see and read, however my heart and soul are sensitive enough to know that what I am taking in on Facebook and YouTube or any other social media is not exactly healthy for me. I learned long ago that the pen/tongue is mightier than the sword and it is proven daily through the media as well as in our communities.
Therefore Mr. Zuckerberg, please know that it is not your fault, it is the condition of the human heart and the only one I know who can change a heart is God.
Warmest Regards,
Robin M Davis
