Facebook founder and CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, cries for more power to the people, as he addresses the current trends in his latest annual challenge. He sees cryptocurrencies as a big opportunity for ordinary people everywhere to seize and recapture the control of their lives.
In a very interesting yearly note where he discusses challenges for the year ahead, Zuckerberg called out “centralized systems” and the need for people to “take the power from them” by utilizing two things: encryption and – cryptocurrencies!
A public note that was posted on January 4th had Facebook's main man reflecting on his personal and global achievements and facing obstacles. In particular, he reminisced about the struggles of 2009, during the Great Recession, when Facebook – still a young network at the time – was waiting for its first profit. That whole year was so serious, Zuckerberg said he wore a tie every day to remind himself of that fact.
Today, the popular social network is globally ranked 3rd behind Google and YouTube (basically, just behind Google as YouTube is a part of the Google network). He believes that the biggest challenge of 2018 will be the question of centralization versus decentralization in tech companies. “A lot of us got into technology because we believe it can be a decentralizing force that puts more power in people’s hands. (The first four words of Facebook’s mission have always been ‘give people the power’).” He continued: “Many people have lost faith in that promise. With the rise of a small number of big tech companies — and governments using technology to watch their citizens — many people now believe technology only centralizes power rather than decentralizes it.”
Zuckerberg then offers what he sees is a solution to centralization: the utilization of the rising power that are cryptocurrencies. Deeming them and encryption “counter-trends,” he explains that cryptocurrencies can “take power from centralized systems and put it back into people’s hands” and even hinted at Facebook itself using cryptocurrencies in near future, by stating that he is “interested to go deeper and study the positive and negative aspects of these technologies, and how best to use them in our services.”
It is unclear, of course, just how honest and genuine Zuckerberg's concern for the “average Joe” really is, but the announcement of the site embracing cryptocurrencies is something that could make tidal waves on the market and truly be a game-changer.
What do you think? Will digital currencies gain major recognition if Facebook starts employing the likes of Bitcoin? Let us know in the comments!
Source:
“Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg Resolution: 'Give People the Power' via Cryptocurrency", Kelso Edward, news.bitcoin.com, January 5, 2018.