The Vergecast How Color of Change helped lead the Facebook boycott
Jul 14, 2020
Rashad Robinson, the President of Color of Change, leads impactful discussions on racial justice and social media accountability. He shares the origins of the boycott against Facebook, emphasizing the urgent need to combat hate speech. Robinson recounts his experiences meeting with Facebook executives, including Mark Zuckerberg, to advocate for civil rights reforms. The conversation highlights the economic ramifications of social media boycotts and the responsibility of corporations to engage meaningfully with issues of racial equity.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
The Facebook Boycott: A Five-Year Journey
- Rashad Robinson discusses the five-year effort leading to the Facebook boycott.
- He emphasizes the need for a unified message towards corporations, driven by employee activism and the Black Lives Matter movement.
Corporate Opportunism and Social Justice
- Corporations leverage social justice movements for PR.
- Robinson acknowledges this while also using the opportunity to push for structural change and data transparency.
Meeting with Zuckerberg and the Issue of Free Speech
- Robinson recounts a meeting where Zuckerberg defended a Trump post, highlighting Facebook's incentive problem.
- He argues for corporate accountability for content, drawing parallels to broadcasting regulations.