Instagram isn't a car. It's booze—a delightful & depressing social lubricant blending short-term euphoria w/ long-term regret that offers to young consumers a messy cocktail of dopamine, disorientation, and dependency.

Social media is attention alcohol.https://t.co/4v6p2nnvhj

— Derek Thompson (@DKThomp) September 17, 2021

We have copious laws that determine where and how people can use motor vehicles — and for how long certain people who drive especially large vehicles can do so. If a top corporate official Facebook means to imply he wants the same regime for his business, sign me up. https://t.co/cCb2vMLxzp

— Greg Greene (@ggreeneva) September 16, 2021

so you agree? that social networks should be heavily regulated to reduce the harm to its users through oversight, safety measures, and training of anyone in the citizenry who'd like to use one? https://t.co/EnmOiSThEU

— no context jeff (@thecultureofme) September 16, 2021

Hi. Dunker here.

How about an AMA to answer questions in the audience?

— Cecilia Kang (@ceciliakang) September 16, 2021

this is why I am so forceful in convincing younger folks reaching out to me about not working at facebook even for a short time: it (by design) destroys your ability for systemic thinking, to understand the harms done by supposedly benign elements at scale and in context https://t.co/cfcLj0hOWj

— Arkadiy Kukarkin (@parkan) September 16, 2021

I get the majority of Facebook users (*all* their apps) aren't reading news every day & couldn't care less about the neverending scandal drumbeat. However, I struggle to understand how ppl who DO read & understand their behavior continue using the products https://t.co/C3pis9Mdsc

— Alex Rainert ??‍♂️ (@arainert) September 16, 2021

Can we talk about the fact that

A) Cars are highly regulated, licensed, inspected and policed

B) Are known to produce harmful pollution that also remains a substantial concern and may contribute to the entire planet being uninhabitable https://t.co/8rWRlmUD7q

— Justin Hendrix (@justinhendrix) September 16, 2021

We certainly have bias, but yes we believe connecting people does more good than bad. We have shared data that suggests as much, but I’m not sure anyone, within the company or externally, has tried to – or can – fully measure all the benefits and costs.

— Adam Mosseri ? (@mosseri) September 16, 2021

Because driving a car is equivalent to speech... https://t.co/oYpExszUXH

— Dan Gillmor (@dangillmor) September 16, 2021

For everyone dunking on this saying “OMFG cars are regulated!!!”, ask yourself how Facebook feels about the prospect of social media being regulated https://t.co/OuBEOMrnmV

— Alex Danco (@Alex_Danco) September 16, 2021

very strong argument in favor of getting rid of social media https://t.co/fOKMTQfiyw

— nate parrott (@nateparrott) September 16, 2021

I had a chance to tap to the thoughtful @pkafka about this week’s WSJ article, regulation, our biggest mistakes, creators, and the MET gala this week. Somewhat of a conversation between an optimist and a pessimist, check it out: https://t.co/sjqnO1dFxk

— Adam Mosseri ? (@mosseri) September 16, 2021

***putting my former autos reporter hat on*** — Cars are ~heavily~ regulated, down to the color of the blinker, & regularly tested for safety problems. That industry also needed to be -shoved- into mandating seat belts & other safety features despite knowing they’d save lives. https://t.co/ym66kJ4dMk

— Deepa Seetharaman (@dseetharaman) September 16, 2021

Transportation is responsible for a quarter of global carbon emissions that are making the planet overheat (to say nothing of deaths tied to air pollution and traffic accidents)... https://t.co/ze7oZfSjrF

— Brian Kahn (@blkahn) September 16, 2021

The number of reporters dunking on this, admittedly less than perfect, analogy on Twitter who clearly didn’t listen to the pod, where @pkafka makes sure we cover the obvious next question about regulation, is remarkable. https://t.co/enfpGiUrGV

— Adam Mosseri ? (@mosseri) September 16, 2021

Agreed. Cars as a whole do produce value, but when one manufacturer ignores evidence that their model routinely explodes and kills everyone inside, the government usually steps in https://t.co/t2DmWYAQ3y

— Mathew Ingram (@mathewi) September 16, 2021

For Adam @Mosseri, Facebook's Instagram Chief, Social media is like cars. Indispensable technologies which may harm when misused. I couldn't agree more. This is precisely why social media companies should be as regulated as the car industry! https://t.co/oXgmhf2TL2

— Elad Ratson (@EladRatson) September 16, 2021

What the WSJ is uncovering from the Facebook leaks is absolutely terrifying. This is a company defined by complete and utter recklessness with no regard for consequences of their actions.https://t.co/RD8DqCIYTX

— Stephen Diehl (@smdiehl) September 17, 2021

We also regulate cars. Licenses from state governments. Speed limits. Seat belts. Etc. https://t.co/cgUTAygTND

— Steve Kovach (@stevekovach) September 16, 2021

Facebook gobbled up Instagram because they were too chicken to compete against them fair & square for younger users. When there’s one big game in town, there’s a whole lot less pressure to offer the best service—or do the least damage. #BreakUpBigTechhttps://t.co/mIyHQ2iPs8

— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) September 16, 2021

ah yes, cars, those innovations that never kill anyone, have no meaningful regulation, are in no way related to the greatest crisis facing our planet, and are freely accessible to children under 16 https://t.co/lf08YzzDWu

— Julia Carrie Wong (@juliacarriew) September 16, 2021

Fwiw, cars kill roughly 1.3 million people per year (roughly entire population of Maine) and contribute significantly to climate change, obesity, and housing inequality. And the head of IG thinks social media is similar. https://t.co/V17GATSOGf

— Zach Cole (@ZachACole) September 16, 2021

Holy fuck is this painful to read. Especially coming from the head of the "Unhappiness Machine" Instagram https://t.co/7eTpvqYRE9

— tante (@tante) September 16, 2021

Last night, @instagram co-hosted the Met Gala.

This morning, the @WSJ published a killer Instagram story showing that the company is fully aware that it is causing harm to teenage girls.https://t.co/8tF663RKih pic.twitter.com/0jplDfG30Y

— Jodi Kantor (@jodikantor) September 14, 2021

“Cars create way more value in the world than they destroyed. And I think social media is similar” Instagram boss @mosseri on WSJ piece re: IG research that suggests the app can be harmful to its teenage users.https://t.co/TAdYFdSOyC

— Peter Kafka (@pkafka) September 16, 2021

This whole quote is like a slow motion car crash. https://t.co/GrvMMbDcxL

— Accountable Tech (@accountabletech) September 16, 2021

everyone's rightfully dunking on mosseri here but tbh i'm more curious abt how this guy defines "value" than his hella awkward car analogies https://t.co/capBmVJTpa

— shoshana wodinsky (she/her) (@swodinsky) September 16, 2021

IG head @mosseri: "Cars have positive or negative outcomes... We know that more people die than would otherwise because of car accidents. But by and large, cars create way more value in the world than they destroyed. And I think social media is similar." https://t.co/f1jN2WEQDc

— Jeff Horwitz (@JeffHorwitz) September 16, 2021

The metaphor in question, btw. https://t.co/4GyRShoVMR

— Molly Wood (@mollywood) September 16, 2021

If you’re defending your company’s product by arguing that it is merely as destructive as the automobile, then I’m betting your company is in serious trouble. https://t.co/mx7OD7RTFb

— Aaron Naparstek (@Naparstek) September 16, 2021

We’d be so much better off if everybody knew that nobody in tech has better than a middle school understanding of the world https://t.co/Az2Z0h6PSD

— Rory Carroll (@Rory_Carroll) September 16, 2021

The problem with this metaphor is that it really hinges on the question of age-verification which is not a parenthetical throwaway aside, as presented here. Age-verification is unfortunately grease for the proverbial slippery slope, speaking of metaphors. https://t.co/4wxi321cXT

— David Carroll (@profcarroll) September 17, 2021

Although many of us have been deep-linking to the reports this week, I revisited the Wall Street Journal's front page and the packaging of their full Facebook Files investigation is really impressive (and horrific at the same time). https://t.co/lTddspYOkj

— Jason Kint (@jason_kint) September 17, 2021

That was @pkafka next question, which we talked about on the pod. The car analogy is quite stretched; it was just one point in an hour long conversation.

— Adam Mosseri ? (@mosseri) September 16, 2021

Sounds like a good idea!

— The Real Facebook Oversight Board (@FBoversight) September 16, 2021

Just want to be the 3 millionth person to applaud the WSJ's investigative "Facebook Files" series: https://t.co/mvHOCJHmmE

And join maybe a smaller number in thanking the whistleblowers at FB who took serious personal risks to expose critical findings that their bosses wouldn't.

— Will Oremus (@WillOremus) September 17, 2021

Instagram's boss faces backlash after awkward comparison between cars and social media safety https://t.co/oNwUNMYdBp

— Matt Navarra (@MattNavarra) September 17, 2021

We’d be so much better off if everybody knew that nobody in tech has better than a middle school understanding of the world https://t.co/Az2Z0h6PSD

— Rory Carroll (@Rory_Carroll) September 16, 2021

I think this is the most unambiguous "we killed some folks" I've heard from a senior social media executive. https://t.co/C7cmcjluBx pic.twitter.com/RGtQEwMoRh

— Emerson T. Brooking (@etbrooking) September 17, 2021

Instagram chief Adam Mosseri thinks that because cars kill 40,000 people a year in the US (and 1.3 million around the world), it’s okay for Facebook to wreak havoc of its own. https://t.co/984YESghjq

— Tech Won't Save Us (@techwontsaveus) September 17, 2021

While this was clearly a stupid comparison the more I think about it the more I agree, we should treat social media like cars:
- regulate the fuck out of it
- require licenses to use it
- have recalls and safety minimums
- hold providers accountablehttps://t.co/91vCuneyl1

— Tim Moth McJones (@The_McJones) September 17, 2021

Love watching people slowly realize that their entirely unregulated business should be regulated like cars. https://t.co/D3Ppxuphqs

— Derek Powazek (@fraying) September 16, 2021

Facebookが行った調査でInstagramがティーンエージャーに悪い影響を与えているという結果が出たと数日前に報道されていて、対策しないのかと批判が出てたんだけど、InstagramのAdam Mosseri氏が「自動車があるとない場合より死ぬ人が増えるが、https://t.co/0HQ9JYUos9

— 今村咲 (@saki_imamura) September 16, 2021

Yeah, I’ve been coming around on social media as the new cigarette is flawed. Social media is much, much worse than smoking. https://t.co/XTHn2WQcrv

— r. (@artypapers) September 16, 2021

Facebook's Instagram chief uses awkward comparison with cars to defend social media harms https://t.co/RfZBIP3Cev

— CNBC (@CNBC) September 16, 2021