Sandboxx

After reading, in 2018, about Zuckerberg’s encounter with Congress, Carruthers was inspired to write about the politically-powerful baby mogul.

“Facebook’s chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, faced US Congress for the first time on Tuesday over the data sharing scandal. Zuckerberg answered questions from the Senate commerce and judiciary committees on privacy, data mining, regulations and Cambridge Analytica during the course of the marathon five-hour hearing….

  • “Yes, we store data … some of that content with people’s permission.”
  • “There’s a very common misconception that we sell data to advertisers. We do not sell data to advertisers.”
  • “What we allow is for advertisers to tell us who they want to reach, and then we do the placement … That’s a very fundamental part of how our model works and something that is often misunderstood.”” (Watson, 2018).

Sandboxx is a critique of tech mogul Mark Zuckerberg and his data-mining operation known as Facebook. The doublespeak of Zuckerberg’s weak apology to Congress is at the heart of Sacred Machines’ treatment of the boy wonder and his invasion of privacy perpetrated against ordinary consumers worldwide.

Today, Zuckerberg is accused of monopoly and of unfair competition practices (“blockbusting”).

“…following an 18-month investigation, the Federal Trade Commission, along with 48 attorneys general from around the country, accused the company of massive antitrust in two separate lawsuits, and said that Facebook should sell off WhatsApp and Instagram, which collectively boast more than 3 billion monthly active users, and which are expected to generate as much as $30 billion in revenue next year for Facebook.” (Bilton, 2020).

SANDBOXX
(Carruthers/RE-VO) (2018)

Like, dislike, share, snapchat

Hey, Mr. Zee, what you coded was just right for me
Reconnect with old friends, analyze the daily trends
Little did we know your software started off by rating girls
A cruel slide show ’cause your girlfriend let you go

Social media deception, anger and rejection
Bullies on a viral screen, no real contact
Something underneath that couldn’t be seen

Why can’t we all just get back to the sandboxx?
Just you and me, face to face, dirt around the place
Why can’t we all just get back to the sandboxx?
Building sand castles that get washed away in the rain
Come back the next morning, do it all again
Actually get together and be alone… together… together

Hey, Mr. Zee, you’re in front a committee
dodging questions about trust, simple private things
Little did we know your software started off by rating girls
A campus woman site, now it’s data mining shite

And McLuhan is crying: we don’t get the message
A wide open window to political deception
There is no end to this. Way to go, Mr. Zee… Mr. Zee

Why can’t we all just get back to the sandboxx?
Just you and me, face to face, dirt around the place
Why can’t we all just get back to the sandboxx?
Building sand castles that get washed away in the rain
Come back the next morning, do it all again
Actually get together and be alone… together… together