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TECHNOLOGY Friday 23 June 2017
Facebook wants to nudge you into ‘meaningful’ online groups

By BARBARA ORTUTAY and conceived as a way for
MICHAEL LIEDTKE friends and family to com-
AP Technology Writers municate privately, groups
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — have evolved to encom-
At Facebook, mere “shar- pass hobbies, medical
ing” is getting old. Finding conditions, military service,
deeper meaning in online pets, parenthood and just
communities is the next big about anything else you
thing. CEO Mark Zucker- could think of.
berg is no longer satisfied To Zuckerberg, now 33, the
with just connecting the effort to foster meaning-
world so that people can ful communities reflects
pass around baby pictures his recent interest in ways
and live video — or fake Facebook can make the
news and hate symbols. world a less divisive place,
So the Facebook founder one that emerged follow-
wants to bring more mean- ing the fractious 2016 presi-
ing to its nearly 2 billion us- dential election.
ers by shepherding them He has previously talked
into online groups that about the need to bring
bring together people with people together in both
common passions, prob- a lengthy manifesto pub-
lems and ambitions. lished earlier this year and
Much like the creation of during his commencement
Facebook itself — argu- In this Wednesday, June 21, 2017, photo, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, right, talks with Face- address at Harvard Univer-
ably the largest social-en- book group administrators Lola Omolola, left, Erin Schatteman, second from left, and Janet San- sity last month.
gineering project in history chez in preparation for the Facebook Communities Summit, in Chicago, in advance of announce- “MEANING,” FACEBOOK
— that shift could have ment of a new Facebook initiative designed to spur people to form more meaningful communities STYLE
broad and unanticipated with Facebook’s groups feature. Data-driven to its core,
consequences. Facebook Facebook has quantified
will apply the same pow- enue ; it brought in almost dated mission statement — the people who run millions “meaning” so it can be
erful computer algorithms $27 billion dollars in 2016, 57 is a big part of the answer. of groups on Facebook, sure people are getting
that make its service so percent more than the pre- “When you think of the so- a feature the company more of it. And what Face-
compelling to the task of vious year. cial structure of the world, rolled out years ago to little book aims to maximize is
boosting membership in THE SEARCH FOR MEANING we are probably one of the fanfare. Facebook is also the time people spend in
“meaningful” groups to The shift comes as Face- larger institutions that can rolling out new administra- its online groups. When-
more than a billion people book continues to grapple help empower people to tive tools intended to sim- ever someone spends at
within five years. with the darker side of con- build communities,” Zuck- plify the task of screening least 30 minutes a week in
If successful, that would necting the world, from ter- erberg said in a recent in- members and managing a group, Facebook classi-
also encourage people to rorist recruitment to videos terview at the company’s communities in hopes that fies it as “meaningful.” The
spend more time on Face- of murder and suicides to offices in Menlo Park, Cali- will encourage people to company estimates that
book, which could boost propaganda intended to fornia. “There, I think we create and cultivate more 130 million of its users are
the company’s profits. disrupt elections around have a real opportunity to groups. in such groups; it aims to
While Facebook doesn’t the world. For Zuckerberg, help make a difference.” COME TOGETHER boost that to over a billion
currently place ads in its using his social network to Zuckerberg outlined his lat- Facebook groups are ad by 2022.
groups, it said it “can’t “build community” and est vision at a “communi- hoc collections of people Facebook has already
speak to future plans.” Ad- “bring the world closer to- ties summit” held Thursday united by a single interest; been tweaking its algo-
vertising is virtually Face- gether” — two phrases in Chicago. It’s the com- they offer ways to chat and rithms to recommend more
book’s only source of rev- from Facebook’s newly up- pany’s first gathering for organize events. Originally groups to users.q

Ringing the changes: Dutch

bike lock blocks rider’s phone

By MIKE CORDER meaning that the cyclist’s day that the “Safe Lock”
Associated Press phone can only be used is expected to go on sale
THE HAGUE, Netherlands to call emergency services. by the end of the year for
(AP) — A telecom compa- Once the bike is locked us- around 100 euros ($110).
ny in the Netherlands has ing the app, the cellphone The association said that
developed a bicycle lock will work again. one in five bicycle acci-
that also blocks its mobile The app, developed with dents involving children In this file photo dated Saturday, April 14, 2012, bikes cast long
network, in a move aimed the country’s traffic safety is caused by smartphone shadows in Sydney, Australia, Saturday, April 14, 2012.
at protecting young rid- authority, does not stop us- use. Associated Press
ers who regularly pedal ers listening to music stored KPN spokeswoman Victori- By blocking the network, self of not being disturbed
through busy streets while on their phone, but would na de Boer said the combi- the lock and app halts by ... notifications which
looking at their phone. prevent them playing nation of a network-block- not only calls but also the can take away your atten-
An app opens the lock streaming content. ing app and lock, made beeps and buzzes that alert tion from the traffic around
and simultaneously blocks The Dutch Traffic Safety by the AXA company, is users to new messages. you, then this is a good so-
the KPN cellular network, Association said Wednes- believed to be a world first. “If you want to assure your- lution,” De Boer said.q