(by Massimiliano D'Elia) The fault is mine alone and I take responsibility for it personally and I have no intention of resigning. Thus Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO and founder of Facebook in front of the assembled commissions of commerce and justice of the US Senate. The well-known events that have affected the most famous and widespread social network in the world have meant that the US Senate, more for practice than necessity, had to intervene to give public opinion a semblance of intervention on a story that for many, according to the surveys carried out, did not in any way damage the affection of users to the social network.
The public hearing of Zuckerberg then highlighted really interesting aspects that make school in the "crisis communication" sector.
The communication strategy, during an ongoing crisis, in order not to lose the appeal with users and above all to reassure the advertising companies was a textbook. Right from the start, the skilled Mark Zuckerberg took on all the responsibility himself without wasting time and leaving room for media conjectures. Yesterday, equally, he put his "face" and reputation on taking full responsibility and letting it be known that he would collaborate with the authorities for new consumer protection laws and that his staff were already working hard to resolve and minimize the '' use of Facebook data by third parties, i.e. external system developers.
Then it was clear to everyone, another aspect, namely that the older American senators have struggled to fully understand the world of Facebook and the modalities of its mechanisms. A generation gap evident during the Mark Zuckerberg hearing, never before has the United States Senate demonstrated its "senility", says Time, noting how the average age of this legislature is 63 years, that is the oldest forum in American history. They had to "grill him", CNN says, but in the end they only slightly roasted him: the technological illiteracy of the elderly senators saved young Mark. An example for all is that of XNUMX-year-old Republican Senator from Utah Orrin Hatch who asks inquisitorially how a business model in which users do not pay for services is sustainable. "Senator, we have the publicity", Zuckerberg replies, calm and obvious. "It was like watching your grandfather try to figure out how they put the internet in your new Macbook Pro," says mercilessly Chris Cillizza, political analyst at CNN. Obviously many of the senators' questions were sharp and precise, but for Cillizza some of the questions were probably written by the younger and more prepared members.