Mark Zuckerberg controls the spread of information
Mark Zuckerberg has a virtual monopoly on information in many regions of the world.
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The Argument
Mark Zuckerberg essentially controls the internet. He controls what information people access, when they access it, and how many people see it.
Facebook has 2.45 billion monthly users, around a third of the world’s population. A quarter of all time spent on the internet is spent on Facebook.[1]
For many of these users, Facebook isn’t just a place to share information, it is the primary place of accessing information. It is the primary place many people get their news and stay up to date with current affairs.
No media organisation in history has had a circulation of 2.45 billion. Therefore, Mark Zuckerberg is more powerful than any media conglomerate and has far more control over the global dissemination of information than any government.
Counter arguments
Controlling the spread of information is influence, not power.
Zuckerberg enjoys a vast amount of influence but he has no power in the conventional definition of the word. He can help influence an election, for example, but he cannot write new laws, amend existing laws, or exert direct political control over a population.
Framing
Controlling the spread of information is power. Mark Zuckerberg has more influence on the spread of information than anyone else in history.
Premises
[P1] Power is controlling the spread of information.
[P2] Mark Zuckerberg has more control over the spread of information than anyone in human history.
[P3] Therefore, Mark Zuckerberg is the most powerful person in history.
Rejecting the premises
[Rejecting P1] This is influence, not power.