Mark Zuckerberg - Blog Posts

i think that my biggest issue with NFTs is that Picrew exists

Updates about the TikTok ban/relight … a lot of people thought that TikTokers were being dramatic. We were forced to say “unalive” “pew-pew” and “grape”… now it’s a community violation to say that Meta sucks.

Yeah okay so like I said in the tags of the last post I’m rising from my tumblr grave to say that the ban on TikTok is symptomatic of a MUCH larger and more terrifying problem. Because yes, on its surface it’s silly dances and asmr and cooking videos and whatever, but in truth and at its core, TikTok single-handedly revolutionized the way 170 million Americans communicated with each other AND the rest of the world. Non-Americans love to point out how America-centric Americans are, but fail to realize that we are purposefully raised in an isolated, insulated environment where we are told from basically day 1 that America Is The Best and not to even bother taking a look around because it’s all downhill from outside of here. TikTok has, for MANY Americans, single-handedly destroyed that notion and allowed them (us!!) to broaden our world-view and realize that actually, things are better in other countries, and it did so in a kind, empathetic, and compassionate way.

And yeah most people wake up to the truth of that on their own as they get older, but holy shit!! The VAST majority of the Americans on TikTok are millennials and gen z (and even some older gen alpha)!! People who are becoming disillusioned with “The American Dream” (said with the HEAVIEST sarcasm) while they’re still school-aged or are just entering young-adulthood!! People who are entering - or TRYING to enter - the American workforce who suddenly have an unfiltered window into non-American lives and are wondering why tf we’re struggling and penny-pinching and toeing the line of poverty while our rich elected officials sit around and fight and argue over everything that actually matters to the citizens they supposedly represent and get richer all the while. THAT is why they’re banning the app, and that fact alone should terrify every single American citizen.

Not to mention the precedent it sets for other social media platforms!! You think some nebulous, unproven, and unfounded “threat to national security” will stop with TikTok?? They’ve already censored Adult Material on tumblr, who’s gonna stop them from coming back and doing it again or getting rid of it altogether for the exact same reason? It’s a blatant act of censorship and a direct attack on the American first amendment right to free speech.

NOTHING radicalized me the way tiktok did. I watched people in my life who were STAUNCH Trump supporters in 2016 AND 2020 wake up to the truth and vote blue for the first time in their lives BECAUSE OF TIKTOK, and did so with al the nuanced understanding that even Democrats are severely failing this country, but are at least better than the alternative. That level of awareness and presence in the average US citizen scares American politicians.

The fact that the vast majority of them - including the ones loudly opposing the ban!! - bought stock in Meta BEFORE the ban was legalized/upheld by the Supreme Court?? That Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk were legally allowed to lobby congress to ban TikTok when BOTH stood to DIRECTLY financially gain from their biggest competitor being banned in the US and are guilty of unethically gathering data and selling it to MULTIPLE third parties?? The fact that Trump is now teasing that he may or may not intervene to save TikTok when he was the one who talked about banning it in the first place AND ALSO OWNS HIS OWN COMPETING SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM??

It’s the burning of Alexandria. It’s the loss of a significant chunk of culture. It’s the sharp and sudden loss of contact with the rest of the world for more than half of all American citizens. It’s the loss of $240 BILLION dollars in the GDP when the country is already TRILLIONS of dollars in debt. And on an individualistic level, it’s the loss of millions of small businesses and primary income streams for so many individuals and families who found their primary audience on TikTok. Is the app perfect? HELL no. Are there significant changes needed to make it a safe environment for all users? ABSOLUTELY. But that can also be said of ANY social media platform. TikTok openly fostered connection and communication and creativity and compassion that is completely unique to that platform! It made so many people - myself included!! - feel less alone. I get the feeling I know what the general consensus is about TikTok on this site, but the ban on this app should scare the shit out of everyone.

won peace

blu lok and more goejoe kaisen late3r 0n

To provide context: Mark Zuckerberg is the owner of Meta (therefore Whatsapp too), and just like Elon, a lapdog of Trump.

is there any characters u based the 4 mcs off (ren, ichi, ni, and san)

yesyes! theres a lot so let me list them 😭

starting off strong w ren…

the first inspiration behind ren (despite being a competent character in the novelization, he did have a lot of gaps that needed to be filled in) isn’t the real mark zuckerberg— rather jesse eisenberg’s portrayal in ‘the social networking,’ both are condescending geniuses who are socially distant (though in rens case its by choice, in marks choice its not)

additionally, just as mark screwed over eduardo in the movie (and presumably real life) ren was planning on screwing over walter simmons the moment he was no longer useful.

the most important similarity is both thrive on being the smartest person in the room AND being painfully aware of it, silently resenting those who they deem as less intelligent.

that’s where rens similarities with mark end, as he’s not a hideous bigot, mechagodzilla was ren’s idea whereas mark is portrayed as a thief who steals concepts, rens motivations are deeply personal while marks are for people to like him, and lastly, marks social climb is about status, rens is about control and a vendetta.

the second inspiration behind ren is chris manawa from fear the walking dead, both had morally up-right, no-nonsense fathers who tried to do the right thing even if their sons had a different vision of what was right. (ishiro and travis, respectively.)

they both became disillusioned and villainous, drifting away from their father’s ethics by choice.. additionally, they had a similar radicalization— each dealt with the death of their mother in isolation with little to no support.

however, the descent of chris is a common trope in twdu— survival, desensitization, and seeing the new world as a ruleless land where they can do whatever they want, ren’s descent is driven by vengeance, ambition, childhood frustrations, and a god complex.

ren is also more calculated and wouldn’t be foolish enough to meet the fate chris did.

as some of you may know, one of the main inspirations behind ghidorahs voice was smile 2, and a lot of the events in the early chapters of ghidorahs voice mirror smile 2.

for example, both ren and skye suffer hallucinations after a traumatic event— skye after the drug-induced crash, ren after the mechagodzilla electrocution.

the mirror scene where skye hallucinating louis (luis?) in the mirror is a direct parallel to ren hallucinating ishiro in chapter 3.

ghidorah parallels the smile entity, they’re both persistent, supernatural forces that feed on trauma and slowly erodes the mind. however, in ghidorahs case, he doesn’t kill ren, he molds ren into controller x by cutting off all of rens options.

both ren and skye try to navigate public scrutiny while desperately trying to rationalize what they’re seeing— skye as a pop star, ren as an infamous nepo-baby who destroyed an entire city.

ren waking up from a coma and facing legal/ethical battles echoes skye’s return from tragedy.

like skye dismissing morris’ warnings, ren dismisses bernies warnings because he finds bernie annoying and has a deep ‘theres a scientific explantation to EVERYTHING’ value instilled in him.

on a more comedic note, the next one is ryan howard. walter simmons is rens michael scott— a buffoonish, self-important boss ren both tolerates and despises depending on what walter could contribute in rens conquest to kill godzilla.

like ryan, ren is the ‘golden boy’ who is expected to rise fast but they both harbor bitterness and ambition, not caring who they have to step on to reach their goals.

however, ryan’s downfall is due to incompetence and ego— he’s lazy and self-sabotaging, ren is anything but lazy, rens downfall is more about flying too close to the sun, emotional instability and three headed alien forces.

in short, ryan is played for comedy, ren is steeped in tragic horror.

back to the tragic note, one of rens biggest inspirations was junior wheeler from chucky. (anyone who knew me in 2021 knew i was DEVASTATED when he kicked the bucket and was in straight denial for months) junior is manipulated by chucky, ren by ghidorah— though not to the same extent, as ren is intelligent enough to see ghidorah is using him, but an enemy of his enemy is his friend.. however, this doesn’t change how both are essentially possessed by malevolent forces praying on vulnerability.

both characters lashing out and transformations into killers are tied to emotional repression and manipulation.

additionally, from the dialogue to the context, ghidorah finally convincing ren his own humanity is whats holding him back is directly inspired by this scene

back to differences, juniors arc is short-lived and tragic, rens is longer and more strategic, involving tech, politics, and global stakes.

junior died as a teenager and didn’t fully understand what he was doing, while rens frontal lobe is fully developed, and not only does ren embrace what hes doing, he even tries to justify it.

lastly for ren is the salesman from squid game, both are lapdogs to greater powers (the salesman to the frontman, ren to ghidorah.)

they both project confidence and control but are ultimately servants trying to feel special in a system they dont control.

both (at least after ren adopts the persona of x) have a certain aesthetic flair, masking their true insignificance.

as for ichi, his biggest inspiration is..

princess blister from wings of fire! both are the most cunning and manipulative of their respective trios, they act as the ‘brains’ of the operation— always plotting several steps ahead, enjoying mind games and psychological warfare.

ichi and blister have a similar way of disguising their ruthlessness with eloquence, additionally, they both also don’t give the facade much effort— snapping the moment they get called out.

both were turned into dust 💀

both are narcissistic, believing they are the rightful rulers and vastly superior to those around them.

naturally, since ichi is inspired by blister..

ni is inspired by princess burn! ni, like burn, enjoys cruelty for his own sake— not mindless brutality, but calculated, indulgent violence.

both ni and burn are often underestimated as ‘the muscle’ and nothing else, but they show tactical awareness when it benefits them. just like burn using queen scarlet as a shield from glorys venom, ni is the kind of guy who would sacrifice anyone to gain an edge or survive.

the next for ni is nam-gyu from squid game (nam-gyu referring to other players as cockroaches was my direct inspo for ghidorah referring to humans as cockroaches), both are right hand figures— ni to ichi, nam-gyu to thanos, both act loyal but are really in it for their own gain and survival.

they both have a duality of superiority and inferiority complexes— they feel like they’re the most dangerous out of their respective groups, yet simmer with resentment at being second to someone else.

just like how nam-gyu only truly respects thanos, ni only respects ichi— but even then, that respect is overshadowed by envy and loathing.

both revel in mocking those weaker than them, even more so if they sense emotional vulnerability.

for san, as i stated in chapter 20, his main inspiration is..

agatha harkness! san, like agatha, enjoys manipulating the emotions of others (ren and wanda respectively) under the guise of charisma or humor.

both are showboats, loving dramatic reveals, flashy speeches, and being the most memorable individual in the room— even if that means coming off as a nuisance and being hated.