Following a shift in content moderation policies at Meta—policies perceived to tolerate hate speech against marginalized groups—public interest in distancing from the social media giant has increased. Among those voicing discontent is John Oliver. On his show “Last Week Tonight,” Oliver dedicated over thirty minutes to examining the ways in which Meta may be harming individuals, while providing a method for users to devalue themselves to the company.
During his segment, Oliver discussed various issues, including Facebook’s alleged role in the genocide in Myanmar and the spread of election misinformation. He also injected humor with remarks comparing Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg to celebrities, using phrases like “Eddie Redmayne was cast to play Ice Cube” and “white Macklemore.”
Oliver encouraged viewers to diminish their value to Meta by limiting the company’s ad revenue, which constitutes 98% of its earnings. This revenue primarily stems from a sophisticated ad platform leveraging data collected from user tracking. Oliver suggested changing privacy settings on Facebook and Instagram as a way to reduce these platforms’ ability to profit from personal data, directing audiences to a guide developed in collaboration with the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
The URL for the guide is humorously titled JohnOliverWantsYourRatErotica.com, a nod to the comedic style of “Last Week Tonight.” Despite the comedic elements, the guide aims to educate users on increasing their privacy. Suggestions include using privacy-focused web browsers like Firefox and installing extensions such as Privacy Badger that block third-party tracking.
While such actions are unlikely to significantly impact Meta’s financial standing, as evidenced by previous failed boycotts even by major advertisers, Oliver’s efforts to raise awareness about privacy issues are considered beneficial. By making audiences aware of how their data is used and monetized, and encouraging steps to protect privacy, Oliver’s message is ultimately seen as favorable, humor notwithstanding.