r/technology • u/NowThatsMalarkey • Feb 21 '25

Social Media Mark Zuckerberg’s makeover didn’t make people like him, study shows

https://techcrunch.com/2025/02/20/mark-zuckerbergs-makeover-didnt-make-people-like-him-study-shows/?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAANAZlr-hGuhX1KqqPjBTkTce5FHYoTfozy456eW6cuu8YldzC5rpGfIlP07_a0jXdYc_eaaM6DrAXHX5G8e2xGc5SpbfTOxsJAwxR81w_TBGJlcjoLsVnZ8PWO1lNJgWgzm3MMz0BHDbCl-W5ehgrTueoJBD4LubB0aUd2ecJ39Y
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2.3k

u/rnilf Feb 21 '25

Doesn't really matter if people like him if everyone keeps using his company's products, which only continues to increase his wealth and power...

725

u/SuperToxin Feb 21 '25

But that’s the funny thing about him and baby elon, they want to be liked by people it seems.

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u/Popular-Jackfruit432 Feb 21 '25

Man built an entire network because no one would add him on myspace

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u/SilvarusLupus Feb 22 '25

I thought they made Facebook to hook up with girls in college?

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u/BringbacktheWailers Feb 22 '25

it was to rate how attractive they thought girls were even more embarrassing

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u/SilvarusLupus Feb 22 '25

Oh....gross

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u/bizarro_kvothe Feb 21 '25

Does he need to be liked? Absolutely not. He likes to be liked. He enjoys being liked. He has to be liked. But it’s not like a compulsive need, like his need to be praised.

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u/coconutpiecrust Feb 21 '25

He should do likeable things, then. I thought he was smart. 

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u/InEenEmmer Feb 21 '25

It takes a certain kind of person to do likeable things though.

Things like being a decent person and showing compassion.

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u/[deleted] Feb 21 '25 edited Feb 21 '25

I feel like he could like...give a shit ton of money to help people and just...do nothing and become more likable. Become seen as a philanthropist and a bit of a recluse.

Edit: relevant consideration, roughly two decades ago, Bill Gates was the richest guy on earth. He spent literally a fortune to improve the world to help people. And he's still richer than he was then because capitalism will always make these people richer.

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u/PluotFinnegan_IV Feb 22 '25

But Bill is still disliked by a lot of people by simply existing.

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u/[deleted] Feb 22 '25

Fair. Bill Gates does have much more popularity than Zuckerberg though. According to that article, Zuckerberg is -33% popularity and Gates has about +20% popularity. And I am curious if that has changed any in the last few years since the whole WHO/Gates/Covid-19 vaccine conspiracy nonsense.

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u/PluotFinnegan_IV Feb 22 '25

That's true, I wasn't trying to suggesting Zuck and Bill are equally disliked. From what I know about Bill he seems like a guy that was laser focused on doing it all and being the biggest in the 80s and 90s, retired from Microsoft and came to a realization that he earned a lot of his money in some pretty vicious ways and is trying to atone. It could all be to polish his public image but I feel if that were the case he could have done that for a lot less than what he's put into various charitable efforts and his own foundation.

0

u/thebrobarino Feb 22 '25

There are some people who dislike him for "simply existing" but to imply that all the criticism he receives is because "haters gonna hate" is denying reality.

Gates has done a lot of philanthropy, but philanthropy is not good in itself unless it's been implemented in the proper ways.

Gates thought that because he was good at coding, that gave him the expertise to completely overhaul the modern education system. He did not, in fact, have that expertise. He poured billions into reforming public education but had no background in pedagogy and therefore had no idea what he was doing or what the consequences of his actions would be.

Here's a good article explaining his monumental fuck up: https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/10/the-plot-against-public-education-111630/

He has some pretty valid haters.

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u/PluotFinnegan_IV Feb 22 '25

I'm not seeing the monumental fuck up here. He had an idea, pitched the idea, put his own money into the idea, doesn't seem like he profited from it at all, and later acknowledged it failed.

I couldn't find much on the long-term effects of this initiative, but I did find this, which states that the efforts didn't have a significant impact and affected schools did not improve.

I also found this and this - Repeated, consistent statements that their efforts were well-intentioned but ultimately unsuccessful.

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u/BogiDope Feb 22 '25

Imagine if you were a billionaire - with more wealth that you could ever spend in several lifetimes, how little compassion it would require to look around you and decide to use your resources to alleviate human suffering around you, as opposed to going FUCK EVERYONE ELSE, I NEED MOR!!! I NEED EVERYTHING!!!

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u/bloodontherisers Feb 21 '25

And those types of people don't get to be the richest people in the world

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u/JIsADev Feb 21 '25

i never met a billionaire but i bet they are ruthless in the office and meeting rooms

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u/bloodontherisers Feb 22 '25

It is really just a relentless willingness to exploit others. That's all it boils down to. They have no empathy and I would venture most, if not all, are also narcissist.

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u/Fr0zn Feb 22 '25

Ive met some very, very wealthy people through my work and personal life and had enough time with them to get an idea of what kind of people they are.

There is no underlying characteristics that i could see that they share. They are just like the rest of us in the sense that there are the narsistic types, who want it all for themselves, the cunning business types who are not necessarily evil, but seem to make every interaction or situation be most benefitial to them and yes, i’m sure there are plenty of rotten ones too, but i havent personally seen that side of them or met anyone like that.

However there are also many who genuinely seem kind and very grateful for how lucky they have been to reach the heights they have.

These people i would wager are a much bigger number than we see in the public eye, because much like any other person with a good soul, they dont want the spotlight or tell other people what to do with their lives.

They understand that their success is a combination of hard work, perfect timing, incredible luck and most of all great people around them and don’t go around giving advice or taking credit. They are incredibly generous to the people around them and usually you couldn’t tell that they are very wealthy until they ask you to come by for a drink some weekend at their place and the place turns out to be a yacht that you can sail oceans with.

No idea what the percentages are, but i guess i have been very lucky to mostly have met several of the latter types who have been very nice people to spend time with.

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u/Corona-walrus Feb 21 '25

Smoking these meats  https://youtu.be/eBxTEoseZak?si=Dc89kJw6x1Yy2LlA

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u/coconutpiecrust Feb 21 '25

Hahaha, I have never seen this. Thanks for sharing. 

According to Curtis Yarvin, this completely average awkward guy is crème de la crème of humanity 

2

u/nanocookie Feb 22 '25

Lol this is some interdimensional cable material

2

u/Repulsive_Finger_130 Feb 21 '25

that would conflict with his primary goal of ammassing wealth

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u/StatisticianOwn9953 Feb 21 '25

Idk why he doesn't follow Tom's lead and make himself everyone's friend. Seems like an open net tbh.

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u/UR_Smoothbrain Feb 21 '25

Tom MySpace was my only friend. Thanks for nothing Tim Apple.

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u/crazycatlady331 Feb 21 '25

Tom also sold his company at the peak and instead of taking the movie villain route and aiming for world domination, he retired and is now traveling the world living his best life.

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u/fireblyxx Feb 21 '25

A couple of years ago Zuckerberg got it in his head that he could run for President, and was doing meet and greets in Iowa. Ofcourse, everyone thought he was a weird robot person and it didn't go anywhere. Now he's on this manosphere binge, but like Musk he just looks like he's trying to roleplay at masculinity.

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u/ejp1082 Feb 21 '25

he just looks like he's trying to roleplay at masculinity.

Seriously, for the life of me I'll never understand this.

The whole manosphere thing is baffling to me but it's especially baffling to see guys on that level buy into it.

Musk and Zuckerburg frickin won capitalism. They're friggin billionaires, part of the very small three comma club. They could do and have literally anything they want.

Yet somehow that makes them into more of an insecure man-baby rather than less of one? I just don't get it.

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u/fireblyxx Feb 21 '25

I think that masculinity itself is broad and the bounds of it are arbitrarily defined, and for a lot of people, “masculinity” is one of those things you define by describing what it isn’t, or using symbology and association to denote belonging.

I think between the two Musk is the clearer example of masculinity defined by symbology. He comes out on stage with a chainsaw or a flamethrower. Wears dark clothes in an attempt to look intimidating. But none of those things are him, just trinkets of things we’re meant to see as masculine, and therefore him by association. And that’s what makes it feel so fake, the need for association and recognition.

Like, I don’t like Joe Rogan, but at least he’s, like, relaxed in his demeanor. He has all that masculine symbology association bullshit too, but at least he’s honest about supplementing his testosterone levels and wouldn’t lie about it like he’s some natural fount of masculinity that we somehow aren’t all seeing.

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u/Special-Garlic1203 Feb 22 '25

To be fair, Rogan is really into fitness bro culture. They're all on PEDs these days. I'm not sure if he should get credit for not lying about it, because its less an admission and instead kind of functions as signalling group belonging with the gym rats he loves so much. 

I will agree that Musk is one of most performative try hard over compensators I've never seen. 

1

u/LegitosaurusRex Feb 22 '25

Eh, Musk does those weird jumps and stuff on stage, and Zuck is ripped now and does martial arts.

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u/Special-Garlic1203 Feb 22 '25

I don't think it's insecure for Zuckberburg. I think he's just really really manipulative and has a need for dominance. So he just picks up and abandons values and hobbies and aesthetics according to what he thinks will serve him best. 

He was also beta testing being a wife guy for a minute. I think that's what we would have seen if Harris won.

1

u/Pure-Night9422 Feb 22 '25

It's the money. It constantly erodes him. The more of it he has the more aware of it he is, it's always there always hanging out not maximizing its potential, not working as hard for him as he himself works, although mainly nowadays to keep out of the range of sniper fire more than anything. It haunts him in the wrong way. Not because he could do good things with it, this is not the guilt he feels for hoarding obscene wealth, no. His is different than that of the merely mortal man. It is because it could somehow make even more money had he done something different and possibly better, at each decision point in the past. He thinks it's all a game. He even uses words like 'delete" to refer to government agencies, showing the callous disregard he has for peoples livelihoods. The billionaire makes a shitty politician, folks, when will we get it through our thick skulls?

2

u/Special-Garlic1203 Feb 22 '25

That's what the smoked meats things was lolol. He was like "I know how to make myself relatable to middle America -- bbq sauce"

The thing was before he had the whole genius asshole thing going for him. Most people just assumed he was too busy being brilliant to be liked. Trying and failing so badly at being likable just drew attention to how uncanny valley of human being he is (allegedly) 

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u/Tex-Rob Feb 21 '25

Mind blowing that people aren't getting this Michael Scott reference.

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u/IrrelevantPuppy Feb 21 '25

Thank you, I was trying to remember where it was from

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u/Ldlredhed Feb 22 '25

It was over 15 years ago.

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u/[deleted] Feb 21 '25 edited Feb 25 '25

[deleted]

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u/Master-Category-3345 Feb 22 '25

He always says such nice things about you though

1

u/MrTastix Feb 22 '25

Mark wouldn't have spent an egregious amount on PR if he didn't want to be liked.

He spent time trying to improve his public image which has to stand for something, otherwise it's just a waste of money (which it ended up being anyway).

1

u/Sdmws6 Feb 22 '25

It always circles back to a The Office quote lol

1

u/Present_Anteater_555 Feb 22 '25

World's best boss over here

1

u/traws06 Feb 23 '25

Pretty sure everyone in Hawaii hates him and he doesn’t care

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u/IndubitablyNerdy Feb 21 '25

Hehe Ironically I think that his image improved when he was quarreling with Elon, like with the whole MMA match thingie, but now that he has bent the knee as well he also lost what little respect he had earned with it.

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u/[deleted] Feb 21 '25 edited Feb 25 '25

[deleted]

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u/celtic1888 Feb 21 '25

His Apartheid South African upbringing explains plenty

2

u/crazycatlady331 Feb 21 '25

I believe it's now 14 kids (or #14 on the way) and a 6th baby mama in the picture.

1

u/orangecountry Feb 21 '25

On the same note, some of his posts are almost perversely self-aware, like he's intentionally describing himself or his followers in the people he criticizes. I can almost see him chuckling as he posts certain things like, "check it out, these morons are going to swallow this bullshit up" only there's no one who cares that he can share it with.

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u/Only_Razzmatazz_4498 Feb 21 '25

They already won the making money race so now they compete on who is more loved. They might switch to competing on who is the most hated.

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u/bruin396 Feb 21 '25

They are deeply flawed and all the money in the world won‘t change that.

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u/Kingkai9335 Feb 21 '25

The making money race never ends for them, the only thing that changes is their strategy

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u/swirlybat Feb 21 '25

wonder what it's like knowing not a single human on earth would talk to you if you didnt possess almost all the monies on earth?

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u/ihearthorror1 Feb 21 '25

Zuck only cares if other rich people and celebrities like him (heavy emphasis on celebrities famous for their looks/body only), and Musk wants white men, specifically, to adore him.

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u/RepentantSororitas Feb 22 '25

The funniest thing about Elon, is his ego is actively making him look like such a loser.

Take the whole path of exile scandal. If you just said he played path of exile from time to time, all those gamergate chuds probably would have ate it up.

No however. That was not enough for Elon. He's had to pretend to be one of the top players in the world despite supposedly being busy with three companies and a government department.

Like no one expected you to be the top even 10,000 players. It would have just been a relatable fact that you played. But Mr billionaire is so out of touch and so ego filled to even realize that.

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u/eisenburg Feb 21 '25

Well it seems they found the group of losers that will like anything their dear leader tells them too.

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u/Rheum42 Feb 21 '25

They always do

1

u/GoodUserNameToday Feb 21 '25

Yup, Zuck started FB and Elon bought Twitter so they could be liked 

1

u/Leather-Cherry-2934 Feb 22 '25

There’s nothing Zack or Elon could do to make me like them. Maybe if they played game of Russian rulette I could consider

1

u/pimppapy Feb 22 '25

So much so that studies are put out to gauge public reactions towards them…. Rather than just reading the room for free

1

u/StevieThundersack Feb 22 '25

Most people want to be liked… that’s a pretty normal human trait.

1

u/flsurf7 Feb 22 '25

What a strange thing to desire ...

The shit Reddit says sometimes. 🤦‍♂️

0

u/doinbluin Feb 21 '25

They could care less if you like them. They want your money. That's it.

0

u/OddTadpole3226 Feb 21 '25

They don't give a shit about you or if you like them at all. They would like to be likable so their image doesn't hurt their sales, that's simple maths.