Sean Parker did not predict the consequences that Facebook — the company he co-founded — would have on society. Speaking at an Axios event in Philadelphia on Wednesday, Parker admitted that Facebook created a "social-validation feedback loop" that he said exploited "a vulnerability in human psychology."
Parker recalled that in Facebook's nascent period, he believed that even the most ardent social media holdouts would eventually succumb to the urge to participate. The goal of these social media platforms was to "consume as much of your time and conscious attention as possible," Parker said, adding that the founders of Instagram and Facebook were well aware that their applications preyed on the human desire for validation and attention.
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