‘Facebook Was Like a Democratic Institution’: Ben Smith Says There Was ‘Explicit Goal’ to Get Obama Elected

WAGNER Ben Smith co ░░░░░░░░ and editor in chief ░░░░░░░░ Semafor and author of ░░░░░░░░ new book Traffic Genius ░░░░░░░░ and Delusion in the ░░░░░░░░ Dollar Race To Go ░░░░░░░░ which is out today ░░░░░░░░ congratulations on this book ░░░░░░░░ don t know when ░░░░░░░░ had time to write ░░░░░░░░ but you are prolific ░░░░░░░░ many senses of the ░░░░░░░░ I guess I was ░░░░░░░░ much struck by I ░░░░░░░░ not going to call ░░░░░░░░ a mea culpa but ░░░░░░░░ idea that you know ░░░░░░░░ this period of great ░░░░░░░░ and you know building ░░░░░░░░ sites and things that ░░░░░░░░ never existed before and ░░░░░░░░ optimism inherent in that ░░░░░░░░ dark was afoot which ░░░░░░░░ this sort of keys ░░░░░░░░ another set of people ░░░░░░░░ keys the Rosetta Stone ░░░░░░░░ you will to building ░░░░░░░░ and learning about audiences ░░░░░░░░ would later be bastardized ░░░░░░░░ totally partisan ideological purposes ░░░░░░░░ Yeah And thanks for ░░░░░░░░ me on and for ░░░░░░░░ kind words And I ░░░░░░░░ I do think that ░░░░░░░░ started writing the book ░░░░░░░░ it felt like this ░░░░░░░░ in some sense was ░░░░░░░░ to an end and ░░░░░░░░ wanted to kind of ░░░░░░░░ back and just like ░░░░░░░░ out what was thing ░░░░░░░░ all lived through And ░░░░░░░░ think the thing that ░░░░░░░░ me most was going ░░░░░░░░ and seeing that there ░░░░░░░░ this early internet scene ░░░░░░░░ to some degree the ░░░░░░░░ goal was to elect ░░░░░░░░ Obama For The Huffington ░░░░░░░░ that was part of ░░░░░░░░ point you know and ░░░░░░░░ felt that everyone just ░░░░░░░░ for granted in that ░░░░░░░░ that these were college ░░░░░░░░ young people newly on ░░░░░░░░ internet they were Democrats ░░░░░░░░ Obama visited Facebook It ░░░░░░░░ of went without saying ░░░░░░░░ Facebook was like a ░░░░░░░░ institution But when you ░░░░░░░░ at WAGNER And then ░░░░░░░░ And I think everybody ░░░░░░░░ well the high point ░░░░░░░░ this whole world this ░░░░░░░░ new digital world is ░░░░░░░░ election of Barack Obama ░░░░░░░░ fact look back and ░░░░░░░░ high point the crowning ░░░░░░░░ of this sort of ░░░░░░░░ social media world is ░░░░░░░░ election of Donald Trump ░░░░░░░░ Absolutely You know and ░░░░░░░░ s if you look ░░░░░░░░ the figures who were ░░░░░░░░ at the early in ░░░░░░░░ sites like Gavin McInnes ░░░░░░░░ of course goes on ░░░░░░░░ found the Proud Boys ░░░░░░░░ s one of the ░░░░░░░░ founders of VICE which ░░░░░░░░ anything but a sort ░░░░░░░░ radical right wing publication ░░░░░░░░ Everywhere you look and ░░░░░░░░ kind of came to ░░░░░░░░ as a surprise as ░░░░░░░░ was just reporting out ░░░░░░░░ the characters of this ░░░░░░░░ scene you know Buzzfeed ░░░░░░░░ I later worked the ░░░░░░░░ who founded Fortune was ░░░░░░░░ out of that office ░░░░░░░░ Breitbart who was later ░░░░░░░░ sort of key sort ░░░░░░░░ partly the inventor of ░░░░░░░░ new culture wars was ░░░░░░░░ co founder of Huffington ░░░░░░░░ as well Gavin McInnes ░░░░░░░░ you say leading Proud ░░░░░░░░ was at VICE Steve ░░░░░░░░ kind of came out ░░░░░░░░ came in to check ░░░░░░░░ Huffington Post and learn ░░░░░░░░ it And in some ░░░░░░░░ I think they were ░░░░░░░░ adopted the lessons more ░░░░░░░░ than anybody on the ░░░░░░░░ most people on the ░░░░░░░░ They were more most ░░░░░░░░ just tearing down these ░░░░░░░░ that actually so at ░░░░░░░░ point I went to ░░░░░░░░ Bannon in 2016 in ░░░░░░░░ Tower and I was ░░░░░░░░ the editor of Buzzfeed ░░░░░░░░ he was just totally ░░░░░░░░ at why hadn t ░░░░░░░░ feed gone all in ░░░░░░░░ Bernie Sanders the way ░░░░░░░░ had for Trump you ░░░░░░░░ not because he loved ░░░░░░░░ Sanders just because that ░░░░░░░░ where the traffic was ░░░░░░░░ not just follow the ░░░░░░░░ wherever it leads WAGNER ░░░░░░░░ you I mean certainly ░░░░░░░░ has built a stunning ░░░░░░░░ of grift on the ░░░░░░░░ of like his intellectual ░░░░░░░░ if you will but ░░░░░░░░ it your sense is ░░░░░░░░ it was always for ░░░░░░░░ traffic it was always ░░░░░░░░ the money it was ░░░░░░░░ of a part of ░░░░░░░░ market that did not ░░░░░░░░ an adequate response and ░░░░░░░░ they filled that gap ░░░░░░░░ wasn t necessarily an ░░░░░░░░ drive that led these ░░░░░░░░ to ultimately found the ░░░░░░░░ that they ve created ░░░░░░░░ You know I think ░░░░░░░░ things are all tied ░░░░░░░░ together You know I ░░░░░░░░ t think it s ░░░░░░░░ that simple but I ░░░░░░░░ think that there were ░░░░░░░░ new tools that turned ░░░░░░░░ to be just perfect ░░░░░░░░ serving this very angry ░░░░░░░░ I mean Facebook in ░░░░░░░░ you know it was ░░░░░░░░ great tool for spreading ░░░░░░░░ this new real angry ░░░░░░░░ And then as Facebook ░░░░░░░░ think started to get ░░░░░░░░ out by it and ░░░░░░░░ to it and started ░░░░░░░░ its styles to say ░░░░░░░░ wait we don t ░░░░░░░░ people sharing fake stories ░░░░░░░░ Hillary Clinton body doubles ░░░░░░░░ want like more meaningful ░░░░░░░░ that people engage with ░░░░░░░░ then what that would ░░░░░░░░ was like a Donald ░░░░░░░░ meme and you replying ░░░░░░░░ yourself in the comments ░░░░░░░░ then that being shared ░░░░░░░░ everybody because algorithm has ░░░░░░░░ that you are deeply ░░░░░░░░ You know it was ░░░░░░░░ of a combination of ░░░░░░░░ I think the real ░░░░░░░░ of how people felt ░░░░░░░░ a system that was ░░░░░░░░ of designed to amplify ░░░░░░░░ s probably kind of ░░░░░░░░ in us.”