Forget Trump. Facebook Should Go After Modi.
Last week, Facebook’s “Supreme Court” ruled on whether former U.S. President Donald Trump should be allowed back on the platform. The decision was anticipated with bated breath. And the actual ruling (summary: Keep the ban; toss the problem back to Facebook) has prompted a flood of ink across news and opinion columns—six in the May 6 edition of the New York Times alone.
Some of that space would have been better used in thanking the Facebook “Supreme Court” for its service thus far and looking ahead—encouraging it to rule on other more consequential posts from other irresponsible world leaders. It is time to move on from obsessing over the ex-U.S. president and give a few others a moment in the limelight. Exhibit A: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Let’s consider what got Trump kicked off Facebook in the first place. He used the platform to “incite violent insurrection” and issued a lame “Go home. We love you. You’re very special” message, asking the insurrectionists to disperse, on a different social media platform. Five people died, and U.S. democracy was threatened. The image of the United States—and its brand as “leader of the free world”—was soiled.
Of course, with 2.8 billion users in its thrall, Facebook is more than just an U.S. institution. At the time of his banishment, Trump was, without question, a super influencer with just over 35 million Facebook followers. But he is not even the most super of super influencers. Sure, soccer great Cristiano Ronaldo or British TV and movie character, Mr. Bean, command more, but Modi is no slouch, with more than 46 million followers.