NEIL: INSTAGRAM, I HAVE NO IDEA
WHAT THIS MEANS, IS ALERTING MY
YOUNG STAFF THAT IT'S RETHINKING
THE WHOLE EXPERIENCE, POSSIBLY
GETTING RID OF LIKES.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS.
FORTUNATELY, BRAD LARSON DOES.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
>> YOU KNOW WHEN YOU TALK TO
PEOPLE FROM CALIFORNIA, AND
THEY'RE LIKE I DON'T KNOW LIKE
WHAT I'M LIKE GOING TO DO.
NO, IT'S NOT THAT.
IT'S THE SOCIAL MEDIA THUMBS UP
ON INSTAGRAM.
FACEBOOK HAS MATURED FROM JUST
THE THUMBS UP.
THEY HAVE THE HEART, THEY HAVE
THE CRYING FACE, THEY HAVE THE
LAUGHING FACE.
INSTAGRAM HAS THE LIKE BUTTON.
THAT IS IT.
INSTAGRAM'S TAKE ON THIS IS IT'S
GREAT BUT IT CAN ALSO LEAD TO
SOME NOT FEELING GOOD ABOUT
YOURSELF.
YOU COULD POST A PICTURE AND
PEOPLE WAIT TO SEE ARE MY
FRIENDS GOING TO LIKE IT, ARE MY
FRIENDS GOING TO RESPOND TO THIS
AT ALL.
WE HAVE SEEN TAKE THE TIDE POD
CHALLENGE, WHERE KIDS ARE DOING
OUTRAGE OUTS THING
OUTRAJE OUTS THING
OUTRAJ
OUTRGEOUS THINGS TO GET MORE
LIKES, MORE ATTENTION.
NEIL: YOU GET A LOT OF LIKES --
>> MEANS YOU ARE THE COOL KID IN
THE QUAD.
IT'S AN INTERESTING IDEA.
INSTAGRAM HAS BEEN TALKING ABOUT
THIS FOR SEVERAL MONTHS.
THIS IS PART OF THEIR WELLBEING
INITIATIVE, PART OF ANOTHER
PUSH, THEY WANT TO AVOID
BULLYING ON THESE SITES.
ANYONE WHO EVER READ THE COMMENT
SECTION ON A TWEET OR INSTAGRAM
POST, IT'S SUNSHINE AND
BUBBLEGUM DOWN THERE FOR ALL THE
PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD.
IS GETTING RID OF LIKES GOING TO
MAKE US ALL FEEL BETTER ABOUT
OURSELVES?
PROBABLY NOT.
THE CAVEAT OF ALL OF THIS --
NEIL: THEY'RE NOT REPLACING WITH
ANYTHING.
>> NO, THEY'RE JUST NOT GOING
TO -- IF I POST A PICTURE OF MY
DOG, HERE'S MY DOG, HAVING A
GREAT TIME, I WILL SEE HOW MANY
PEOPLE LIKED IT BUT OTHER PEOPLE
COMING ACROSS THE PHOTO WON'T
GET TO SEE THAT.
NEIL: YOU WILL STILL FIND OUT?
>> I WILL STILL GET THE
ANALYTICS.
YES.
THAT'S WHERE IT'S KIND OF, I GET
THE WELLNESS ANGLE IN TERMS OF
OTHER PEOPLE KNOWING.
BUT I ALSO DON'T GET IT.
WHAT'S ALSO INTERESTING IS A LOT
OF PEOPLE MAKE MONEY OFF OF
BEING ON SOCIAL MEDIA.
THE SO-CALLED INFLUENCERS.
YOU HAVE MILLIONS OF FOLLOWERS
AND THEY GET THOUSANDS OF LIKES
ON THESE PHOTOS.
HOW ARE WE GOING TO PROVE THAT?
ARE THEY THEN GOING TO GO TO THE
INFLUENCERS AND SAY HEY,
WE'VE --
NEIL: YOU ARE AN INFLUENCER.
>> HUGE INFLUENCER.
LITERALLY, WHEN I POST THINGS,
TENS OF PEOPLE ARE OUT THERE
LIKING IT.
I MAKE LITERALLY NO MONEY OFF OF
IT.
NEIL: SOME SITES DO VARIATIONS
OF THIS.
FACEBOOK HAS FRIENDS AND ALL
THAT.
DOES THAT MATTER TO USERS?
I KNOW YOU TOOK THAT AWAY.
>> INSTAGRAM, WE SHOULD ALSO
NOTE, INSTAGRAM IS OWNED BY
FACEBOOK, IT'S SUCH A BEHEMOTH
AS IT IS NOW THAT I DON'T REALLY
SEE, THERE'S NOT ANOTHER OPTION.
YES, YOU COULD SAY OH, PEOPLE
COULD GO TO SNAPCHAT BUT THOSE
ARE TWO COMPLETELY DIFFERENT
PLATFORMS.
I DON'T THINK IT'S GOING TO MAKE
A HUGE DIFFERENCE.
WILL IT HELP WITH PEOPLE'S
WELLBEING?
YOU KNOW, QUESTION MARK.
NEIL: ALL THESE GUYS ARE BEING
LOOKED AT.
NOT INSTAGRAM SO MUCH, FACEBOOK
CERTAINLY.
YOU KNOW, YOU'RE NOT UNBIASED,
YOU RIG THE SYSTEM, YOU SPY ON
US, ALL OF THIS.
YOU AND I WERE DISCUSSING IT
LAST WEEK.
THERE'S A CLARION CALL, REIN ALL
THESE GUYS IN.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
>> YOU KNOW, THERE DEFINITELY
NEEDS TO BE SOME GUARD RAILS PUT
UP AROUND TECHNOLOGY.
I THINK IT'S GREAT THAT WE HAVE
STEPPED BACK FROM ALL THE STUFF
HAPPENING ON THE INTERNET AND
LET IT MATURE, LET IT PROSPER.
WE HAVE SEEN SOME AMAZING THINGS
COME OUT OF THE INTERNET THAT
WAS CREATED BACK IN THE '60s BY
THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE.
BUT AT SOME POINT I FEEL LIKE WE
DO NEED TO STEP IN AND SAY OKAY,
WE'VE GOT A TAX PROBLEM, WHEN
YOU'RE SHOPPING ON AMAZON, SOME
PEOPLE DON'T PAY ANY TAXES, SOME
PEOPLE DO.
WE'VE GOT AN ISSUE OF THERE ARE
CLAIMS THAT THEY'VE GOT THEIR
NUMB ON THE SCAL
THUMB ON THE SCALE AND DECIDE
WHERE THINGS ARE GOING.
THEY CAN STEP BACK AND SAY
THAT'S THE ALGORITHM.
THE ALGORITHM WAS DESIGNED TO
SHOW YOU WHAT IT THINKS YOU WANT
TO SEE BASED ON YOUR LIKES.
NEIL: THE PRESIDENT SAYS THAT
IT'S A RIGGED SYSTEM, THEY HATE
CONSERVATIVES, THEY HATE HIM.
SEPARATE ISSUE, I GRANT YOU.
>> YEAH.
I DON'T KNOW THAT, YOU KNOW,
ALGORITHMS ARE JUST COMPUTER
PROGRAMS.
YOU COULD ARGUE THAT --
NEIL: HE SAYS THEY STACK THE
DECK AGAINST HIM.
>> I DON'T KNOW THAT THAT IS
NECESSARILY TRUE.
BUT THEN, I'M NOT PEEKING UNDER
THE HOOD TO SEE WHAT'S REALLY
GOING ON.
I WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO SPEAK
SPECIFICALLY TO THAT.
ONLY TO SAY THAT THE ALGORITHMS
OF GOOGLE AND FACEBOOK AND
INSTAGRAM AND ALL THE SOCIAL
MEDIA SITES INCLUDING AMAZON,
THEY ARE TRADE SECRETS.
THEY WILL BE ABLE TO SIT BACK
AND SAY WE CAN'T SHOW THIS TO
YOU BECAUSE IF WE SHOW YOU, THEN
YOU WILL KNOW EXACTLY WHAT TO DO
TO GET YOUR STORIES TO PROPAGATE