- Tech
-
-
Tech
The gadgets, platforms, and software that make your digital life possible. if it bleeps, clicks or blinks, you’ll find it here.
-
Categories
-
-
Latest
- Did Elon Musk just host PewDiePie’s meme review? Tuesday 8:53 AM
- YouTube is fueling the rise in flat earth believers Monday 11:04 AM
- Scathing privacy report calls Facebook a ‘digital gangster’ Monday 10:50 AM
- Report: Google used shell companies to build data centers, obtain tax breaks Sunday 3:38 PM
- Facebook pushes back against moderators complaining about ‘Big Brother’ environment Saturday 12:46 PM
-
-
-
- Internet Culture
-
-
Internet Culture
There’s a community for everyone online.
-
Categories
-
-
Latest
- The ‘Well yes, but actually no’ meme is here to help you explain things Tuesday 12:07 PM
- Man stages fake DUI trial to propose to girlfriend, and people are asking why Tuesday 10:40 AM
- Did Elon Musk just host PewDiePie’s meme review? Tuesday 8:53 AM
- The best memes of 2019 Tuesday 7:00 AM
- ‘Fake plane challenge’ takes off on TikTok Monday 8:15 PM
-
-
-
- Streaming
-
-
Streaming
You’ve cut the cord—now what?
-
Categories
-
-
Latest
- Netflix lines up unnecessarily good cast for ‘Green Eggs and Ham’ Tuesday 3:48 PM
- Netflix drops trailer for Mötley Crüe biopic ‘The Dirt’—and the cast is wild Tuesday 3:41 PM
- Noah Cyrus cries on Instagram after Lil Xan’s baby announcement Tuesday 2:26 PM
- How to watch Liverpool vs. Bayern Munich online for free Tuesday 11:08 AM
- ‘Patriot Act’ volume 2 proves Hasan Minhaj is the next big star of the news-comedy genre Tuesday 11:01 AM
-
-
-
- IRL
-
-
IRL
Where your off- and online identities collide.
-
Categories
-
-
Latest
- Black man films ‘Crosswalk Cathy’ yelling racist slurs at him Tuesday 6:47 PM
- I worked with the migrant caravan—and Trump is the cause of his national emergency Tuesday 11:09 AM
- Man stages fake DUI trial to propose to girlfriend, and people are asking why Tuesday 10:40 AM
- Pose’s Indya Moore goes viral for arguing trans women have ‘biologically female’ penises Tuesday 10:21 AM
- Audrey Kitching is a Myspace queen turned energy healer. Critics say she’s also a fraud Tuesday 6:30 AM
-
-
-
- Social
-
-
Social
If it happens online, it’s here.
-
Categories
-
-
Latest
- Black man films ‘Crosswalk Cathy’ yelling racist slurs at him Tuesday 6:47 PM
- Guerrilla artists turn John Oliver billboard ad into right-wing meme Tuesday 4:20 PM
- Netflix lines up unnecessarily good cast for ‘Green Eggs and Ham’ Tuesday 3:48 PM
- Netflix drops trailer for Mötley Crüe biopic ‘The Dirt’—and the cast is wild Tuesday 3:41 PM
- QAnon’s repetitive posts are alienating even his most ardent supporters Tuesday 3:36 PM
-
-
-
- Bazaar
-
-
Bazaar
The Bazaar specializes in the stuff you don’t actually need…but you really, really want.
-
Categories
-
-
Latest
- Allow your wallet to be your spirit guide during this rad anime sale Tuesday 10:43 AM
- 14 artsy cartoon mugs that’ll help make your days more creative Monday 12:15 PM
- Get your nerd on with ThinkGeek’s Funko Pop B2G1 sale Monday 3:00 AM
- Play all your NES games in high def with the Hyperkin RetroN HD Tuesday 8:39 AM
- The Introvert Activity Book is perfect for those who find solace in alone time Monday 11:30 AM
-
-
-
- More
- Search
See all Editor's Picks →
See all Popular →
Represented by Complex Media, Inc. for advertising sales.
Privacy Policy Terms & Conditions Ethics
Latest
- Black man films ‘Crosswalk Cathy’ yelling racist slurs at him Tuesday 6:47 PM
- Guerrilla artists turn John Oliver billboard ad into right-wing meme Tuesday 4:20 PM
- Netflix lines up unnecessarily good cast for ‘Green Eggs and Ham’ Tuesday 3:48 PM
- Netflix drops trailer for Mötley Crüe biopic ‘The Dirt’—and the cast is wild Tuesday 3:41 PM
- QAnon’s repetitive posts are alienating even his most ardent supporters Tuesday 3:36 PM
- Noah Cyrus cries on Instagram after Lil Xan’s baby announcement Tuesday 2:26 PM
- The ‘Well yes, but actually no’ meme is here to help you explain things Tuesday 12:07 PM
- Judge orders Roger Stone to appear in court after his Instagram post Tuesday 11:24 AM
- I worked with the migrant caravan—and Trump is the cause of his national emergency Tuesday 11:09 AM
- How to watch Liverpool vs. Bayern Munich online for free Tuesday 11:08 AM
- ‘Patriot Act’ volume 2 proves Hasan Minhaj is the next big star of the news-comedy genre Tuesday 11:01 AM
- ‘Friends From College’ canceled after 2 seasons at Netflix Tuesday 10:53 AM
- Allow your wallet to be your spirit guide during this rad anime sale Tuesday 10:43 AM
- Man stages fake DUI trial to propose to girlfriend, and people are asking why Tuesday 10:40 AM
- Bernie Sanders’ website full of 404s on launch day Tuesday 10:23 AM
Mark Zuckerberg gets slammed for ‘tone-deaf’ VR demo in Puerto Rico
People are calling him a “heartless billionaire.”
What started as a livestream showing off Facebook’s virtual reality (VR) efforts is quickly becoming a PR nightmare.
Mark Zuckerberg is getting slammed for appearing as a VR cartoon in Hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico on Monday, with some users labeling him a “heartless billionaire” and “tone-deaf.”
Just watched the Zuckerberg video in Puerto Rico. This type of dude-bro passerby touristic voyeurism is disgusting.
— Rafael Balbi (@justbalbi) October 10, 2017
The CEO’s Nintendo Mii-like avatar appeared next to Rachel Franklin, the head of Facebook’s social VR team, as they navigated the island’s flooded streets promoting their Spaces app. Things started to go downhill when it appeared Zuckerberg forgot the name of the hurricane that hit Puerto Rico in September, “You get a sense of some of the damage here that hurricane…the hurricanes have done.”
Then, instead of focusing on the humanitarian efforts taking place in Puerto Rico and the additional support its citizens need, Zuckerberg went straight into talking up VR.
Live from virtual reality — teleporting to Puerto Rico to discuss our partnership with NetHope and American Red Cross to restore connectivity and rebuild communities.
Posted by Mark Zuckerberg on Monday, October 9, 2017
“And one of the things that’s really magical about virtual reality is you can get the feeling that you’re really in a place,” Zuckerberg said.
At one point in the livestream, Zuckerberg gave Franklin a high five as their grinning animated bodies floated above a flooded street in front of the shell of a home. That was followed by awkward dialogue, with both members failing to describe the horrific scenes surrounding them.
“Crazy to feel like you’re in the middle of it.”
“Yeah.”
“Yup.”
“Alright! Well, do you want to teleport somewhere else?!”
“Yeah, like, maybe back to California?” (laughs)
“Alright, let’s do it.”
The two digital presenters then teleported to the picture-perfect stage of its upcoming Oculus Connect 4 conference, a stark contrast to the conditions in Puerto Rico.
There are more than 50,000 comments on the livestream, showing a mix of gratitude toward Zuckerberg for creating Facebook, anger at him for selling ads to a Russia troll farm, and astonishment at the insensitivity of the VR stunt.
“Can’t let a good tragedy go to waste. He has to promote Facebook. Typical. All he talks about [is] Facebook instead of victims and their suffering,” one comment said.
“You can always rely on Facebook to promote sales on something from someone,” another read.
Publications have also hit out at the CEO. Matthew Hughes of the Next Web said the stunt was the “height of tastelessness” while Tom McKay at Gizmodo called it a “tonal mess resembling nothing more than rubbernecking and disaster tourism.”
Most people know VR as a technology for immersive gaming, but it’s also described by industry analysts as an “empathy machine,” capable of transporting people to remote parts of the world to see how others live. The idea is that it will create an emotional experience that can shift policy and behavioral changes.
That may have been what Facebook was aiming for when it chose to set Puerto Rico as its VR backdrop. Unfortunately, Zuckerberg and Franklin failed miserably.
Update 4:23pm, Oct. 10: On Tuesday afternoon, Mark Zuckerberg apologized to those who were offended by the virtual reality demo.
“One of the most powerful features of VR is empathy,” he wrote in a comment on the original post. “My goal here was to show how VR can raise awareness and help us see what’s happening in different parts of the world. I also wanted to share the news of our partnership with the Red Cross to help with the recovery. Reading some of the comments, I realize this wasn’t clear, and I’m sorry to anyone this offended.”
He later said Facebook would work on extending empathy to people viewing VR in 2D after a user suggested using real faces instead of virtual characters.
“I hear that. When you’re in VR yourself, the surroundings feel quite real. But that sense of empathy doesn’t extend well to people watching you as a virtual character on a 2D screen. That’s something we’ll need to work on over time,” Zuckerberg wrote.

Phillip Tracy
Phillip Tracy is a former technology staff writer at the Daily Dot. He's an expert on smartphones, social media trends, and gadgets. He previously reported on IoT and telecom for RCR Wireless News and contributed to NewBay Media magazine. He now writes for Laptop magazine.