Billionaire Bill Gates has blamed social media platforms such as Facebook or Twitter for failing to control the spread of information and being primarily responsible for people having access to what he says is incorrect data about COVID-19.
Social media platforms have already targeted many rumors but Gates wants them to do more. There are many online who believe that 5G antennas are the real culprit behind the coronavirus outbreak and some believe that it’s a biological weapon that got out of control. However, one of the favorite theories is that billionaires are responsible for creating the virus, or at least profiting from it – and Bill Gates wants it to stop.
In an interview with Fast Company, Gates called on social media platforms to help reduce these rumors, calling them “crazy ideas”: “Can the social media companies be more helpful on these issues? What creativity do we have?” Sadly, the digital tools probably have been a net contributor to spreading what I consider to be crazy ideas.”
“The misinformation thing is just so weird,” he said. “Most of the people I talk to aren’t the ones who are subject to that, so I don’t have any direct connection to it to understand it.”
Gates is also annoyed at social media users telling others that masks aren’t effective and that they shouldn’t be made to wear them. “Not wearing masks is hard to understand, because it is not that bothersome,” Gates said. “It is not expensive and yet some people feel it is a sign of freedom or something, despite risk of infecting people.”
But online conversations don’t appear to be fazing Gates and he’s pressing on as normal, especially in relation to creating a vaccine – saying he has “hope that in 2021, one of these vaccines will work…The dream would be to have 14 billion doses and just get to everyone overnight.”
