Facebook now a ‘Fifth Estate’ alongside other power structures of society: Mark Zuckerberg

Adefiant Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has stressed that his platform has now become a ‘Fifth Estate’ in the world alongside traditional news media and people no longer have to rely on traditional gatekeepers in politics or media to make their voices heard.
Delivering a speech at Georgetown University in Washington, DC on Thursday, he said social media platforms have decentralised power by putting it directly into people’s hands.
“People having the power to express themselves at scale is a new kind of force in the world — a Fifth Estate alongside the other power structures of society,” said Zuckerberg, apparently challenging those who wish to break up the social networking giant.
Senators and presidential candidates Elizabeth Warren and Kamala Harris are pitching hard to break up Facebook, amid regulators scrutinising the company over anti-competitive practices and privacy scandals.