“Time well spent.” Not exactly what you’re thinking after a session on Facebook. Yet this is the direction CEO Mark Zuckerberg wants to take the company. It’s quite a leap for a social media platform that seemed hell-bent on wanting as many eyeballs as possible to be glued to screens for as long as possible. And looking at current profits, it’s clear that this has been achieved, if that is your measurement of success. Zuckerberg started talking about Facebook having to provide “more meaningful social interactions” back in January, co-opting ideas from the Time Well Spent organisation. Set up by Tristan Harris, a former Google employee, Time Well Spent believes technology companies should not design digital platforms simply to maximise users’ time on these to increase advertising revenues. Rather, the benefits of using technology should go to the consumer. The right tools for the job For Facebook achieving this might come from an as yet unofficial tool, called “Your Time on Facebook”...
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