He said the ad had been blocked erroneously and did not violate terms of service.

The ad, which featured a crucifix, was rejected over Easter on the grounds that its content was "excessively violent" and "sensational." Read more

"People who go to church are more likely to volunteer and give to charity — not just because they're religious, but because they're part of a community," he said.

"A church doesn't just come together. It has a pastor who cares for the well-being of their congregation, makes sure they have food and shelter..."

In a speech delivered in Chicago last week Zuckerberg suggested Americans are in need of something to unify their lives.

In an earlier speech, a 30-minute commencement address at Harvard College, he followed a similar line. "When our parents graduated, purpose reliably came from your job, your church, your community. But today, technology and automation are eliminating many jobs."

Zuckerberg said we all get meaning from the communities we belong to, "they give us that sense we are part of something bigger, that we are not alone; they give us the strength to expand our horizons."

"It's so striking that for decades, membership in all kinds of groups has declined as much as one-quarter. That's a lot of of people who now need to find a sense of purpose and support somewhere else."

Zuckerberg thinks Facebook can help, using its networking power to organise people.

He says Facebook's artificial intelligence algorithm can power the website to more effectively organise online communities.

He pointed out that while that Facebook has almost two billion users "only" 100 million of them are currently part of "meaningful communities". He wants that figure to rise to a billion.

"If we can do this, it will not only turn around the whole decline in community membership we've seen for decades, it will start to strengthen our social fabric and bring the world closer together," he said.

Source

• recode.net
• cnbc.com
• cnbc.com
• independent.co.uk
• Image: twt-thumbs.washingtonpoast.com

Zuckerberg identified himself as an atheist for years, but on Facebook at Christmas he responded to a question about this by saying: "No. I was raised Jewish and then I went through a period where I questioned things, but now I believe religion is very important." Read more

More than a third of divorce filings last year contained the word Facebook, according to a U.K. survey by Divorce Online, a legal services firm. And over 80% of U.S. divorce attorneys say they've seen a rise in the number of cases using social networking, according to the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. "I see Facebook issues breaking up marriages all the time," says Gary Traystman, a divorce attorney in New London, Conn. Of the 15 cases he handles per year where computer history, texts and emails are admitted as evidence, 60% exclusively involve Facebook.

"Affairs happen with a lightning speed on Facebook," says K. Jason Krafsky, who authored the book "Facebook and Your Marriage" with his wife Kelli. In the real world, he says, office romances and out-of-town trysts can take months or even years to develop. "On Facebook," he says, "they happen in just a few clicks." The social network is different from most social networks or dating sites in that it both re-connects old flames and allows people to "friend" someone they may only met once in passing. "It puts temptation in the path of people who would never in a million years risk having an affair," he says. Facebook declined to comment. Continue reading

Sources

• Smart Money
• Image: Kiwi Commons