Meta's PR Strategy Echoes Big Tobacco's "It's Toasted" Deception

Summary

The article draws a parallel between Big Tobacco's historical marketing tactics—specifically Lucky Strike's "It's Toasted" campaign, which falsely implied their cigarettes were less harmful—and Meta's current public relations strategy. It argues that Meta is using similar deceptive framing to downplay the harms of its platforms (e.g., social media's impact on mental health, misinformation, privacy) by highlighting superficial safety measures while avoiding substantive accountability. Legislators are beginning to respond with regulatory actions, mirroring the eventual crackdown on tobacco advertising.