When Wired covered the launch of Facebook Portal, it was hard not to appreciate the ambition. A smart display aimed at video chat, powered by a company that knows more about our social graphs than we do. From a product standpoint, it’s actually a compelling idea.
The timing, though? Rough.
Launching a camera-centric device right after a year full of privacy scandals is a bit like showing up to a potluck with a dish no one asked for and saying, “Trust me, you’ll love it.” People might – but they’re definitely reading the ingredients twice.
Portal highlights the strange duality of Facebook: a company capable of building genuinely useful products while simultaneously eroding the confidence required to adopt them. In another timeline, Portal might have been embraced as a family-friendly gadget. In this one, it mostly raised eyebrows.
If trust is now a feature, not a given, how do companies rebuild it once it fades? And what does it mean when a great product arrives at exactly the wrong moment?
Related article: Wired
