U.S. Senator Goes Viral For Asking Instagram If It Will Shut Down 'Finsta,' Which Is A Slang Word And Not A Product

The long-awaited Senate hearing for Facebook and Instagram executives in the wake of damaging reports from the Wall Street Journal that exposed how Facebook knows Instagram can be toxic for teenagers' mental health, and as is so often the case, the attention is on a United States Senator seemingly betraying that he don't quite understand social media.

While social media's effect on the mental health of young people is a very serious issue, the headlines from yesterday's hearing went to Senator Dick Blumenthal, who asked Antigone Davis, Facebook's global head of safety, if the company would "shut down Finsta."

"Senator, again let me explain," replied Davis. "We don't actually do finsta. What finsta refers to is young people setting up accounts where they want to have more privacy."

Sen. Blumenthal asks Facebook "Will you commit to ending Finsta?"

Facebook's safety chief has to explain that Finsta is slang for a fake account. pic.twitter.com/jMYy5AIZjY

— Eric Morrow (@morroweric) September 30, 2021

Despite that explanation, Blumenthal persisted.

"Finsta is one of your products or services," he continued. "We're not talking about Google or Apple, it's Facebook, correct?"

"Finsta is slang for a type of account," said Davis. "It's not a product."

"Will you end that type of account?" he replied.

"We, I'm not sure I understand exactly what you're asking," she said.

For onlookers who take the issues of mental health and social media seriously, the exchange appeared as yet another frustrating example of the government betraying they are ill-equipped to tackle social media issues.

Embarrassing how the tech leaders run circles around so many senators. https://t.co/OoXM2W42xF

— J.D. Vance (@JDVance1) October 1, 2021

This is a really superficial but incredible example of how disconnected our leaders are from what is ACTUALLY happening in the world lol https://t.co/uMPRLP113c

— JSTJR (@JSTJR) September 30, 2021

Hate to see what Blumenthal does when he hears about Bofa https://t.co/GR27RnAL29

— Chuck Ross (@ChuckRossDC) September 30, 2021

Tech hearings never fail to show we really need term limits

— TWalsh (@hogan_1969) September 30, 2021

However, some pointed out that the context of the exchange shows Blumenthal is more educated than the clip lets on. Prior to the exchange, Blumenthal defined "finsta" perfectly.

"Finstas are fake Instagram accounts. Finstas are kids’ secret second accounts. Finstas often are intended to avoid parents’ oversight. Basically, Facebook depends on teens for growth," Blumenthal said. "Facebook also knows that nearly every teen in the United States has an Instagram account; it can only add more users as fast as there are new 13-year-olds."

With this context, it seems Blumenthal was asking Davis whether Instagram would ban finsta accounts in order to prevent teens trying to circumvent parental oversight from using the app.

It's the second time this month Blumenthal has made headlines for his concerns over social media. Earlier in September, Blumenthal demanded TikTok do something about the Devious Licks trend. At that time, he also demonstrated understanding about what the Devious Licks trend was.