Enterprises are responsive entities. Indeed, a few CEOs act as pioneers transforming industries globally, yet the majority are custodians, interpreters of societal cues adjusting their organizations appropriately. Mark Zuckerberg, the head of Meta, perhaps once embodied innovation. Currently, he’s managing, striving to stay afloat amid evolving cultural tides.

Thus, on Tuesday, he revealed that Meta’s trust and safety squads crafting content guidelines for Facebook, Meta, and Threads will relocate from California to Texas. The content enforcers of Facebook will swap In & Out for Whataburger.

This disclosure was part of an extensive media campaign on Tuesday morning. According to Zuckerberg, the company is reflecting on its history to guide its future endeavors. It’s embracing a “retvrn,” so to speak. “It’s crucial to reconnect with our core about unrestricted expression on Facebook and Instagram,” stated Zuckerberg in a video within a blog entry, also summarized on Threads.

Zuckerberg recounts that the prior four years represented a nightmare of state-imposed restrictions that must end. Accordingly, the social network is swapping out its fact-checking mechanisms for an X-style communal notes framework, streamlining its content rules, adjusting policy enforcement methods, dismantling limitations on political discourse, and shifting moderation crews from California to Texas.

The alterations in content regulation are part of a more comprehensive transition at Meta, striving to show an evolving America that it’s in step with the era. While Facebook and Instagram still boast billions of participants, their appeal wanes. The feeds brim with AI-generated mediocrity. Digital personas like Shrimp Jesus and fictional war veterans vie for interaction in our Facebook streams. AI-crafted profiles narrate fictional accounts. Instagram might capture your likeness and reflect it ad infinitum, leveraging it for marketing.

Yet, don’t fret over these distorted incentives that ushered in an AI era of mediocrity. Don’t be concerned about the deep-rooted issues of a degrading platform. Soon, humor will regain acceptance on Facebook. For the past decade or so, moderation rules on Facebook and Instagram amounted to an intense and cryptic enigma. A mistaken post could land you in “Facebook Jail” or make you “Get Zucked.”

The boundaries of permissible content were unclear and often seemed random. Friends of mine tried reporting meme pages recycling Holocaust content from 4chan only to see no action taken. Meanwhile, posting a horror movie screenshot could result in a month-long ban. The primary problem with Facebook moderation wasn’t its draconian or ideological nature, but its opacity. The regulations were never explicit.

Even though the rules remain mysterious, they’ll lean more “Texas” and less “California.”

Zuckerberg didn’t hold back, attributing Meta’s censorship period to media reactions post-2016 election. Following Trump’s initial victory, people indeed reacted strongly. Many specifically blamed Facebook.

“We earnestly attempted to address those concerns without assuming the role of truth arbiters. Unfortunately, fact-checkers proved too politically slanted, causing more harm than clarity, particularly in the U.S.,” Zuckerberg commented. “Our plans involve distilling our content rules down and eliminating countless restrictions on subjects like immigration and gender which no longer align with mainstream discourse. What was initially a movement toward inclusion has gradually restricted dialogue, excluding diverse viewpoints. It has gone excessively far.”

Lately, Meta has subtly indicated its adaptation to evolving political climates. On Monday, three new board members were instated, including UFC CEO Dana White, an ally of future president Donald Trump. Last week, Meta displaced Nick Clegg from his role as head of global policy, appointing Joel Kaplan as his successor.

Kaplan, a Republican strategist and ex-advisor to George W. Bush, with under a week in the position, appeared on Fox & Friends Tuesday morning to convey Zuckerberg’s updated policy announcement to Facebook’s older demographic.

Like Zuckerberg, Kaplan aspired to communicate that Facebook was once more a forum for free expression, that societal changes were recognized, and that individuals could post with minimal fear of censorship.

“If it’s permissible on television, or on Congress’s floors, it should certainly be expressible on Facebook and Instagram without fear,” Kaplan stated.

Both Zuckerberg and Kaplan were straightforward about the root of these changes being Trump. “There’s undeniably a transformation happening over the preceding four years. Heightened societal and political strain pointed towards amplified content regulation and increased censorship,” Kaplan noted. “Now, we encounter a real opportunity. A new administration, with a fresh president, advocates free expression staunchly. And that’s pivotal.”

Thus, Zuckerberg is reassigning his content oversight teams from California to Texas. While this may appear a substantial transformation, for those who’ve resided in both states, parallels abound. Both house significant tech hubs dictating national and global business. Dominated by sizable cityscapes encircled by sprawling suburban zones and extensive farming support, both regions witness wealth take precedence over politicians.

Meta’s crew is exchanging one climate-controlled terrain of thoroughfares and shopping centers for another, vowing a cultural revolution. Although it’s probable that posting more audacious and unconventional memes on Facebook will incur fewer repercussions, it’s unlikely to reduce the AI-driven content mediocrity. Nor will it enhance Facebook’s role as a truth provider or a defender of free discourse.

On a lighter note, humor will find its footing on Facebook once again. And that’s something. Right?