American Flag
Facebook CEO and others took to social media to share how they celebrated July 4th. WTF Colorado/Flickr/https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

KEY POINTS

  • Mark Zuckerberg put on a surfboarding show in celebration of July 4th
  • Other Big Tech leaders also joined the festivities
  • Several media outlets offered cynical comments on Independence Day 

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg posted a video of himself surfboarding while holding the American flag in celebration of the U.S. Independence Day, even as several media outlets chose to offer bleak and cynical comments about this year’s Declaration of Independence anniversary.

In the video that Zuckerberg posted on Instagram, the tech mogul holds up the American flag as John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads” plays in the background. Twitter users have since been sharing his video on the platform.

Zuckerberg’s supporters took to the comments section to celebrate Fourth of July, with some of his followers noting that Zuckerberg has a good reason for commemorating the big event after his anti-trust lawsuit victory last week.

Last week, a federal judge dismissed complaints against Facebook filed by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission on anti-trust allegations. The FTC lawsuit was backed by 48 state attorneys general.

According to CNBC, Facebook shares increased more than 4% Monday following the rulings. If Facebook had lost the lawsuit, the social media platform would have been forced to divest WhatsApp and Instagram.

Among the Big Tech leaders who joined Zuckerberg in celebrating July 4th was Apple CEO Tim Cook, who took to Twitter on Sunday, writing “Happy Birthday America!”

Google CEO Sundar Pichai also tweeted to join the festivities, but Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos as well as Microsoft founder Bill Gates are yet to wish the country on the 245th anniversary of its independence.

The Facebook CEO's inspiring video was in stark contrast to cyncial line that several prominent U.S. media outlets took on July 4th and its symbolism in what looked like an effort to dampen the celebratory mood.

The New York Times published a report that implicated the U.S. flag as a symbol of a "divided nation." Author Sarah Maslin Nir wrote that the flag used to be a "unifying symbol" but "is now alienating to some."

Critics have since responded to the report, with Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., tweeting that "loving our country's flag is now offensive." Atlanta Evening News co-host Erick Erickson said people who were offended with the American flag should "move elsewhere."

In one tweet, the National Public Radio (NPR) quoted author David Treuer’s words: “We remain committed to forcing this country to live up to its own stated ideals.”

The Washington Post writer Philip Kennicott wrote Saturday that the Statue of Liberty was “a meaningless symbol of hypocrisy” due to anti-immigrant sentiments, racism, and other issues.

“Are you ambivalent about celebrating July 4? You’re not alone,” a USA Today story headline read Sunday.

According to PBS, the American flag’s colors of red, white, and blue symbolize valor, justice, purity, justice, and vigilance.

New York State legislator Michael J. Cusick wrote in 2005 that the flag was “a symbol of freedom and justice,” adding that “no other symbol captures the power and glory of our nation like the American flag.”

Despite the downbeat media comments about this year’s Independence Day observance, celebrities, and other influential people marked the day with jubilation on social media.

A compilation by People showcased commemorations by influential people like former U.S. President Barack Obama and celebrities such as Jared Leto and Gabrielle Union.

The United States’ Declaration of Independence was passed by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1766.

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