Mediating American hospitality: Mark Zuckerberg’s challenge to Donald Trump?

In 2017, Facebook founder and CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, travelled America with a former White House photographer who took pictures of him sharing meals families, workforces refugee communities. These were then posted to Zuckerberg’s page, usually post by Zuckerberg drawing attention socioeconomic issues affecting different American This article argues that is mediated on this tour as worthy populist contender Donald Trump, albeit centrist, liberal, corporate kind. particular, divisions along the lines race, migration class, which have been appropriated emphasised are apparently bridged resolved through representation promotion fulcrum for civil society. pictured food with, example, Republican voters in Ohio Somali migrants Minnesota. We investigate how differences projected between Trump pivot commodification hospitality, particularly mediation shared meals, masculinity ‘diversity work’. contextualise analysis within an understanding Silicon Valley’s monopoly capitalism perpetuates inequalities its product design. also attempt make sense social actors involved ‘Year Travel’, including PR team, people photographs, commenters, well users Facebook. Through these contextualisations, we argue contestation hospitality – welcome society, not why central tensions contemporary political culture.