Personal Growth and Analysis

Influence Followers on 8/29: 105 Followers on 11/28: 150 Percent growth: 30% Overall, I think that a huge factor in my follower increase is the fact that this class made me tweet at least four times a week. While I’ve always loved Twitter, I often find myself struggling to keep up a consistent tweet schedule, […]

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The 2 Sides of #2A

In today’s political climate, there are few topics as divisive as gun control. While each side has its own hashtags, #2A is used by both sides when weighing in the Second Amendment. While the arguments made using #2A are opposing, both sides use similar tactics when making their argument. Many users tweeting about #2A try […]

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Viral Content Challenge

Objective: 500 clicks on my meme via Imgur Meme: Business Majors Webcard: What I see as I walk to class in leggings and a sweatshirt. #nhsmc #meme #collegeproblems — Annie F. Farber (@FarberAnnie) November 5, 2018 Engagements and Spend: View post on imgur.com Analysis: My meme was not successful, despite the fact that I accidentally […]

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Facebook’s Role

When Facebook was founded, it was designed to be a social network for college students. Nearly 15 years later, it has become so much more than just a space to connect with friends – it is a source of information. Ask any college class how they get their news, and chances are at least one response will be “Facebook,” but how can we trust that the information we see posted and shared is authentic? The truth is, we can’t.

Sure, Facebook can (and should) crack down on foreign influence on its site, but even removing all foreign content will not ensure that all content is 100% authentic. Think about it: how many times have you seen that one of your Facebook friends shared an article that seems too outrageous to be true, only to debunk it with a quick Google search? This content doesn’t have to be foreign propaganda to be harmful – domestic groups are just as capable of influencing the public to take hateful stances. This post from Twitter User @kristinaxb describes the prevalence of these hateful posts:

The problem is that Facebook has labeled itself an information source, which means that its executives have an obligation to ensure that its users are receiving authentic information. In this thread, Twitter user @trekonomics evaluates different tech companies’ roles as public goods, Facebook included:

So how can Facebook properly function as an information source and become a public good? My answer has nothing to do with making the platform more authentic. In fact, my answer is completely different –  I believe that Facebook should return to its roots as a social network, and let other platforms take the lead in information.

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