When Facebook was founded in 2004, the platform’s popularity continued to increase amongst various generations. It was a place to rekindle, share content, invite others to social events, and connect with friends and family across the world.
Now, 2018, fourteen years later, Facebook has become an effective news participant and influencer of political expression.
Despite Facebook’s greatest attempts to control fake news, it is oftentimes not enough.
Facebook banned a site linked to Russian intelligence.
Two weeks later, it was back smuggling content onto Facebook.https://t.co/uewda0HnB8— Citizens for Ethics (@CREWcrew) September 6, 2018
I believe that it is upon those who engage with the platform to distinguish between authentic and inauthentic information through reliance on credible news sources for primary information.
We may use Facebook as a platform for information, but we should educate ourselves on news stories prior to Facebook usage and learn how to identify fake news.
Although we put trust into Facebook to control accounts and monitor the newsfeed, despite their attempts, it is unpromising. With the evolving technology and algorithms, it is most feasible for us to do first-hand research so we are aware of the truth and can determine which information is authentic when engaging with Facebook.
It is most reliable for us to browse the platform with doubt and educate ourselves on how to spot fake news, as no strong effort made by Facebook is guaranteed a good outcome.
"This is not political propaganda. This is really fair and well-documented journalism. It should not be confused." But Facebook was confused. https://t.co/veFCsSPU24
— Nieman Lab (@NiemanLab) September 7, 2018
Let us not forget that our primary use of Facebook was for social connection amongst friends and family—not one for political activity or news consumption—and then it will be easier for us to view the platform as Facebook, rather than a “Fakebook”.
I really like your perspective in this blog post about letting the users decipher what is real and what is fake news media on Facebook. I think your tweets really supplement this post with talking about political propaganda on Facebook. Your have a strong title and I especially love your last sentence about how Facebook was originally for social connection and not for political consumption. Also, I love your differentiation between Facebook and “Facebook.” Overall, a great blog post!
I really enjoyed your critical perspective of Facebook’s practices, and I agree that news sources need to be credible. Hopefully one day, we won’t have to worry about fake news on this site. Great job!