“Give people the power.” These are the first four words of Facebook’s mission statement. The power to connect with friends, to bring family members closer together, to share uplifting stories; this is what the people’s “power” used to represent.
It has been proven that Facebook is now dominated with brands, businesses, news sources and media. Facebook has shifted from the user family-friendly connector to a platform that decentralizes democracy and contributes to the sharing of fake news articles, especially after the Presidential election. These articles, alongside biased opinions, have turned loved ones against each other while also contributing to political polarization. “People have unfriended friends and family members because the style of discourse is so harsh,” said Claire Wardle, research director at the Tow Center for Digital Journalism.
This platform that has 2 billion users is looking into going back to the positive newsfeed it once had. Unfortunately, it is unrealistic for Facebook to stop sharing news sources since social media platforms are used by individuals for their daily updates. Like many, I agree that they must “fight the algorithm with the algorithm.” BBCnews.
Wanting to aim for a more positive vibe, the Facebook team is removing profiles that project hatred and discrimination.
Just like @RealAlexJones reported, @facebook has been blocking Trump supports & putting anyone who posts ProConservative things in “prison”! My Grandma was blocked for 15 HOURS alongside 200K others. What the literal hell??🤦🏽♀️🤬😡#ShadowBanned #Facebook #Conservative
— Joy Villa (@Joy_Villa) January 26, 2018
Facebook also released this statement.
Facebook says it will let the community determine what is considered trustworthy news https://t.co/MwjpowlNyd pic.twitter.com/JYjc06vymt
— Selena Larson (@selenalarson) January 19, 2018
So Facebook, if you’re giving people the power, my advice is to make sure you are giving it to the right ones.
It does not seem that people are being given the power on Facebook at all anymore, as our newsfeeds are totally controlled and manipulated by the algorithm. You make a good point that if Facebook is going to let users give their personal opinions, they need to be the right people. Although, how do we determine who are the “right” people to judge the content?
It’s scary that Facebook’s response is still relying on the participation of the users who may have contributed to these problems in the first place. Facebook is purposefully doing this to avoid liability in issues like the spread of fake news and the purchase of phony advertisements. I think that the only real change will come if they make serious strides in changing their company’s ideals and priorities and possibly even punishing those who purposefully break the rules for personal gain.
It has been a huge learning experience analyzing Facebook’s power just a few months ago and are now seeing the Cambridge Analytica unravel before us. Sarah, this is a great explanation of Facebook’s power and change we have seen growing up with this platform at our finger tips.
Hi Sarah!
I think you made some really interesting points. I would have to agree with Chloe, how can we determine who the “right” people are? I think that as a global community, who are all interconnected on one platform, that we need to be respectful about how we state our thoughts and be open minded when hearing others.