In response to reading an article from a New York Times author Nathan Heller, “The Failure of Facebook Democracy” it is evident that Facebook’s new algorithms are creating some troubling consequences. I was unaware of Facebook’s attempt to generate more “likes” for its consumers by placing them in specific groups with people who share similar views. The opinions and voices Facebook users will not be heard by different users who may have different views and interests. I was shocked to uncover that Facebook’s algorithms are unable to distinguish between fake and real news. The article shared an interesting statistic that 44% of the general public use Facebook as a reliable news source. The creator of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg said that, “identifying the ‘truth’ is complicated”. I personally understand how this sentiment can be true but I believe that as consumers as news it is our job to read a diverse mixture of news sources and to understand the repercussions of blindly sharing articles on Facebook. I think that Facebook can use this opportunity to change its functions and algorithms to better benefit its consumers. In my opinion, Facebook could use a similar method as Twitter and verify news stories with a similar check mark next to news articles.

Calling internet "monopolies" such as @Google and @Facebook an obstacle to innovation, billionaire investor #GeorgeSoros has warned that #SocialMedia cos can have adverse consequences on functioning of #democracy https://t.co/0HYCC3mn0h

— EconomicTimes (@EconomicTimes) January 27, 2018

Facebook admits that "at its worst, [social media] allows people to spread misinformation and corrode democracy" https://t.co/PbdB7YgnRs

— CNN (@CNN) January 23, 2018