So Maybe Facebook Didn’t Ruin Politics
AtlanticJul 31, 2023
Study: Facebook Altered Algorithm During Study on Trustworthy News
Above: The Facebook logo displayed on a smartphone screen in Athens, Greece, on Sept. 23, 2024. Image copyright: Nikolas Kokovlis/Contributor/NurPhoto via Getty Images
The Facts
New research claims that 63 temporary Facebook algorithm changes, made by parent company Meta between November 2020 and March 2021, affected a study published in 2023 concerning whether the social media platform encouraged untrustworthy news.
The study, conducted jointly between academic researchers and Meta, analyzed data from September to December 2020. It found that Meta's machine-learning algorithm didn't cause noticeable changes in polarization and showed less untrustworthy news content than a reverse chronological feed.
The Spin
Narrative A
Social media has played a key part in the rise of polarization, with algorithms and fake news seeking to exploit audiences who continue to spend an increasing amount of time online. Unless there's an immediate and widespread effort to teach key skills to help identify and combat this digital epidemic, social cohesion will continue to crumble in the face of division and hatred.
Narrative B
Social media is one of a multitude of independent factors that can be attributed to today's tide of polarization — ranging from a country's political freedom to the unique psychological state of any given individual. While social media can't be denied as an important part of the puzzle, solving the problem of an increasingly divided world involves more than placing sole blame on online platforms.
Cynical narrative
Everyone knows that misinformation is a problem — across the world and with respect to all ideologies — but that doesn't mean we should give tech companies or governments the power to define what is true. Whether it's the Chinese government-linked TikTok app or politicians in Western democracies, so-called "defenders" of democracy are going to use this fearmongering as a trojan horse to impose rules in their favor.