(Already mentioned it in another post below) I think companies like Google and Facebook perceived this vacuum created by the failure of the traditional news med

(Already mentioned it in another post below) I think companies like Google and Facebook perceived this vacuum created by the failure of the traditional news media to manufacture consent and control people's opinions. They want to send a strong message to those in power that they are better positioned at manufacturing consent in the future than those crusty old dinosaurs like CNN, NBC, etc. There are obviously a lot of money to be made from campaigns and having powerful and wealthy candidates, or just companies marketing their products and ideas, rely on your platform. Think of it as their way to advertise the ability to "properly" (wink, wink) filter and bias news to suit their customers' demands.