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The key difference with Facebook is that they aren't just a data transmission service. They actively choose what to present to you in your news feed. So while t
by untog 8y ago
The key difference with Facebook is that they aren't just a data transmission service. They actively choose what to present to you in your news feed. So while the phone company isn't responsible for a customer calling fifty people to organise a violent mob, Facebook is culpable when they choose to show their user an inflammatory post about why people should be organising violent mobs.
They can't have it both ways. Optimising for engagement is a poisoned pill.
- philwelch 8y agoIn a counterfactual scenario where the Facebook news feed sorting criteria never changed from "most recent" to whatever it is now, do you think anybody would actually feel differently about the issue?
- wu-ikkyu 8y agoOf course. Sorting by most recent, you can only blame your friends for promoting extremism -- FB remains neutral. But when FB promotes extremist/click bait content in your feed in order to maximize engagement and profit, they're obviously to blame for that.
- moneil971 8y agoMost sites now have algorithms deciding what you see and in which order, including news sites, email services, and other social media sites.