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Because Facebook knows that it is a problem and instead of taking a stand against the propagation of misinformation, they’re leaning in and exploiting it for pr

Because Facebook knows that it is a problem and instead of taking a stand against the propagation of misinformation, they’re leaning in and exploiting it for profit.

hans1729 7y ago
They're not exloiting it, they're just being a company. Companies have one goal and one goal only: maximize revenue. The idea that it's up to them to define or moderate social standards without being legally obliged to do so is absurd to me; like your parent-comment said, this is not inherently a platform-problem, yet here we are, treating it as such.
- beeskneecaps 7y ago
  I agree that their only goal is to maximize profits. I think they’re missing the opportunity to be a unifying force in a highly divided country. Targeted, unmoderated attack ads do not have a positive unifying effect.
- basch 7y ago
  They could make more money shaping speech and media consumption more intelligently and purposefully, as opposed to the charade of playing the part of a neutral party and wire operator. Would be more honest for them to just come out and say, "as a collective we have some bias, and we have decided in certain areas that it makes the world a better place to amplify and reinforce that bias, including but not limited to: yyy, zzz." They could shape elections by their choosing, instead of elections being won by whoever uses Fb as a tool. They just need to come to terms with their place in the world exerting editorial voice, like the WSJ or NYT.
  - username90 7y ago
    > They could shape elections by their choosing You are basically asking for the government to break you up if you do that. The only reason the giant tech companies are allowed to exist in such powerful positions is because they act as mostly objective third parties.
    - basch 7y ago
      How many companies has the United States government broken up since AT&T in 1982? I disagree with the premise of your statement in so many ways. The tech companies arent special, and if facebook is actually a publishing company, not only does it have a ton of competitors, but there are other consolidating entities that are scary big, that the government allows to merge. Facebook should be broken up because, despite more options than ever for reading, people CHOOSE to consume it? It would make more sense to use tobacco company style arguments against Facebook, that it is targeting people with an addictive product that is harmful to health and society. If one bought into that argument, the remedy would be to make the class of their actions illegal, not split them in half. Two smaller companies with the same behavior wouldnt be better, and realistically there would be nothing stopping everyone from consolidating back to one of the two products.
frockington1 7y ago
I'm not normally a Facebook fan, however in this case I think its admirable they are defending free speech. The reason are probably to reduce potential costs but I'm not complaining. Free speech is a core American value, and it's nice to see a large company publicly take a stand for it

Because Facebook knows that it is a problem and instead of taking a stand against the propagation of misinformation, they’re leaning in and exploiting it for profit.

hans1729 7y ago

They're not exloiting it, they're just being a company. Companies have one goal and one goal only: maximize revenue. The idea that it's up to them to define or moderate social standards without being legally obliged to do so is absurd to me; like your parent-comment said, this is not inherently a platform-problem, yet here we are, treating it as such.

beeskneecaps 7y ago
I agree that their only goal is to maximize profits. I think they’re missing the opportunity to be a unifying force in a highly divided country. Targeted, unmoderated attack ads do not have a positive unifying effect.
basch 7y ago
They could make more money shaping speech and media consumption more intelligently and purposefully, as opposed to the charade of playing the part of a neutral party and wire operator. Would be more honest for them to just come out and say, "as a collective we have some bias, and we have decided in certain areas that it makes the world a better place to amplify and reinforce that bias, including but not limited to: yyy, zzz." They could shape elections by their choosing, instead of elections being won by whoever uses Fb as a tool. They just need to come to terms with their place in the world exerting editorial voice, like the WSJ or NYT.
- username90 7y ago
  > They could shape elections by their choosing You are basically asking for the government to break you up if you do that. The only reason the giant tech companies are allowed to exist in such powerful positions is because they act as mostly objective third parties.
  - basch 7y ago
    How many companies has the United States government broken up since AT&T in 1982? I disagree with the premise of your statement in so many ways. The tech companies arent special, and if facebook is actually a publishing company, not only does it have a ton of competitors, but there are other consolidating entities that are scary big, that the government allows to merge. Facebook should be broken up because, despite more options than ever for reading, people CHOOSE to consume it? It would make more sense to use tobacco company style arguments against Facebook, that it is targeting people with an addictive product that is harmful to health and society. If one bought into that argument, the remedy would be to make the class of their actions illegal, not split them in half. Two smaller companies with the same behavior wouldnt be better, and realistically there would be nothing stopping everyone from consolidating back to one of the two products.

frockington1 7y ago

I'm not normally a Facebook fan, however in this case I think its admirable they are defending free speech. The reason are probably to reduce potential costs but I'm not complaining. Free speech is a core American value, and it's nice to see a large company publicly take a stand for it