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I’m not sure that this is a problem that can be solved solely through software and automation. It’s a business problem. Automation is a means to solve this prob

I’m not sure that this is a problem that can be solved solely through software and automation. It’s a business problem. Automation is a means to solve this problem - and the one Facebook uses to save money and operate at scale - but when it comes to making content judgments, people are often better than machines at doing it. “Report” buttons can be an input into the mechanism, but they need not be authoritative. The problem for Facebook is that adding people is going to be expensive and hurt their bottom line. So they are likely incented to treat these disparities as collateral damage on the road to ever-increasing profits.

lavabiopsy 5y ago
So are you saying you could develop the solution but Facebook won't offer you enough? I don't think it makes a difference whether the system is automated or not.
- otterley 5y ago
  No, I’m saying Facebook could probably solve this problem with the managers they already have, but with different priorities set by top management, and at greater expense.
  - lavabiopsy 5y ago
    Sorry but that seems to be understating the issue. Are you saying it's only a matter of changing the entire company's priorities and increasing the budget by large amounts? If it were that easy then it seems any other wealthy company would have solved it by now. And in any case, have you tried applying at Facebook? If you have the answer to their problems and are capable, then why not?
    - otterley 5y ago
      I’m not particularly interested in solving Facebook’s self-created problems. Fifteen years ago, I was interested in helping them from a tech growth side, but I can’t imagine working there now, especially in light of the company culture. My priorities would clash with those of the existing upper management all the way up to the CEO (who is completely unchecked by the Board, BTW). As for this particular issue, I consider celebrities and politicians who stir up trouble largely as fat to be cut. Anyone who builds that much gravity and controversy tends to cause more problems than add value, and detracts from democratizing the platform.
      - lavabiopsy 5y ago
        Well I think that seems to answer it then -- if nobody who is capable wants to work there for any amount of money, then nothing will change, and the self-inflicted problems will probably get worse. And I believe the smart thing to do from a business perspective would be to severely limit the reach of posts by problem users and then charge them increasing amounts of money to promote posts to the decreasing pool of users who won't block it.

lavabiopsy 5y ago

So are you saying you could develop the solution but Facebook won't offer you enough? I don't think it makes a difference whether the system is automated or not.

otterley 5y ago
No, I’m saying Facebook could probably solve this problem with the managers they already have, but with different priorities set by top management, and at greater expense.
- lavabiopsy 5y ago
  Sorry but that seems to be understating the issue. Are you saying it's only a matter of changing the entire company's priorities and increasing the budget by large amounts? If it were that easy then it seems any other wealthy company would have solved it by now. And in any case, have you tried applying at Facebook? If you have the answer to their problems and are capable, then why not?
  - otterley 5y ago
    I’m not particularly interested in solving Facebook’s self-created problems. Fifteen years ago, I was interested in helping them from a tech growth side, but I can’t imagine working there now, especially in light of the company culture. My priorities would clash with those of the existing upper management all the way up to the CEO (who is completely unchecked by the Board, BTW). As for this particular issue, I consider celebrities and politicians who stir up trouble largely as fat to be cut. Anyone who builds that much gravity and controversy tends to cause more problems than add value, and detracts from democratizing the platform.
    - lavabiopsy 5y ago
      Well I think that seems to answer it then -- if nobody who is capable wants to work there for any amount of money, then nothing will change, and the self-inflicted problems will probably get worse. And I believe the smart thing to do from a business perspective would be to severely limit the reach of posts by problem users and then charge them increasing amounts of money to promote posts to the decreasing pool of users who won't block it.