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What is worse, I have seen quite a few suggested pages spreading hardcore conspiracy theories.

seydor 4y ago
Facebook is a machine learning system in which there s only positive reinforcement. Reality is the opposite, people learn by their mistakes mostly. Biological netwokrs with continuous positive reinforcement end up epileptic. So does facebook
- pessimizer 4y ago
  It's what happens when you ban short-sellers (or downvotes.)
- JacobSeated 4y ago
  I think, what happened in my case, is that I have challenged a lot of conspiracy claims in the past, hence engaging with said content, and that is probably why it gets promoted in my newsfeed. It still infuriates me though, because it is extremely easy for fact-checkers to label this stuff. I got zero tolerance, so even if someone is just posting a meme, but I know what they actually refer to with the meme, then that meme has to be fact-checked based on the whole context; fact-checkers are probably constrained from doing that, but they really should, because it is just as provocative and damaging, if not more. I hate when I see memes in my newsfeed that are based on basically false assumptions. Usually such memes are obviously very conspiratorial at the same time, and potentially extremely harmful.
linguae 4y ago
I’ve witnessed the same. In addition, I’ve recently seen Facebook recommend posts that were outright racist and anti-Semitic. I tried reporting them to Facebook, but they weren’t removed since they didn’t call for violence. One would think that a company that’s been under heavy scrutiny regarding its role in the growing political polarization of America with its negative social effects would make a better effort with its News Feed. It’s one thing to have a lenient policy regarding what people can post, but it’s another thing when I’m being recommended posts that encourage hatred and wild conspiracy theories that flirt with sedition.
- vkou 4y ago
  > but it’s another thing when I’m being recommended posts that encourage hatred and wild conspiracy theories that flirt with sedition. What you're describing is literally one of the two mainstream political viewpoints of 2022. Imagine the backlash if those viewpoints get banned on Facebook. (This is, by the way, not a good thing.)
  - JacobSeated 4y ago
    We do not necessarily need to ban them; fact checking and labeling is actually better and more transparent and effective in the long run. We do not want Russia- or China level censorship, even if justified, because it probably will be abused politically in the future, as is happening in both Russia and China. Indeed, the chance of abuse of such systems increases over time, because there are more political and public opinion shifts over time than there is in the short term. It is probably not going to pay off in the short term, but over several years it will have an effect, and people's trust will grow in fact-checking decisions, and not least because they actually document why they reached the given conclusions. It is a very slow and tedious process, so we all need to be patient. I hope politicians and SoMe leaders decide that the result of patience is worth more than short-term gains.

Facebook is a machine learning system in which there s only positive reinforcement. Reality is the opposite, people learn by their mistakes mostly. Biological netwokrs with continuous positive reinforcement end up epileptic. So does facebook

pessimizer 4y ago
It's what happens when you ban short-sellers (or downvotes.)
JacobSeated 4y ago
I think, what happened in my case, is that I have challenged a lot of conspiracy claims in the past, hence engaging with said content, and that is probably why it gets promoted in my newsfeed. It still infuriates me though, because it is extremely easy for fact-checkers to label this stuff. I got zero tolerance, so even if someone is just posting a meme, but I know what they actually refer to with the meme, then that meme has to be fact-checked based on the whole context; fact-checkers are probably constrained from doing that, but they really should, because it is just as provocative and damaging, if not more. I hate when I see memes in my newsfeed that are based on basically false assumptions. Usually such memes are obviously very conspiratorial at the same time, and potentially extremely harmful.

linguae 4y ago

I’ve witnessed the same. In addition, I’ve recently seen Facebook recommend posts that were outright racist and anti-Semitic. I tried reporting them to Facebook, but they weren’t removed since they didn’t call for violence. One would think that a company that’s been under heavy scrutiny regarding its role in the growing political polarization of America with its negative social effects would make a better effort with its News Feed. It’s one thing to have a lenient policy regarding what people can post, but it’s another thing when I’m being recommended posts that encourage hatred and wild conspiracy theories that flirt with sedition.

vkou 4y ago
> but it’s another thing when I’m being recommended posts that encourage hatred and wild conspiracy theories that flirt with sedition. What you're describing is literally one of the two mainstream political viewpoints of 2022. Imagine the backlash if those viewpoints get banned on Facebook. (This is, by the way, not a good thing.)
- JacobSeated 4y ago
  We do not necessarily need to ban them; fact checking and labeling is actually better and more transparent and effective in the long run. We do not want Russia- or China level censorship, even if justified, because it probably will be abused politically in the future, as is happening in both Russia and China. Indeed, the chance of abuse of such systems increases over time, because there are more political and public opinion shifts over time than there is in the short term. It is probably not going to pay off in the short term, but over several years it will have an effect, and people's trust will grow in fact-checking decisions, and not least because they actually document why they reached the given conclusions. It is a very slow and tedious process, so we all need to be patient. I hope politicians and SoMe leaders decide that the result of patience is worth more than short-term gains.