Facebook Dilemma

Facebook started out as a company intended for a few hundred users. As a company that started in a college dorm room, Facebook now has around two billion users and is one of the largest companies in the world. Originally, Facebook had a goal to connect the world. However, despite warnings about data privacy and fake news, Facebook did not adequately prevent such phenomena from occurring. The company focused on growth and the engagement of users, which allowed a small company to become a global empire.

To keep users engaged, Facebook used special algorithms that keep users engaged by tailoring specialized content through it’s News Feed. However, laws did not hold internet companies liable for the content posted on their sites. This has allowed for misinformation and fake news to proliferate. Moreover, algorithms that tailor people to their interests also create news feeds where people can reinforce their biases, which has led to extremism, racism, and prejudice.

Because Facebook has such a large user base, fake news articles going viral has had detrimental effects on society. One prime example of this is fake posts made in Russia that have influenced the election results of 2016. These fake posts have reached and influenced around 150 million US citizens.

In the Philippines, Facebook was used to spread fake propaganda to promote certain political agendas. To do this, Rodrigo Duterte, the Philippine president, paid and hired people to deliberately spread false and misinformation. Facebook, which was originally intended to spread free speech and democracy, became a platform where people were targeted and attacked for opposing Philippine government policies.