Facebook has come under fierce criticism following Donald Trump’s victory, with people saying that the social media giant’s News Feed feature allowed fake and biased news to spread during the election. This has raised a bigger issue about the so-called ‘filter bubble’ that Facebook creates, which prevents users from seeing alternative viewpoints. With social media being a big source of news for users, should companies like Facebook shut down such profiles or should users draw their own conclusions? Readers debate.
Responsibility
Think before you share
Social media has become a platform where anybody can post anything, regardless of the content. Unless it’s reported as spam, the post remains as it is. Most of us use social media, and nowadays people check Facebook for updates instead of newspapers or news channels. After seeing multiple posts on similar events, people tend to believe that they’re true. No one thinks about the fact that this content can be fabricated or simply shared without verification. Whoever wants to post or share any topic must keep this in mind.
Additionally, those who have a large number of followers are more likely to share and react to news. It is up to them and other users to make sure that they do the right thing, as what they share can turn out to be marketing or a bad influence. Understanding the content is what’s more important. I believe it’s the responsibility of every Facebook user to find out the facts about the related events before posting or sharing it. It’s always best to act positively rather than being reactive.
When it comes to reading news, individuals must use their judgment to decide what they consider as true and ignore unfounded posts. Those who continuously share false information may find that people will stop believing and sharing their content. They lose credibility eventually.
From Abin Abraham Ninan
Marketing executive, based in Dubai
Self-reliance
Criticising social media is pointless
Once made to help people across the globe to reconnect with ‘long lost friends’, Facebook is now overthrowing major news networks, and has emerged as the fastest means of receiving news. Recently, the social media site was criticised for spreading false information. Fueling the flame, many believe that Donald Trump’s victory in the US election has been prejudiced by the spread of false news on the platform.
As a result, there has been a flow of questions as to why Facebook isn’t taking up the initiative to censor false news and send out reliable information. Certainly, Facebook has a lot of pages and profiles, few of which post fake information. Many of these may get deleted within a short span of time, but some go unnoticed. Even the healthcare sector and product promotions are affected by this and produce bizarre posts. Many pages talk about a ‘total makeover’ in one’s appearance in just 10 minutes, others offer branded perfumes priced at as low as Dh10! Misinformation is present in all topics.
However, criticising the credibility of Facebook is like trying to write with a broken pencil. It is pointless. With over 1.79 billion active profiles, how can one expect Facebook to review all the information that is circulated? As global citizens, it is our responsibility to assess the credibility of the news we see. After reading a sensational or scandalous news feed, you may have that desperate urge to click the ‘share’ button, but check the reliability of the content because you may be the reason why hundreds of other people tend to believe in false news, and thus vector its spread.
From Ms Parvathi Sreeraj
Student, based in Dubai
Initiative
Fact check through legitimate news sources
It is rather telling about a culture when people claim to get the hard facts from social media. With regard to the US presidential election and the controversy around Facebook’s role in the outcome, I can assure you I wasn’t getting my election updates from Facebook! The hotly contested election required thought and effort, and citizens had to educate themselves in order to vote. People researched and listened to debates. Not once did I talk to a serious voter who got their ‘facts’ from Facebook updates. They got news from various outlets. Others might have expressed concerns and ideas on the social media platform, but decisions were not based on that information alone. To expect a company like Facebook to be in control of every post that comes across is foolish, not to mention physically impossible. They do try to maintain some measure of control, but ultimately, it is the users who are responsible. I wouldn’t hold Facebook responsible if I took some unwise advice from a post. People should apply commonsense.
The ‘filter bubble’ is detrimental to people’s views. We must check our facts and educate ourselves through legitimate news sources, because the exchange of perspectives is very important to unity and peace in our world. I don’t really want to be sheltered, except from hate. It is vital for people to actively report false or dangerous things to Facebook, that way we all work together to make it safer. In the end, however, we are each responsible to ourselves and our community to be aware and educated.
From Ms Karen Cravy
Homemaker, based in Dubai
Manipulation
Facebook’s algorithms selects what you see and can cut you off from real news
Facebook is a tool that is available at everyone’s fingertips nowadays. People no longer have to log in to different devices or websites to get a quick overview of world news. Lack of time, instantaneity and convenience have pushed many of us to just look at a social media news feed to see what’s going on around us. More than half of millennials look at Facebook to quickly glimpse through world politics and their government machinery.
At the core of Facebook’s algorithm is ‘family and friends first’. This means that the Facebook ‘News Feed’ does not rely on chronology or newsworthiness to govern what you see on your homepage. It shows us what we want to see based on what we like and share. Example, you may have an uncle or friend who has strong views and is loquacious about it on social media. The largely unbiased, educated population who do not have a political view or do not share strong opinions are consequently led to derive instant influenced world views because of manipulating algorithms that push the ‘News Feed’ to show what it thinks is relevant to you.
As an IT professional, the theory of the social media ‘filter bubble’ isn’t a very pleasant thought. Algorithms that push only what your friends and family think is narrow and cuts you off from the real news. Facebook is so widely used these days. It’s a scary thought that users will be extremely segregated and prejudiced in their opinions as they keep reading and receiving news that stokes their individualities and likings. For a world to be balanced, people need to read and know all viewpoints! A dominant social platform that also positions itself as a news distribution channel has the responsibility to stay neutral and display all kinds of news to its unsuspecting ‘ordinary’ Facebook users who have no clue about sorting algorithms or set preferences. Unknowingly, users are pushed to read and believe the news (sometimes the fake ones too) predisposed to their views and live in tunnels based on their previous momentary likes and shares.
From Ms Feby Imthias
Senior software engineer, based in Abu Dhabi
