Facebook is still the perfect propaganda platform, says Mother Jones (J. Scott Applewhite / Associated Press)
Mark Zuckerberg announced on Wednesday that his social network Facebook will stop recommending activist or political groups to its users. This measure, which had already been applied in the United States last fall to try to calm the exchanges in its applications on the eve of the US elections, will be, according to Zuckerberg, applied to the entire platform.
One of the most popular social networks in history, which was accused of contributing to the riots that occurred during the Arab Spring approximately 10 years ago, warned that its intention is to move away as much as possible from the political struggles to focus on the “Positive interactions” and of course lucrative, reported AFP.
A Facebook panel is seen during the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, in Cannes, France, June 20, 2018. REUTERS/Eric Gaillard – RC16103864C0
–
According to an article published on ici-Radio.Canada, the boss of the platform explained during the presentation of the quarterly results of the company, that the main objective of this move is to calm the game and discourage conversations that provoke or accentuate social divisions. Ultimately, Zuckerberg intends to reduce the amount of political content on its platforms and in its news feeds as much as possible in order to channel users towards “healthier communities” as much as possible.
It is not a coincidence that this global change in the company comes after an electoral process distorted by disinformation and that took on unprecedented proportions due to its tumultuous nature, defined in large part by the disproportionate increase in extremism that it provoked, among other things, and With the help of then President Trump, the assault on the United States Capitol days before the inauguration of President Joe Biden, which left 5 dead.
A Trump player in disguise during the occupation of the US Capitol on January 6, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Photo: Win McNamee / Getty Images)
–
Numerous sources claim that Facebook was used as a platform to “facilitate” the election of former President Donald Trump in 2016 thanks to the help of Russian interference (confirmed in a joint report by the CIA, FBI and NSA), and to the departure of the United Kingdom from the European Union (Brexit) among other political events worldwide. According to some analysts, without the “Cambridge Analytica” and Facebook scandal, Brexit would never have happened.
The AFP report assures that during the summer of 2020 in the northern hemisphere, hundreds of brands tried to boycott Facebook by withdrawing their advertising campaigns from the platform to demand a better moderation of so-called “hate content”, as a result of various demonstrations about the so-called “systemic racism” that is experienced in many sectors of American and world society.
For some time now, the platform has been trying to control “extremist” groups and those who proclaim violence and racism, trying to stop misinformation and false news by multiplying its efforts to silence the voices of hatred. In September 2020, Zuckerberg publicly announced the removal of more than one million groups responding to those profiles. According to the report, now is the turn to reduce the presence of politics in the network.
PORTLAND, OR – AUGUST 17: A person holds a banner referencing the QAnon conspiracy theory during a right-wing rally on August 17, 2019 in Portland, Oregon. Anti-fascist protesters gathered to counter a demonstration by far-right extremist groups. (Photo by Stephanie Keith / Getty Images)
–
In contrast to the tendency to silence hatred, the company also highlighted that during 2020, the tools and innovations have multiplied to try to help solidarity groups and small companies (those that suffer the most during this pandemic), in order to strengthen communication with your potential clients on the web.
In the article by ici.Radio-Canada, it can be read that the numbers of the platforms Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp continue to grow, with a volume of 2.6 billion people connected at least once a day and 3.3 billion connecting at least once a month, which suggests the immense commercial success, especially in times of pandemic.
Zuckerberg assured that “there has been a frenzy throughout society and that as a result of this, many things have become” political “and politics has crept into everything.” According to the businessman, people who use social networks do not want that, because the desire is to stay connected with their friends and family. For the boss of the platform, “potentially a better job can be done.”
The Ethics Committee of the Canadian Parliament summoned Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and COO Sheryl Sandberg to testify before an international committee of parliamentarians meeting in Ottawa in May 2019. They did not appear. (Photo: Andrew Harrer / Bloomberg)
–
Mark Zuckerberg also explained that freedom of expression, security of privacy and social fairness are very important and it is difficult for a private company to easily balance them. For him, it would be better to have a “clear” guidance and rules for the Internet in general. All this occurs in a context where the US authorities accused his company of abusing its dominant position and even want to force Facebook to separate from Instagram and WhatsApp.
It only remains to hope that the power of money does not exceed the “manifest good intentions” of Mark Zuckerberg and that his platforms do in a definitive way what his messages in favor of a better society promise.
Fuentes: AFP, Radio-Canada, Deadline, Facebook, Yahoo News.
–
