John,
You may have seen that Facebook just pressed pause on rolling out Instagram Kids after an internal report was leaked, exposing that the company knew about potential harms its platforms pose to younger users' safety and mental health.1,2
While it might make sense for Facebook to get rid of Instagram Kids entirely, it’s not because social media is inherently bad for young people. It’s because Facebook’s surveillance capitalist business practices are inherently dangerous for all of us. And one key component of this model is Facebook’s algorithmic manipulation.
The Facebook algorithm is meant to maximize engagement at any cost. It shows you content that it thinks you are most likely to click on based on the massive amounts of data it gathers about all of us. This model has led to the platform highlighting misinformation while also suppressing content about activism, social justice, and public health.
Social media can be powerful for connecting, engaging, and organizing, but Facebook’s algorithm is destroying this potential. Tell Facebook: end the algorithm now!
END THE ALGORITHM
Whether you’re a teen or an adult, Facebook’s algorithm is dangerous. It’s been connected to growing extremism and hate groups on the platform, a problem exacerbated when it expanded the algorithm to Facebook Groups last year.3,4
For those of us who remember early Facebook we know it doesn’t have to be like this. We used to see a chronological feed with content from people and groups we followed. It could be like this again. Demand that Facebook get rid of its algorithm and stop amplifying misinformation and divisive content.
Together,
Caitlin and the team at Fight for the Future
Footnotes:
1. New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/27/technology/facebook-instagram-for-kids.html
2. Wall Street Journal: https://www.wsj.com/articles/facebook-knows-instagram-is-toxic-for-teen-girls-company-documents-show-11631620739
3. Business Insider: https://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-algorithm-sociopath-management-too-greedy-to-stop-it-2020-5
4. Ars Technica: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2020/10/facebooks-endless-quest-for-engagement-is-dangerous-for-us-all/
Fight for the Future works to protect your rights in the digital age.
