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Indivisibles,
[ [link removed] ]Last night on 60 Minutes, a Facebook whistleblower (read: hero) named
Frances Haugen revealed what most of us have suspected for a long time:
Facebook knowingly amplifies hate, misinformation, and political unrest
and hides what it knows from the public.
We thought we’d take this time, [ [link removed] ]while Facebook has been down for
hours (maybe it's up now though -- hard to tell), to give you a few of the
highlights from the report and two things you can do right now to fight
back.
First, the highlights:
* Facebook encourages polarizing content through its own algorithm.
Political parties have been quoted in Facebook’s own research saying
they know Facebook changed its algorithm and “know if [they] don’t
publish angry, hateful, polarizing… content,” there’s less engagement.
* Facebook could be safer, but they’d make less money. From the
interview: “Facebook has realized that if they change the algorithm to
be safer, people will spend less time on the site, they’ll click on
less ads, they’ll make less money.”
* Facebook was used to organize the January 6th insurrection.
Prosecutors in cases involving some of the armed insurrectionists have
cited Facebook posts as evidence: “photos of armed partisans and text
including, ‘by bullet or ballot restoration of the republic is
coming!’ Extremists used many platforms, but Facebook is a recurring
theme.”
In the words of Haugen, “That really feels like a betrayal of democracy to
me.”
She’s right.
At the same time that Mark Zuckerberg fills our feeds with posts of him on
sailboats and fencing -- all designed to make us like him more -- Facebook
is allowing propaganda, false characterizations, intentionally misleading
messages and outright lies that threaten our democracy (and even our
lives). [ [link removed] ]If you’ve read enough and want to chip in to fund Indivisible’s
Truth Brigade program, which fights the kind of disinformation that
spreads on Facebook, as well as supporting all of Indivisible’s work for a
better world, click here.
Today, we wanted to tell you about what we’re doing about it and tell you
how you can take action now to fight back. The truth is that we can
effectively combat disinformation, despite the well-funded machines that
drive it. They may have money, but we have truth, and we have people --
people who know other people.
Why does that matter? People believe sources that they trust. When we
share and amplify unified, factual messages to those who trust us (our
friends and family), we can shift the narrative. And here at Indivisible,
we’re doing it by the thousands through the Indivisible Truth Brigade
[ [link removed] ](you can check out one of the many articles about our Truth Brigade
program here).
How does the Truth Brigade work? Good question. Research shows that one of
the best ways to counter disinformation is through interactions with real
people in your network -- so thousands of volunteers are getting the
training and the tools they need to shift the narratives in their own
communities. We provide resources on best practices, from how to structure
messages to understanding how social media amplifies lies. Then, every two
weeks, volunteers receive strategic explainers about the latest issues and
work on a campaign tailored to push back against the most damaging
messaging trends from bad actors. And leaders are constantly evaluating
success to build more effective campaigns.
Just like all our work, it’s guided by experts who monitor right-wing
circles, follow the spread of disinformation, and build tested tactics to
fight back. And it’s powered by real volunteers, channelling their anger
into effective action to protect our democracy.
What has the Truth Brigade achieved so far? Also a good question. Since
starting last year, more than 4,500 people have joined the Truth Brigade
from 45 states, representing more than 400 Indivisible groups More than
5,300 distinct people and Twitter accounts are engaging in our messaging
campaigns and posting Truth Brigade content regularly. And they’ve got
more than 120 million measurable views on social media.
If today’s Facebook news pissed you off (it should), there are two things
you can do right now to make an impact:
1. [ [link removed] ]Sign up for Truth Brigade and join us in the fight against
disinformation. Trust us, you’re going to love it. (And we’re active
on Twitter and other social media too -- so you can still take part
even if Facebook is down!)
2. [ [link removed] ]Chip in a few bucks to help us keep Truth Brigade (and all our
programs) running in 2021 and beyond. The only way we can keep
tracking disinformation on the internet, powering trainings and tools
for Truth Brigade members, and creating the fact-based messaging
campaigns that folks are using to stop the spread of lies in their
online communities is if people just like you find a few dollars to
support it. The grassroots drives this movement, in funding as well as
activism.
As always -- thanks for all that you do.
In solidarity,
Indivisible Team
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