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The Conversation We Should Be Having About Facebook
Make no mistake about it: Facebook is inherently a part of our world.
If you don’t have a Facebook account, chances are you know someone who does. If you don’t know what Facebook does, chances are you’ve heard about them in the news. But if you’re on that platform, you may be keenly aware of its bombardment of content, coming at you relentlessly. Content moves so quickly and pervasively — as much as life itself often does — it’s hard to discern between fact and fiction on that platform.
Remember the video circulating around Facebook of a “drunk” House Speaker Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)? The doctored video was circulated over a million times before public outcry forced a reluctant Facebook to “fact-check” it. But Facebook didn’t remove the video. Pelosi responded to Facebook’s refusal to refuse the video, telling California’s KQED, “I think they have proven — by not taking down something they know is false — that they were willing enablers of the Russian interference in our election.”
And this is true. In 2017, Facebook revealed to Congress that Russian agents disseminated deceptive, inflammatory and false content that reached approximately 126 million users on Facebook. Congressional records show Facebook was reluctant to come forward with that information, initially downplaying influence by the Russian…
