Facebook should not be a primary source of information
Here's something to mull over: why don't we all try to use Facebook, not as a primary source of information, but as the "platform of all ideas?"
This means that users shouldn't stop at believing or dismissing an idea - they should step past these, and try generating meaningful discussions on these ideas. Getting to know things shouldn't just stop at seeing a meme or a picture or a post and "liking' it, it should also be about putting your ideas out there, so you can challenge others and be challenged in turn.
Who knows, it might save lives - or maybe, in the context of the Philippine elections, save friendships.
Facebook executives had a press conference last Thursday to address concerns about the website's alleged news stories display bias in user feeds. They clarified that the social network site was never put up to serve as anyone's primary source of information, and its roughly 1.6 billion active users should be spending 15 minutes max on the platform in any given day in the first place.
The website's founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg explained that the platform was crafted to be a fun place for people to take a few minutes of downtime in, and not as an online newspaper for learning about major global events and societal issues.
He added that the website should be used mainly for reconnecting with old acquaintances, or browsing through pictures to kill some time. Zuckerberg also pointed out that their very name is not one that sounds like a haven for important political and social commentary or information.
During the press con, the founder reminded users that there are much more reliable and credible news sites around the internet, and that it would be more beneficial if users visited such websites instead.
This all started when Gizmodo divulged that Facebook does not just rely on algorithms to determine the website's Trending Topics, but on human curators as well - and the shocker is, these curators were allegedly actively working to conceal conservative news, as well as popular articles from conservative news sources.
Yesterday, May 18, Zuckerberg met with several conservatives at his company's California headquarters. The meeting was closed from reporters.
Source: KAMI.com.gh
