Facebook Refrained from Making Changes That Could Curb Viral Content
A new report has come out that has shed light on the Facebook handling of controversial content. Recently, thousands of leaked documents have come out courtesy of the efforts made by the whistleblower named Frances Haugen. Haugen made headlines around the world after she made an outstanding revelation regarding Facebook’s internal operations.
Now, a new report has emerged that has revealed Facebook never wanted to put any breaks on the viral content.
Since 2016, a continuous spotlight has been shone on Facebook time and time again. In 2016, it was revealed that Facebook tried to change public perception using user data without their consent. Furthermore, the revelation pertaining to the partnership between Facebook and the company Cambridge Analytica did hurt the PR of the tech giant.
Since then, the company has tried its best to up the ante via other domains. Facebook has shifted its focus on virtual reality, and Facebook Watch instead of just limiting itself to a social media platform. However, Facebook’s conduct pertaining to user data has put a damp on its PR growth.
Quite recently, Facebook also came out against Apple when they released the iOS 14.5 upgrade. Facebook had a thing against the feature App Tracking Transparency. Now, the scrutiny has amplified with the recent developments. Now, in a new string of events, it has been revealed that Facebook executives had stood up against the use of an algorithm that amplified viral speeches. The company was heavily criticized for giving a platform to controversial speeches last year.
Facebook Refused Changes to Stop the Growth of Viral Content
The executives of Facebook believed that a few posts tarnished the reputation of the company. And doing so also curbs the growth and usage of the platform. However, as it turns out, the top management of Facebook refused to employ alterations that could have stopped the growth of viral posts and stories.
The new report does not seem to make things easier for Facebook. According to the report, a prominent news outlet, The Wall Street Journal, has published a few striking details. As per The Wall Street Journal, Facebook executives spoke to the higher management and offered a few ideas to tweak the social media engine.
The executives feared that some of the posts that were getting viral on social media needed to stop. So, they offered that the company could make some software changes to the platform. They solicited that Facebook should remove certain features such as sharing the posts. Furthermore, they also suggested if that is not possible, they can at least limit the sharing to close group friends only.
However, as it turns out, Facebook decided against it. Meanwhile, the CEO Mark Zuckerberg has downplayed all the leaks and the claims made by the whistleblower Frances Haugen.
It would be interesting to see how Facebook manages to mitigate this issue. It did come out of the Cambridge Analytica mishap. And, since it owns WhatsApp and Instagram and makes billions just out of ads, Facebook will continue to float. The company seems too huge to plummet to the ground.
Conclusion
The leaks regarding the internal operation of Facebook seem to only intensify with every passing minute. Now, a recent report put out by The Wall Street Journal has dropped the spotlight on Facebook’s decision to continue with viral posts the tarnished the image of the company. Last year, a few executives had suggested a few tweaks to the social media platform. However, the company refrained from implementing any changes.
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