The latest statement of Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook, who wants to change the way the news feed of Facebook works, corroborates the saying that we live in an age where information is abundant but wisdom less. Before, the newsfeed of the social media site was superfluous with posts from businesses, brands, and media. Individualism, a necessary outcome of capitalism, was taken to new heights by the social media site mentioned above. However, Zuckerberg and his team have decided to go back to the original purpose of Facebook, which was a mean of communication and connectivity among people.
Most of the people who have access to the internet are not immune from spending time on social media sites. While the premise on which such sites work is the promotion of communication, these sites also failed to escape the tentacles of misinformation or “fake news” as it is more commonly known. In the relatively less regulated and nebulous sphere of social media, sites plying misinformation have thrived, causing observable effect on global society.
Social networking sites have enormous potential to alter people’s perception of things. And they have done so in the past. Sites like Facebook have also played a crucial role in manipulating people’s choices of electing political candidates. Moreover, the content that floods our news feed can have a negative impact on people’s mental health as well. Last month, in a blog post, Facebook’s director of research David Ginsberg and research scientist Moira Burke acknowledged social media could leave people “feeling worse.”
Along with the above-stated reason, the decision to revert to the original purpose of the forum stems from the research conducted by the said social media site along with outside academics to gauge the influence of its service on people’s choice. The results of the investigation were a plethora of criticism from experts and that the social media site failed to accept responsibility for what is shown to the masses.
The hope is that the new policy will encourage dialogue and lead to the creation of pluralist society.