The company regularly updates this algorithm, which can dramatically change the information people consume. As the 2020 election approaches, there is public concern that there will be another “ Russian interference ,” similar to the 2016 presidential election. But what doesn’t get enough attention is the role that changes to Facebook’s algorithm play, intentionally or not , in this kind of interference. A key counterpoint to Russia’s disinformation campaign has been factual journalism gambling data uk from trusted sources— which has reached many of their readers on Facebook and other social media platforms .
As a social media researcher and educator , I see how changes to Facebook’s News Feed algorithm have removed users’ access to credible journalism in the run-up to Donald Trump’s election. Political actors know that Facebook acts as a gatekeeper to information for more than 200 million Americans and two billion users worldwide. The actions and abuses committed on the platforms have sparked much public concern and debate, particularly over the amount of misinformation and propaganda Americans saw before the election. What has not been discussed enough is the impact of Facebook’s algorithmic changes on access to information and democracy.
Change the system In mid-2015 , Facebook introduced a major algorithm change that favored content shared by users’ friends over that of news outlets and journalists . Facebook explained that the change was intended to ensure users didn’t miss their friends’ stories . But data showed that one effect of the change was to reduce the number of interactions between Facebook users and credible news outlets . A few months before the 2016 election, an even bigger algorithm change targeting posts from friends and family members had a second negative impact on publisher traffic.
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