Companies like Facebook and Twitter have changed the way we communicate with each other, and consequently, how news sources reach their demographics. The only problem is that just like television media depend on ratings, internet-only news sources look for headlines that entice people to click on their articles.
In the weeks since the election, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has received major slack for not filtering news media posts on the website, posts that some believe misinformed voting Americans and led to the election of Donald Trump.
It’s hard to quantify how much influence false stories had on the presidential election, but Facebook has been presented with the bill. The election brought to light the way fake news sources take advantage of free advertisement via media-sharing websites, but this started before the elections and will continue unless Facebook changes their stance.
Despite the backlash, Mark Zuckerberg and other tech CEOs believe their websites are neutral platforms for sharing things with the community. Sure that’s how Facebook and Twitter began, but have their roles in society changed?
The problem with consuming news on television or newspapers is that the companies involved have political agendas that tend to align with major party interests. Facebook has the unique opportunity to be an independent news distributer giving a voice to alternative news sources free of political agendas. The only thing holding them back is their credibility.
-Corey Hickman