Former Facebook data scientist Frances Haugen revealed insider information surrounding the social network’s disregard for harmful effects on children and amplification of misinformation in efforts to increase profits.
“Haugen told Congress that Facebook consistently chose to maximize its growth rather than implement safeguards on its platforms, just as it hid from the public and government officials internal research that illuminated the harms of Facebook products,” according to NPR.com.
Haugen is one of many former Facebook employees to raise concerns about the company. In the 2020 Netflix documentary, “The Social Dilemma,” concerns about social media were brought to the attention of mainstream audiences.
“We’ve created a world in which online connection has become primary, especially for younger generations,” said computer scientist Jaron Lanier in the documentary. “And yet, in that world, any time two people connect, the only way it’s financed is through a sneaky third person who’s paying to manipulate those two people.
“So, we’ve created an entire global generation of people who were raised within a context where the very meaning of communication, the very meaning of culture, is manipulation.”
The documentary suggests that Facebook’s mishandling of misinformation may have had an impact on the outcome of the 2016 election, displaying the impact the app has on the population of the world and its undeniable effect on the trajectory of history around the world.
With 2.89 billion users on Facebook, the social network has the potential to control entire populations while also being used as manipulation tactics on nations.
Facebook ads and misinformation were weaponized by Russian groups during the 2016 election, creating potential discord through the same legal tools commonly used by internet marketers.
As tech professionals increase awareness about Facebook’s growing user safety issue, many civilians are noticing and taking note.
“I do think they should work on regulating [misinformation] but I think they will refrain from doing that because I think they’ll lose a lot of their users if they start always putting the truth out. I think the misconception, the dramas, keeps people using it,” said Emily Timmerman, a junior psychology major.
In addition to Haugen, former Facebook data scientist Sophia Zhang also raised concerns about bot accounts. Finding it simpler to take down fake accounts tied to non-political public figures, political figures or government affiliated accounts is more difficult to hold accountable for fake engagement.
“In April this year, feeling responsible for what she saw as Facebook’s willingness to let fake engagement run rife through developing countries, Zhang went public in an interview with the Guardian. Her revelations included dangerous loopholes in the social media company’s policies to tackle political manipulation, and indifference to and deflection of the issue by senior management,” according to Time.com.
Facebook’s issue of misinformation and user manipulation continues to grow.
“I feel like the more that fake news is published and put out to the world, the more that it’s going to become believable. . .that could cause a bigger problem and a bigger issue,” said Tori Lewis, a senior mass communication major and IT department office assistant.
As the company faces allegations, The Verge reported the company plans to rebrand with changes to their name while focusing on expanding beyond social media. The app plans to expand to the metaverse, virtual 3D environments and spaces.
