Facebook Algorithms: Pernicious, Careless, Indifferent, or No Big Deal?
February 4, 2021
What is good for the social media platform is not necessarily good for its users. Or society. The Startup examines the “Facebook AI Algorithm: One of the Most Destructive Technologies Ever Invented.” Facebook’s AI is marketed as a way to give users more of what they want to see and that it is—to a point. We suspect most users would like to avoid misinformation, but if it will keep eyeballs on the platform Facebook serves up fake news alongside (or instead of) reputable content. Its algorithms are designed to serve its interests, not ours. Considering Facebook has become the primary source of news in the U.S., this feature (not a bug) is now a real problem for society. Writer David Meerman Scott observes:
“The Facebook Artificial Intelligence-powered algorithm is designed to suck users into the content that interests them the most. The technology is tuned to serve up more and more of what you click on, be that yoga, camping, Manchester United, or K-pop. That sounds great, right? However, the Facebook algorithm also leads tens of millions of its 2.7 billion global users into an abyss of misinformation, a quagmire of lies, and a quicksand of conspiracy theories.”
As we have seen, such conspiracy theories can lead to dire real-world consequences. All because Facebook (and other social media platforms) lead users down personalized rabbit holes for increased ad revenue. Sites respond to criticism by banning some content, but the efforts are proving to be inadequate. Scott suggests the only real solution is to adjust the algorithms themselves to avoid displaying misinformation in the first place. Since this will mean losing money, though, Facebook is unlikely to do so without being forced to by regulators, advertisers, or its employees.
The Next Web looks at how these algorithms work in, “Here’s How AI Determines What You See on the Facebook News Feed.” Reporter Thomas Macaulay writes:
“The ranking system first collects candidate posts for each user, including those shared by their friends, Groups, or Pages since their last login. It then gives each post a score based on a variety of factors, such as who shared the content and how it matches with what the user generally interacts with. Next, a lightweight model narrows the pool of candidates down to a shortlist. This allows more powerful neural networks to give each remaining post a score that determines the order in which they’re placed. Finally, the system adds contextual features like diversity rules to ensure that the News Feed has a variety of content. The entire process is complete in the time it takes to open the Facebook app.”
Given recent events, it is crucial Facebook and other platforms modify their AI asap. What will it take?
Cynthia Murrell, February 4, 2021
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One Response to “Facebook Algorithms: Pernicious, Careless, Indifferent, or No Big Deal?”
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There have been so many fake facebook pages and things written in my name. Claiming to be me. Very untrustworthy, at best.