Facebook, the world's largest societal media platform, faces accusations it is harming teen girls' aforesaid representation and fueling America's deepening governmental polarization.
Facebook connected Sunday dismissed arsenic "ludicrous" suggestions it contributed to the US Capitol riot connected January 6, a complaint the societal media elephantine expects volition beryllium leveled successful an upcoming whistleblower interview.
Facebook's vice president of argumentation and planetary affairs Nick Clegg besides vehemently pushed backmost astatine the assertion its platforms are "toxic" for teens, days aft a tense caller legislature proceeding successful which US lawmakers grilled the institution implicit its interaction connected the intelligence wellness of young users.
The world's largest social media level has been embroiled successful a firestorm brought astir by an unnamed whistleblower, who has shared a trove of institution documents with lawmakers and The Wall Street Journal that item however Facebook knew its products, including Instagram, were harming girls' self-image.
The uproar was apt to proceed precocious Sunday with the quality of an unnamed whistleblower connected quality amusement "60 Minutes" to sermon accusations that Facebook relaxed its information safeguards aft the 2020 predetermination successful a determination that led it to beryllium utilized by Donald Trump supporters storming the Capitol.
The New York Times reported Saturday that Clegg sought to pre-empt the whistleblower by penning a 1,500 connection memo to unit alerting them of the "misleading" accusations.
Clegg pressed the lawsuit successful an quality connected CNN.
"I deliberation the assertion (that) January 6th tin beryllium explained due to the fact that of societal media, I conscionable deliberation that's ludicrous," Clegg told the broadcaster, saying it was "false comfort" to judge exertion was driving America's deepening political polarization.
The work for the insurrection "lies squarely with the radical who inflicted the unit and those who encouraged them—including then-president Trump" and others who asserted the predetermination was stolen, helium added.
Polarization
According to the Times, Clegg successful his interior memo wrote that the whistleblower volition importune the problems stemmed from Facebook's 2018 determination to alteration its News Feed to stress what it calls "Meaningful Social Interactions."
While everyone "has a rogue uncle" oregon aged classmate whose extreme views whitethorn beryllium disposable connected Facebook, Clegg reportedly wrote, "changes to algorithmic ranking systems connected 1 societal media level cannot explicate wider societal polarization."
Facebook has encountered disapproval that it fuels societal problems, attacks Clegg said should not remainder astatine Facebook's feet. But helium acknowledged that radical with pre-existing issues whitethorn not payment from societal media use.
"I don't deliberation it's intuitively astonishing if you're not feeling large astir yourself already, that past going connected to societal media tin really marque you consciousness a spot worse," helium told CNN.
He besides disputed reporting successful an explosive Wall Street Journal bid that Facebook's ain probe warned of the harm that photo-sharing app Instagram tin bash to teen girls' well-being.
"It's simply not borne retired by our probe oregon anybody else's that Instagram is atrocious oregon toxic for each teens," Clegg said, but added Facebook's probe volition continue.
© 2021 AFP
Citation: Facebook: 'Ludicrous' to accidental it fueled US Capitol riot (2021, October 3) retrieved 3 October 2021 from https://techxplore.com/news/2021-10-facebook-ludicrous-fueled-capitol-riot.html
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