1/27/2017 5 Comments Facebook- Friend or Foe? #1Facebook is, without a doubt, the most widely read and visible site on the Internet today. Every day millions of people rely upon the postings of Facebook as being both truthful, and accurate. Unlike the standards of journalism as we have traditionally known it, Facebook is not, and will not adhere to a standard of principles that would make it a source of credible news and information. Why? Rather simple actually, because Facebook is built upon a platform of the users, not a team of dedicated journalists who seek to quantify all news and information. This does not mean that the average person who accesses Facebook actually seeks to determine if the postings and or reports are substantiated. This can lead to a variety of social, political, and economic problems of which we are only beginning to understand. In the early stages of Facebook, it seemed to be a site where one could connect with old friends, relatives, and colleagues. It was entirely social in content, or so it appeared. This however quickly changed, as we soon began to witness a platform of users who have found Facebook to be the pulpit of their personal perspectives and opinions. Facebook has in place “terms and conditions” of use, as noted in the article. However, Facebook still has yet to create any filters or ethical standards which means that literally, all postings are entirely without merit or authentication. As an example of this, a recent posting by a Secret Service agent revealed that she would “rather go to jail than risk her life for Donald Trump”. As a civil servant of the US Government, this person chose to express her political view on Facebook, which is in direct violation of the job she held with the government. While she is clearly entitled to her personal beliefs, the posting of such information by a government employee on a social website violates the principles of the position she held.
Should Facebook now see itself as a source of credible news, as well as a social media website, and if so, what responsibility does it have to the millions who access it every day? In an article recently posted by NPR, social media sites do in fact have a responsibility to report accurately and concisely all news and information that it posts on its websites. I think it is time that Facebook faced the facts, it is no longer a social website, in fact it has become the major streaming line of information and news as it happens in the world today. As such it owes to its users and readers the credibility that other news reporting agencies possess, one that seeks to quantify and qualify all news and reporting as being credible and accurate. I believe that Facebook will recognize the importance of the position it holds with regards to information as it is shared, and will in time change the way it performs as a source of news and information. Friend, or foe, Facebook owes its users the right to either report news as being factual or being purely social. Either way, it should be stated as such and clear and obvious to all who access the site.
5 Comments
2/3/2017 05:16:00 pm
I absolutely agree with your conclusion in this blog. Facebook's days as a purely social website have passed; other than allowing the users to report news as fact or fiction, there are additional steps it could take to ensure that "alternative facts" don't spread like wildfire like they did during the election. Perhaps if there was some sort of domain filtering when posting a link - for example, if a The Onion article was linked, somewhere on the post would clearly state "Satire site" or something to that effect. Fake news sites, such as InfoWars or American News, would be either flagged as "disreputable news" in the same manner, or even blocked outright due to the sensational nature of their fake stories. That being said, Facebook (and Google, too) have begun to crack down on some fake news sites already, refusing to host ads from fake news sites, among other things.
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Sean O'Fallon
2/3/2017 10:31:08 pm
I do not agree that Facebook needs to admit to being more than a social media site. This is not what they are aiming to become and it should not be their responsibility is what is posted to their site is factual. I don't think people should be going to Facebook to get any of their official news. Facebook shouldn't be under any obligation to police these pages since they do not claim to be a news site.
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Shaikh Sultani
2/4/2017 12:03:20 am
I agree with the premise of you blog Luigi. Facebook should be taking more responsibility for the content that is publishes on its website. Facebook has become such a big company, it does so much more than just be a social media site. It has a responsibility to convey the right content to people. I don't use facebook often, so I'm not sure if they already have this, but maybe they could add a feature that allow the users to report a news article if they know for sure that it is fake. Or give users some authentication to be able to verify if the content is real or not, somehow giving the power to the right people so not to allow certain affiliations to block certain news just because it does not align with their views.
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Christian Martinez
4/30/2017 03:05:17 pm
I think Facebook should be used only for its core focus: connecting with friends and family. Using the site as a news outlet just seems like a flaw by the user and not really connected to what Facebook provides. The users move the stories around so it will always be the users fault if they spread untrue news.
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Cammron Keehley
5/23/2017 08:26:35 pm
Hey Luigi,
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