Social media expert discusses Facebook whistleblower’s claim that company chooses profit over people :: WRAL.com

CA >>> FACEBOOK CONTINUES TO CHOOSE PROFIT OVER PEOPLE. THIS IS A CHARGE LAYED BY THE NOW IDENTIFIED FACEBOOK WHISTLEBLOWER AND SHE IS EXPECTED TO TESTIFY BEFORE THE LEGISLATORS TOMORROW. IN A 60-MINUTE INTERVIEW, FRANCES HAUGEN SAYS SHE SHARES DOCUMENTS FROM THE WALL STREET JOURNAL SHOWING HOW FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM COULD BE HARMFUL FOR MANY TEENAGERS. HAUGEN, HE WORKED AS PRODUCT MANAGER FOR FACEBOOK, SAYS THE COMPANY CHOSEN TO MAKE DECISIONS IN ITS BEST INTEREST DESPITE ITS EFFECT ON THE PUBLIC. THE UNC SCHOOL OF JOURNALISM AND MEDIA ASSISTANT STUDIES SOCIAL MEDIA AND THE ROLE IT PLAY IN OUR EVERYDAY LIFE. DR. McGREGOR, THANKS SO MUCH FOR JOINING US. BOY WE HAVE A LOT TO TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT FACE BOOK. THIS AFTERNOON, I TALK WITH A COLLEAGUE OF REVELATIONS AND WE THINK SOME OF WHAT SHE ALLEGED COULD BE OVER THE HEADS OF MANY FACEBOOK USERS. CAN YOU EXPLAIN WHAT SHE MEANS ABOUT HOW FACEBOOK WORKS, MALINFORMATION AND HATE SPEECH, IS IT MAINLY REWARDED? >> SO AFTER THE 2016 ELECTIONS, FACEBOOK MAKED SOME CHANGES TO DEPROMISE TRADITIONAL NEWS CONTENT AND PRIORITIZE ENGAGEMENT BETWEEN REGULAR USERS. BUT THAT MEANS POSTS MUST BE MORE ENGAGING THAN OUR ONLINE WORLD, OFTEN MEANS MORE POLARIZING, MORE EXTREME. THAT IS WHAT BECAME THE KIND OF MECHANISM UNDERLYING THE ALGORITHM. >> SO WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT THIS? THERE ARE MANY COMPANIES THAT PRIORITIZE PROFIT TO THE PUBLIC GOOD. >> YEAH I WANT, IF YOU ARE A LISTED BUSINESS YOU ARE LEGALLY REQUIRED TO PUT PROFIT ON A LOT OF OTHER THINGS. I DO NOT RECEIVE IT IS NECESSARILY THE PROFIT IT IS THE PROBLEM. THINKING OF ENGAGEMENT AS A NEUTRAL END, ISN’T IT? COMMITMENT IS BEAUTIFUL, ISN’T IT? THE SAME TOOLS THAT LEAD TO THE DISSEMINATION OF MALINFORMATION AROUND COVID-19 AND COME AS YOU KNOW, HELPED INSIDE THE JANUARY 6 COUP D’ETATE, THESE ARE ALSO THE SAME TOOLS THAT ALLOWED , YOU KNOW, THE EVENT DURING THE SUMMER FOR JUSTICE AND THE BLACK LIVES MATTER MOVEMENT TO MEET AND ORGANIZE EVENTS IN THE COMMUNITY. IT IS THEREFORE TRYING TO FIND A WAY TO LOOK AT ENGAGEMENT WITHOUT IT BEING SO TURBULOUS AND TRYING TO FIND A WAY TO DO THINGS THAT SINCE ENGAGEMENT THAT weakens democracy. >> SO WE THOUGHT WHEN HEARING LAST WEEK, TALK ABOUT THIS NEW RESEARCH OF INSTAGRAM AND ITS IMPACT ON TEENAGERS, NOW THE WHISTLEBLOWER WILL TESTIMONATE AT FEDERAL LEISURE. WHAT ROLE, IF ANY, CAN THE GOVERNMENT PLAY IN REGULATION, TO GET FACEBOOK TO DO WHAT IT WANTS IT TO DO? >> WELL THERE ARE SOME, THERE ARE DIFFERENT WAYS THEY CAN REGULATE THE MEDIA, TARGETING CHILDREN, SO THIS IS ONE THING THEY MAY BE ABLE TO TAKE ACTION ON. ANOTHER THING IS JUST THIS SIZE OF THIS COMPANY, ISN’T IT? THERE HAVE ALREADY BEEN SOME MOVEMENTS ON CAPITOL HILL AGAINST, FROM AN ANTITRUST POINT OF VIEW, AS WE HAVE NOT ONLY SEEN THE IMPACT OF THESE DECISIONS IMPACTING FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, BUT ALSO, EVEN TODAY WITH THE FAILURE, YOU KNOW , FACEBOOK WAS CLOSED, INSTAGRAM WAS DOWN, AN ERROR MAY HAVE THESE REBILLING ASSIGNMENTS AND WE HAVE A BUSINESS TO CORRECT, SO THE REGULATION THAT MAY ALSO BE A WAY TO TRY TO STOP PART OF THE DAMAGE. >> I READ AN OP ED BEFORE THIS NEWS TO POST THAT THE BEST FACEBOOK DAYS ARE BEHIND. DO YOU AGREE WITH THAT? >> I THINK THIS WAS AN INTERESTING TAKE, THAT IF YOU LISTEN TO THE ALLEGATIONS MADE BY THE WHISTLEBLOWER, AND THE ACTIONS FEEL YOU, THEY SEEM MORE AND MORE DESPERATE, THAT FACEBOOK IS LOOKING TO KEEP THE SMALL MARKET IN WHICH THEY HAVE AND ARE REALLY LOOKING FOR WAYS TO CAPTURE YOUNG PEOPLE WHO LEAVE THE PLATFORM FOR SNAPCHAT AND FOR TIKTOK SO IF YOU LOOK AT IT THAT WAY IT LOOKS