Years ago I suggested that FB was designed to create a “culture of perpetual outrage”. People who are emotionally engaged are more susceptible to advertising messages – plus, they are likely to stay connected to FB for more minutes. Internal documents reveal that FB not only knew this but gave emotional content posts higher leverage in The Algorithm that decides what you see online.
Facebook sees TikTok-like platforms as having a better strategy. The basic design of TikTok – with short form videos seen via rapid scrolling through video thumbnails (which auto play as you encounter them) – favors attractive, fit, young people versus, say, content that requires a few seconds to think about. TikTok is about eye candy. With this in mind, some think FB will “ditch older users” with a new focus on youth.
A simple research study demonstrated how FB’s algorithm readily amplify extremist political viewpoints on the left and right. The root cause is that FB optimizes for time spent engaged with FB – and does not optimize for what you may wish to see. The result is FB optimizes to keep you perpetually outraged.
The FTC says major ISPs are collecting large amounts of data about their customers, and combining it with web browsing histories and third party data to draw conclusions about their customers.
Facebook settles with the U.S. government over reserving 2,600 jobs for temporary imported H-1B visa workers, excluding all U.S. residents from consideration for those jobs.