> If it was months in the making on Facebook, why did Facebook not do more to stop it?
Two things:
1) If FB is seen to lean too far either left or right, it will create an opportunity for a competitor to emerge on the other side. FB is huge, so they have a lot to lose in that scenario.
2) They literally profit from the circulation of the very stuff that some would have them sensor.
I don't see what is even slightly surprising about they way they've handled this.
Edit: side note - I personally think #1 is likely at some point in the future. People have already gone a fair way towards segregating themselves into various social/political bubbles; why not even more self-segregation? If enough people want that, then either FB will enable it or a competitor will emerge to enable it.
>2) They literally profit from the circulation of the very stuff that some would have them sensor.
And as far as we know they may have been promoting inflammatory posts to drive engagement. They keep the algorithm they use to do that secret. I think they should show posts from friends in chronological order and let users filter them, or loose their common carrier status.
Two things:
1) If FB is seen to lean too far either left or right, it will create an opportunity for a competitor to emerge on the other side. FB is huge, so they have a lot to lose in that scenario.
2) They literally profit from the circulation of the very stuff that some would have them sensor.
I don't see what is even slightly surprising about they way they've handled this.
Edit: side note - I personally think #1 is likely at some point in the future. People have already gone a fair way towards segregating themselves into various social/political bubbles; why not even more self-segregation? If enough people want that, then either FB will enable it or a competitor will emerge to enable it.