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Facebook’s 2016 Election Team Gave Advertisers a Blueprint to a Divided US

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Re: Facebook’s 2016 Election Team Gave Advertisers a Blueprint to a Divided US

#3
Here's a WaPo summary on the legality of "the Russians" buying Facebook ads: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2017/09....

Basically, it all hinges on if the ads mention a candidate (illegal) or were worded in a vague manner (gray zone).

Re: Facebook’s 2016 Election Team Gave Advertisers a Blueprint to a Divided US

#4
All in all, this is why there is no dislike button. The entire Facebook system incentivizes division because division creates revenue. It's a perpetual loop.

Let's walk through how it works:

Step 1) A person posts, or shares, something incredibly divisive. Note: There is no feedback button to let the poster know the content is hateful and that broader society disapproves of it. There is also no consequence to posting it most of the time.

Step 2) The content attracts likes. Since there is no dislike button, or negative feedback, any likes received makes the poster feel good.

Step 3) The poster is emboldened and increases his/her frequency of posting divisive or hateful content. This attracts a following and more engagement for the original poster. The poster has no need to create inclusive content. They are incentivized to find and highlight divisive thoughts from their life because it rewards them with engagement and the Facebook system re-enforces those thoughts.

Step 4) Repeat

Each subsequent post creates more comments, more engagement, more passion. This is great for Facebook because it means more time on site and increased usage frequency. The handout Facebook is giving advertisers is proof of that. They are monetizing the system. Make no mistake, it is designed to work this way and they are profiting from it.

Re: Facebook’s 2016 Election Team Gave Advertisers a Blueprint to a Divided US

#5
post #4

All in all, this is why there is no dislike button. The entire Facebook system incentivizes division because division creates revenue. It's a perpetual loop. Let's walk through how it works: Step 1) A person posts, or shares, something incredibly divisive. Note: There is no feedback button to let the poster know the content is hateful and that broader society disapproves of it. There is also no consequence to posting…

While I agree with your argument I think negative comments are a form of feedback and they're omitted from your post.

I wonder how people who work for Facebook feel about stuff like this signing their checks. I've long postured it only takes a steady six-figure paycheck to convince an intelligent college-educated individual to put their head in the sand.

Re: Facebook’s 2016 Election Team Gave Advertisers a Blueprint to a Divided US

#6
post #4

All in all, this is why there is no dislike button. The entire Facebook system incentivizes division because division creates revenue. It's a perpetual loop. Let's walk through how it works: Step 1) A person posts, or shares, something incredibly divisive. Note: There is no feedback button to let the poster know the content is hateful and that broader society disapproves of it. There is also no consequence to posting…

> Since there is no dislike button, or negative feedback, any likes received makes the poster feel good.

Sure there is. Next to Like you have: Love, Laugh, Wow, Sad, Angry.

Re: Facebook’s 2016 Election Team Gave Advertisers a Blueprint to a Divided US

#7
post #4

All in all, this is why there is no dislike button. The entire Facebook system incentivizes division because division creates revenue. It's a perpetual loop. Let's walk through how it works: Step 1) A person posts, or shares, something incredibly divisive. Note: There is no feedback button to let the poster know the content is hateful and that broader society disapproves of it. There is also no consequence to posting…

Facebook is private (at least most posts are). So "broader society" will not be giving feedback.

YouTube is public, and has a dislike button... many "fringe" videos still have tons of likes because they are mostly viewed by people sharing the same opinions.

Re: Facebook’s 2016 Election Team Gave Advertisers a Blueprint to a Divided US

#8
Neal Stephenson's Interface (1994) has never been more relevant.

"The corresponding item on the list was highlighted, a bright purple box drawn over it so that the user could see which category he was dealing with at the moment. The hundred categories and names on the list were as follows:

  IRRELEVANT MOUTH BREATHER
  400-POUND TAB DRINKER
  STONE-FACED URBAN HOMEBOY
  BURGER-FLIPPING HISTORY MAJOR
  SQUIRRELLY WINNEBAGO JOCKEY
  BIBLE-SLINGING PORCH MONKEY
  ECONOMIC ROADKILL
  PENT-UP CORPORATE LICKSPITTLE
  HIGH-METABOLISM WORLD DOMINATOR
  MIDAMERICAN KNICKKNACK QUEEN
..."

Re: Facebook’s 2016 Election Team Gave Advertisers a Blueprint to a Divided US

#9
post #6
post #4

All in all, this is why there is no dislike button. The entire Facebook system incentivizes division because division creates revenue. It's a perpetual loop. Let's walk through how it works: Step 1) A person posts, or shares, something incredibly divisive. Note: There is no feedback button to let the poster know the content is hateful and that broader society disapproves of it. There is also no consequence to posting…

> Since there is no dislike button, or negative feedback, any likes received makes the poster feel good. Sure there is. Next to Like you have: Love, Laugh, Wow, Sad, Angry.

That is not a dislike button. For example, you can select angry and it leaves it up to interpretation what you are angry about. Either way, most people think it is about the article you are sharing.

Here is an example: Share a post about Black Lives causing a riot.

Clear this is fake. Now if a reader of that post puts angry. Are they indicating the post is fake and they are angry with the original poster? Or are they now angry with Black Lives Matter because they think they caused a riot?

Facebook designed it this way so that the original author of the post still gets positive feedback. There is no need to change his/her behavior. They keep posting and the engagement for Facebook keeps rolling.

Re: Facebook’s 2016 Election Team Gave Advertisers a Blueprint to a Divided US

#10
post #4

All in all, this is why there is no dislike button. The entire Facebook system incentivizes division because division creates revenue. It's a perpetual loop. Let's walk through how it works: Step 1) A person posts, or shares, something incredibly divisive. Note: There is no feedback button to let the poster know the content is hateful and that broader society disapproves of it. There is also no consequence to posting…

Facebook is private (at least most posts are). So "broader society" will not be giving feedback. YouTube is public, and has a dislike button... many "fringe" videos still have tons of likes because they are mostly viewed by people sharing the same opinions.

Most posts spread to at least a 3rd degree. I can share an article, my friends see it and comment on it. Then their friends see that they commented on an article by showing it to their friends.

Also, don't forget the share button. That causes the degrees to reset and it goes from there.

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