Mark Zuckerberg says Facebook is thinking about new ways to make political content less visible on its platform, and that the company may make changes to users’ News Feeds to make that happen.
The comments came during Facebook’s quarterly earnings call, which Zuckerberg kicked off by discussing his priorities for 2021. “People don’t want politics and fighting to take over their experience,” Zuckerberg said. He also said the company would permanently halt algorithmic recommendations for groups dedicated to political and social issues. The company had paused the recommendations in the lead-up to the 2020 presidential election, but Zuckerberg now says it will make the change permanent across its platform, not just in the United States.
Zuckerberg didn’t specify exactly how Facebook may tweak News Feed, or detail how it would determine what it considers “political.” He was quick to point out that he was still committed to “free expression” and didn’t want to limit users’ ability to express political views, but that the company would respond to “feedback” from users indicating political content is unpopular.
Of course, fights about politics have been a mainstay of most users’ News Feeds for much of Facebook’s 15-year existence. And it’s not clear how much Facebook will be able to influence the behavior of its users — many of whom already believe the company censors viewpoints it doesn’t agree with.
But it’s yet another sign that Facebook wants to lower the temperature on its platform following the 2020 election and the subsequent violence in Washington DC. Facebook has faced criticism for the role its platform played in the riot at the US Capitol.
via engadget.com
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