Facebook is making a desperate attempt to push a Pollyanna philosophy on its users. This might backfire.
In a June 14 blog post, Facebook announced an update to its policy. “We’re always working to ensure that people’s time on Facebook is well spent,” said the parenting police known as the Facebook Product Managers. The blog explained how Facebook “ranked public comments” and how it would continue to make its public comments more relevant for users.
TechRadar reported that “Facebook is taking more steps to try and limit negative comments and abuse on its platform.” The outlet said Facebook was hoping for more “meaningful conversations.”
The blog post stated, “We want people to see safe and authentic comments.” But to Facebook, what does the word safe mean? In the past, Facebook has censored videos of World War II veterans as “graphic.” The social media website has also covered up an innocuous image of Santa Claus kneeling in front of the Infant Jesus, with a warning label for “graphic violence.”
If a comment violates the “Community Standards,” Facebook said it would “remove it.” However, the Community Standards are vague and condemn general concepts. “Integrity signals” are also involved. If the owner of a page or group interacts with a comment, it will be ranked higher than other comments. This is under the assumption that the owner of a page will be able to determine “authentic” users as opposed to “inauthentic” users.
Since Facebook has recently announced that it will put more emphasis on groups, group conversations, and user interaction on the platform (while the News Feed won’t be as involved.)
