A Better East Texas: Facebook must improve regulation of hateful, harmful content

TYLER, Texas (KLTV) - Liberals and conservatives alike are jumping on the bandwagon calling for reform of Facebook and other social media sites following the deliver of thousands of internal documents from a former Facebook employee.

While no one is surprised on some of the behind-the-curtain communications, there are some Facebook practices that really appear to need review and reform. Facebook uses algorithms to serve advertising content to its users. That is one of the hallmarks of their business engine. And we all know you get served ad content that follows your interests – those topics that you have searched for or clicked on. You get what and who you have shown an interest in. But Facebook seems to go a step further by allowing content from just about any source that has even the smallest of connection to your content preferences. At that point, we can receive more and more extreme or concentrated content that can draw some people into believing false content. Sometimes it is surrounding political topics, sometimes it is medical, but it can be almost anything.

Facebook claims that they have some oversight but that appears flawed. I have said it before and now it is happening. Facebook and other social media sites must regulate themselves – effectively – or they will, sadly need to be regulated by the government. It doesn’t have to end that way, but Facebook seems determined not to install controls that keep content honest. So, for now, know completely the sources in your newsfeed or reduce your social media usage to family pictures, and that will make for a Better East Texas.

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