Does Facebook have too much Power?
Does Facebook have too much Power?
Today, social media is a huge part of our day to day lives. We use it 24/7
to communicate with others and stay updated with what’s going on around the world.
However, Social media is only extending and what used to be a way for people to
talk to each other and share information is now become a way to get global news,
a way for companies to promote their businesses and so much more. To make
people want to stay on the app, social media companies have started to use
technology to tailor what the content on the app, and what you see, to what
they think you want to see. Meaning that different people see different content.
This leaves a lot of power in the hands of some companies, and people are starting
to get concerned.
With its 2,38 billion monthly active users, Facebook is one of the most powerful
companies in the world. (2019, Socialmediatoday) The company started originally
16 years ago, as a social network for college students to communicate easily with
each other. Today however, it’s become the world’s largest social network, and
with the technology they managed to develop one of the world greatest tool to connect
people and brands together. Facebook gave a loud and clear promise to the
people, that they would create an open and connected world. However, is that
it?
Because of the massive growth of the company, Facebook has become a
global empire. And a lot of people are concerned about the power that comes
with it. The technology is developing and with that, the company are finding
new ways to make Facebook more attractive to people all over the globe. They do
that by collecting information, on where you are in the world, what you search and
what you do on the app. From what you like and share, to quizzes and games you
take. They collect a ton of information and use algorithms to create a more exciting
feed just for you.
However, it has recently come out that Facebook is selling this user information
to other companies, so they can create customized advertisement. The platform
has also been known for a place where a lot of fake news are being spread. This
has been a huge problem the last couple of years, especially when social media is
such an important part in our life. It certainly can change people’s minds about
important global topics. That why it’s so important to make sure real
information is being spread. In the movie “The Facebook dilemma” a former
facebook employee talks about how he quit the company in concern for its future.
“I became an activist because I was among the
first to see a catastrophe unfolding, and my history with the company made me a
credible voice,” Roger McNamee – the former employee – wrote in an opinion piece for Time. (2019,
Wharton)
I think they do!
SvarSlett