Senate Intelligence Hearing with Facebook, Twitter, and Google – Information Cascade and how Social Networks Change Politics
Facebook, Twitter, and Google testified during the Senate Intelligence Hearing on fake news, free speech, and Russia on October 31st and November 1st. The legal counsel/enforcement of each company was present, defending their respective algorithms used to repress hate speech.
All the companies run on ads. Even though their respective missions might be ‘noble’, their business models run on advertisements. Algorithms optimize what is showed up on every individuals feed. For example, a user who is likely a democrat, will see posts by similar views. In the 2016 election, the companies allowed the Russian government to buy ads that repressed some views. The companies were asked how they screen out hate speech while not infringing on the nation’s pillar of free speech. The companies defended themselves by putting emphasis on the complex algorithms that filter the hate speech.
This is were information cascades come in. Algorithms work on a network theory. People are filtered into groups based on people with similarities so information that one sees is restricted. Individuals see information they want to see so are likely to stay on the site longer and click on ads. The article states, “ The cascade can be based on little information and people oftentimes ignore new information. The cascade can easily be based on faulty information, and the credibility of crowds could quickly surpass that provided by traditional experts and authorities.” This shows us the huge impact social media has on our daily news and the impact it brings to big decisions like government elections. Familiarity in social structures strikes and leads to echo chambers, where the average user is not exposed to other opinions and content.
Due to the information cascades, that can have an impact in a small and large scope, we come to wonder if algorithms and restricting content is a good thing. We ask ourselves, is there a better way on repressing hate speech but still being exposed to other views, or is that not possible?
https://thepavlovictoday.com/afterimage-review/analysis-senate-intelligence-hearing-on-fake-news-free-speech-and-russia/