If you have spent time on social media platforms or cover the space you are aware of the toxic environment that social media platforms can create via algorithms designed to stir emotions and create conflict between users, thereby boosting user engagement and enabling the platforms to command higher ad rates.
Recently the Wall Street Journal published a series on Facebook’s toxic environment. We link to these articles below. This is old news but the WSJ does a fine job of organizing its content on the subject. In addition, Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg‘s playing the innocent card in his recent public comments is as disingenuous as it gets. Zuckerberg knows what FB’s algos are doing, how they do it, who they do it to and more. Zuckerberg is extremely hands on. For example, there is not an acquisition he hasn’t meddled with, typically ruining the user experience by forcing out founders and forcing ad overkill onto acquired platforms (see Instagram).
Access the Wall Street Journal’s Facebook files HERE.