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Mark Zuckerberg Says Fake News on Facebook Affecting the Election Is a 'Crazy Idea' (fortune.com)
A lot of questions are emerging about Facebook's role in this year's election cycle, especially given the proliferation of sensationalistic and even outright fake news stories, and CEO Mark Zuckerberg has responded. From a report on Fortune: "I think the idea that fake news on Facebook -- of which it's a very small amount of the content -- influenced the election in any way is a pretty crazy idea," he said on Thursday at the Techonomy conference in Half Moon Bay, Calif., just two days after Donald Trump was elected president, according to media reports. "There have been hoaxes on the Internet, there were hoaxes before," he said. "We do our best to make it so that people can report that, and as I said before, we can show people the most meaningful content we can."
He is in a position to obtain and have analysed the data - not just about whether the fake stories and lies are a "small proportion" of FB's content, but just how much that "small proportion" gets liked, reposted and commented on. Being a small proportion is meaningless if it is influential. And it is the influence that these fake stories have, not the quantity of them, which is important.
One could also say that The Washington Post reaches only a small proportion of the world. But Zuckerberg considered it worth buying.
politicians are like babies' nappies: they should both be changed regularly and for the same reasons
Fake news on facebook did not effect the election. It was the people stupid enough to believe them.
bickerdyke
As did E-mail, Twitter, Reddit, Instagram, Snapchat, IRC and I bet a Usenet server somewhere too.
Welcome to the Internet where people can share any information, real or not.
As it always has been, as it will be going forward.
The DNC had the opportunity to control online discussion but decided to correct the record against Sanders supporters..
Zucks is crazy if he thinks fake news couldn't have impacted the election.
Maybe it didn't change who got elected, but it probably did affect a handful of voters. There are some stupid people out there, and some intelligent people who get fooled, and some average people out there who might be impressionable.
Nonetheless, I guarantee you some people voted differently based on fake news they read. It might not have been a large %, it might not have impacted any state or federal level elections; however, some small local elections on a knife edge where just a handful of votes make a difference... maybe it did.
Even if someone recognizes a fake news story as fake when they read it, if it is pillorying someone, it might make that person subconsciously think slightly less of that candidate, and less likely to show up to vote. (even if it didn't do enough to make them change who they would vote for).
We're all impacted by what we see, read, and hear. Even if one article doesn't change our mind, reading 20 (some of which might be fake) could. I'm sure both presidential candidates lost votes because of untrue stories.
"That's the way to do it" - Punch
...Yes, freedom of speech which includes the freedom to say what may certainly be irrelevant, inaccurate or plain wrong to a particular situation.
has anyone ever followed the State Department's press conferences? I am sure that for those who have, its provision of "nonanswers" to difficult questions exposed the hypocrisy and utter disregard for the ordinary American.
One regime we support is "allowed" to humiliate some human beings, but if the regime isn't what we support, we condemn and sanction!
The trouble is, we then brag about it and preach! Americans looked through the BS and elected who they did.
FB should ask those who are complaining to go chew on some carrots if they're looking for how to get their mouths busy in a way.
Dear Mr. Zuckerberg,
I was considering purchasing a bunch of ad impressions and various social-media astroturf to promote my product on your 'Facebook'; but I hear that it is 'crazy' to believe that Facebook has any influence on audience beliefs or behaviors.
Please clarify.
Sincerely, Your Customers.
I'll make you a deal: You can be pissy about misleading news coverage on Facebook after you call out the rest of the media for not pointing out that "if you like your insurance/doctor, you can keep your insurance/doctor" were obvious lies.
He is hiding his income and taxes
Keeping private is not "hiding". Are you "hiding" your phone number? No? Post it then.
He clearly hates non-white
That's not what his black employees say, nor just that mesh with him picking Omarissa years ago to win The Apprentice (which also meant he would have to work with her).
non-straight non-male people
Trump is the most pro-gay GOP candidate there has ever been, far better for the LGBT community than Hillary would have been.
As for women, well if Trump hates women so much why did he keep hiring them to lead his campaign, including the last one that led him to victory?
He incites violence.
Sorry I'm having trouble seeing the Trump violence over Portland burning, and the fake protestors the DNC hired to mess up Trump rallies.
He knows next to nothing about anything.
And yet he still won, so obviously what he does know is how to find and hire the right people who do know how to accomplish things.
That he's a child molester?
Claimed just before the election, and we are supposed to believe that.... meanwhile Hillary was covering for Bill having sex with under-age females for decades. Don't see you very against that you monster.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley