Facebook Disputes Claims It Fuels Political Polarization And Extremism
NPRFacebook Disputes Claims It Fuels Political Polarization And Extremism Enlarge this image toggle caption Jenny Kane/AP Jenny Kane/AP Facebook is making changes to give users more choice over what posts they see in their news feeds, as the social media company defends itself from accusations that it fuels extremism and political polarization. The goal is to "give people real transparency in how the systems work and allows people to pull levers," Nick Clegg, Facebook's vice president for global affairs and communications, told NPR's Morning Edition. "Central to many of the charges by Facebook's critics is the idea that its algorithmic systems actively encourage the sharing of sensational content and are designed to keep people scrolling endlessly," Clegg wrote in the Medium post. Sponsor Message Clegg told NPR his intention was not to blame Facebook users for the divisiveness on the platform, but to highlight the "complex" interactions between humans and technology.