Fatma Elmusharaf
Nov 2 · 2 min read

Is Facebook Blamed for Fake News?

Facebook is a social media platform where a number of wide world users interact over various types of sharable content. Facebook initially started as a networking site that enables college students to communicate and socialize. It rapidly grew as one of the most influential entities on a global scale used by people from different demographics. Facebook is now considered an open space where users get the opportunity to express themselves socially, emotionally, and politically.

The platform has succeeded in adding new features and adjustments to its interface making it a user friendly app. Facebook has proved its success through recently acquiring Instagram and WhatsApp increasing its user base and connecting more individuals internationally. Subsequently, this increases the probability of fake news shared on these platforms all under Facebook’s liability.

Moving on to Facebook’s privacy and censorship mechanism, the platform has managed to privatize its user’s profile allowing limited people to view one’s content. However, Facebook has a very limited authority over the content generated by its users and imposes no limits to controversial topics discussed. This opens more doors for debates, specifically political and most importantly fake news.

Fake news has had a noticeable take lately and users now need to comprehend the negative impact that it has on society as a whole. One example of fake news that was shared between millions of users is that ‘Denzel Washington Backs Up Trump’ back in 2016 which Washington himself publicly denied on several social media platforms. Such news not only damages a public figure’s reputation amongst their fans, but also sparks an unnecessary political dispute.

In conclusion, Facebook has not only given opportunities to individuals who demand a chance to speak their minds, but also to companies who want to reach their target audience in a precise manner. This means that Facebook is trusted with a huge amount of information and with all the amount of data and information that it withholds, I believe it is crucial they track the sources of fake news in order to minimize the consequences instead of turning a blind eye on the issue.

    Fatma Elmusharaf

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