
Don't Blame Facebook for News Bias, It Could Be You posted: 30/05/2016
by Andy Marken
Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Cornell, Switzerland... he was thrown out of a lot of colleges. - Mr. Bernstein, Citizen Kane, RKO Radio Pictures, 1941
You have to hand it to Gizmodo for getting the scoop - and passing it all around the globe - that Facebook is prejudice. Especially when it comes to news that's most important to you.
Think about their coverage of conservative/liberal, blonds/brunettes, height challenged (either way) and attractive/less attractive.
It's obvious. When was the last time you saw a news item about you trending?
Not sure quite how to break it to Gizmodo but news coverage has always been sorta', kinda' prejudice since the beginning of time. After all, its people getting the information and telling the story to others, as well as how it's read/heard and processed by the recipient.
No matter what journalism school reporters/editors graduated from (mine was one of the best but then I'm prejudice) they were taught to come to grips with their preconceived ideas, prejudices; put them aside as much as possible and report/interpret the facts for folks.
With their training, they do their darndest; but it's an impossible task.
Just as it's impossible for you to read the objective piece without injecting your own prejudices.
And these are professional, ethical journalists.
Today, we have citizen journalists that journalist Courtney Radsch describes as An alternative and activist form of newsgathering and reporting that functions outside mainstream media institutions.
Now that they are constantly connected and have their smartphone cameras, it's true; No matter where you go or what you do, someone will see you.
Going Global - Wired and wireless Internet connectivity has come a long way but still has a ways to go to ensure everyone has service. Today, of the 7.2 B plus on the planet, an estimated 3.5B people are connected. But believe it or not, there are some who simply don't want to be connected 24x7, 365 days a year.
It's pretty easy to see why there are roughly:
- 750K computers in use WW
- 200K tablets in use
- 5B mobile phones
According to Pew Research, in the U.S.:
- 78% of adults under 30 own a laptop or desktop computer
- 45% of adults have a tablet
- 86% of those ages 18-29 have a smartphone
And that doesn't include the billions of mindless sensors that are spilling their guts, telling their stories about where you're at; what you're doing; where you're going; what you're thinking about; what you're buying; who you're friending/unfriending; what you're watching/listening to; oh crap, everything!
Open Floodgates - In the past two years, more content was created than in the previous 2,000 years and the volume continues to grow - rapidly. Aggregators like Facebook help people keep abreast of the news and information that interests them and filters out that material they sorta' don't want. The approaches aren't perfect, but they do help.
It's all news to someone; and for you to keep up with it all is an impossible task.
So it's rather nice that a Harvard dropout and a few thousand other creative folks around the globe dedicated themselves to getting you the tip of the iceberg of news you really wanted to stay abreast of.
Imagine the awesome power of being able to control and mold the thinking of a billion or so folks who signed up for Facebook around the globe.
It's sorta' important to remember that they don't really create the news. That's done by trained and citizen journalists who have it printed/posted somewhere else.
Facebook just grabs the highlights and spoon feeds you just enough information so you feel you know the subject and what's going on.
Want more info? Go to the source.
It's true, Facebook has a few editors who curate the news based on what's trending but do you think they really read much of the stuff that flies across their screens to see if they've covered blond, less attractive, conservative folks enough?
Gizmodo - a very good site in their own right - thought the unnamed former employees gave them all the facts they needed to beat up the upheld thumb.
Bruised Thumb - Former (read gone) Facebook contract personnel gave Gizmodo an inside look at how Facebook builds its trending portfolio. Rather than corporate bias or algorithm bias, the selection of what's hot, what's not can probably be a personal decision but it did get the world's attention.
That was all the senior citizens in Congress needed to demand answers (after talking with their interns and finding out what Facebook was).
Taking time from dialing for campaign contributions, one said, Any attempt by a neutral and inclusive social media platform to censor or manipulate political discussion is an abuse of trust and inconsistent with the values of an open internet.
Government officials in other countries have (and will continue to have) similar concerns and challenges about what news their citizens get to view.
But the noise was all about what's trending, which is pretty minor.
Seriously, if you want trending without thinking, tune in TMZ on your smartphone!
1st Choice - In our constantly connected world, the smartphone screen has become the screen of choice for people to keep track of what's really important in a digested form. Want to know the celebrity scoop? Nothing beats TMZ and a few other apps that keep you abreast of what's important to you.
To quickly and efficiently search all the stuff that's put out there and up there, Facebook's computers use algorithms, data, math and computational power that make decisions on what's hot
Most recent headlines
13/03/2025
WASHINGTON FCC Chairman Brendan Carr announced that the agency has launched a massive, new deregulatory initiative that could potentially subject virtually all ...
13/03/2025
SUNNYVALE, Calif. SDVI has announced that it has integrated its Rally media supply chain management platform with the Spectra Vail multi-cloud data management s...
13/03/2025
ATLANTA Gray Media has announced that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has granted a waiver of its local ownership rules to permit Gray Media to acqu...
13/03/2025
TV Tech: What do you anticipate will be the most significant technology trends at the 2025 NAB Show?...
13/03/2025
Watch Student Naomi Soleils Folk Pop Performance on The Voice The songwriting major sang Stars by Grace Potter and the Nocturnals during the blind auditions.
...
12/03/2025
O Spotify acaba de lan ar o relat rio Loud & Clear deste ano, uma vis o transpar...
12/03/2025
Spotify acaba de presentar el informe Loud & Clear de este a o, una mirada trans...
12/03/2025
Ramadan, a period of profound spiritual significance for Muslims worldwide, is a time for fasting, prayer, reflection, and community. Enrich your experience thi...
12/03/2025
Spotify has just unveiled this year's Loud & Clear report, a transparent loo...
12/03/2025
More than 70% of FAST programming has been produced since 2010, according to new Gracenote report
NEW YORK March 12, 2025 Gracenote, the content data busin...
12/03/2025
GEONA, Nev. Independent digital and linear advertising rep firm Viamedia will adopt cloud-based ShowSeeker Pilot as its primary ad campaign and order management...
12/03/2025
BRUSSELS Mediagenix has announced that Wael Yasin has joined the company as sales director Central Europe....
12/03/2025
LONDON A new study highlights opportunities for shoppable TV and the massive impact online consumer spending is having on the economy, with Omdia predicting tha...
12/03/2025
CUPERTINO, Calif. Interra Systems has announced that Comcast Technology Solutions has integrated recent updates to BATON Version 9 into its operations....
12/03/2025
Nevion announces new 400G addition to its eMerge SDN media fabric offering
Brie Clayton March 12, 2025
0 Comments
High-capacity switch enhances existi...
12/03/2025
DaVinci Resolve Studio Delivers Cinematic Sound for Adam Bol
Brie Clayton March 12, 2025
0 Comments
Feature film relies on DaVinci Resolve Studio for ...
12/03/2025
SVT Leverages Ateliere Live to Pioneer 100% Software-Defined Production at Rally...
12/03/2025
Berklee Awards Fenway Neighborhood Improvement Grant to Four Organizations A total of $17,000 will be distributed among the Boston-based nonprofits.
By
Madd...
12/03/2025
TVBEuropes Jenny Priestley sits down with new SMPTE president Richard Welsh to discuss his aims for the organisation going forward, its efforts to attract a you...
12/03/2025
The new process has significantly enhanced operational efficiencies, with automation freeing up creators to concentrate on higher value tasks
By Matthew Corrig...
12/03/2025
Jellyfish Pictures, which has offices in London and Sheffield, said it has been battling hard in the face of strong headwinds over the last 12 months
By Jenny ...
12/03/2025
Visit Booth #W2213 to Experience the Latest in AI-Driven Content Discovery and Workflow Automation
Bitcentral, a leader in media workflow solutions, is set to ...
12/03/2025
CHICAGO Jeff Lilly has been named WGN-TV director of technology effective March 17, 2025, according to Ric Harris, WGN-TV vice president and general manager....
12/03/2025
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. A new study from LG Ad Solutions indicates that consumers want more features that would allow them to shop for products on the connected T...
12/03/2025
BOTHELL, Wash. The Alliance for IP Media Solutions (AIMS), Advanced Media Workflow Association (AMWA) and the Video Services Forum (VSF) will once again present...
12/03/2025
PHILADELPHIA Comcast announced that it has upgraded Xfinity Internet speeds for more than 20 million customers for no additional cost....
12/03/2025
Create with Maxon: Cinema 4D Fundamentals Workshop - March 12-14
Brie Clayton March 11, 2025
0 Comments
Makin' Waffles with Elly Wade
During Marc...
12/03/2025
Ottawa, Canada - March 12, 2025 - Ross Video is pleased to announce the appointment of Aaron Tunnell as Business Development Director, Cloud Solutions, reinforc...
12/03/2025
12 Mar 2025
VEON to release 4Q 2024 trading update on 20 March 2025 Dubai, 12 March 2025 - VEON Ltd. (NASDAQ: VEON), a global digital operator, today confirms ...
12/03/2025
Getting set for the Winter Olympics: Inside SVT's ongoing software-based pro...
12/03/2025
THE PLAYERS Championship 2025: AI Commentary, Shared-Reality Viewing at COSM, La...
12/03/2025
Seamless SMPTE 2110: A Discussion on Making the Move to IP Less Painful Leaders from Netflix, Monumental Sports & Entertainment, LinkedI, and Megapixel address ...
12/03/2025
Opening Doors of Perception: Meta's Ajit Ninan on Rethinking AR/MR Perceptua...
12/03/2025
With the 2025 Formula 1 season set to begin in Melbourne on March 16, Sky Sports is gearing up to deliver its most comprehensive F1 coverage yet. Following a th...
12/03/2025
Unicanal and Trece TV revolutionize Digital TV in Paraguay with Rohde & Schwarz ...
12/03/2025
Honoring Service, Celebrating Sport: Rohde & Schwarz UK Sponsors NavyFit Rugby D...
12/03/2025
New HVS-Q12 Represents a Quantum Leap in Switcher Design...
12/03/2025
Telespazio and ABS Expand Partnership to Deliver Tailored C-Band Connectivity So...
12/03/2025
ABC conducts independent audits across the TAG programs. In the March 2025 TAG s...
12/03/2025
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Moonlight: ESA program to create a satellite con...
12/03/2025
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
In 2025, Thales ranks among the top 0.01% of the...
12/03/2025
Consumer show back following hugely successful first series
10 March 2025 Following a hugely successful first series, The Complaints Bureau returns to RT ...
11/03/2025
By Lucy Spicer
One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festival...
11/03/2025
Salsa is making a comeback, captivating new listeners with its infectious energy...
11/03/2025
For many people, music can serve as a reflection of their roots and upbringing. ...
11/03/2025
The solution delivers reliable, scalable and secure connectivity for critical pu...
11/03/2025
SAN JOSE, Calif. Harmonic has announced that Weigel Broadcasting has deployed Harmonics VOS Media Software, which offers playout-to-delivery capabilities, inclu...
11/03/2025
NEW BERN, N.C. Wheatstone will introduce a Linux audio driver for its WheatNet IP audio network during the 2025 NAB Show, April 5-9, at the Las Vegas Convention...
11/03/2025
NEW YORK A new study finds that as TV viewership for women's sports surged by 131% in 2024, the programming also saw a 56% year-over-year increase in ad im...
11/03/2025
Powerful switcher for news studio
FOR-A, a cutting-edge video broadcast technology company backed by more than 50 years experience, has installed its HVS-1200 ...