Facebook calls itself a technology company but acts more like a media company by exercising political bias. In 2016, reports revealed Facebook suppressed conservative news stories from trending topics. This shows Facebook's news feed is biased even though it claims trending topics are simply popular articles shared organically. As many people get news from Facebook, this bias is concerning as it can influence how people think without their awareness of the bias.

1. Is
Facebook
a technology or a media
company?

2. Facebook calls itself a
technology
company

3. Technology companies
should nothave political leanings nor bias

4. Meanwhile, a media company has a
communicative vision and purpose
They do have bias

5. In
May2016

6. Gizmodo revealed Facebook
routinely suppressed
conservative news stories
in the ‘trending’ section of your
news feed

7. A former Facebook worker said:
‘‘Workers prevented stories about the right-
wing CPAC gathering, Mitt Romney, Rand Paul,
and other conservative topics from appearing
in the highly-influential section, even though
they were organically trending among the
site’s users
‘‘

8. If Facebook workers tamper
with a news feed then your
news feed is biased

9. Meanwhile Facebook
claimstheir trending topics are simply
popular articles shared around
the world

10. Why should
youcare?

11. A reader of traditional media can
educate themselves about the
biases associated with that content

12. A reader has no idea how to
interpret the articles they read
on Facebook

13. Which gives Facebook
enormousinfluential power in how we think

14. Why should you
worry?

15. 1 billion
people log onto Facebook every day

16. 60%
Americans get their news direct
from Facebook

17. With a huge audience -
Facebook gets a lot of money
from advertisers

18. Which should
be going to the publishers

19. News outlets and publishers are
closing around the world
because they can’t make
any money

20. Could this be the end of an
independent, open and varied
web?

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