Metas incoming CTO, Andrew Boz Bosworth, is making quite the splash.
In a Sunday interview withAxios on HBO, Bosworth was grilled aboutmisinformationon social media.
The Facebook veteran mounted a stern defense of his company.
Theyre the ones who choose to share or not share a thing.
Bosworth does have a point: peopleareawful and stupid.
Were drawn to divisive content, susceptible to bullshit, and prone to confirmation biases.
Yet Bosworth overlooks howalgorithmsinfluence these tendencies.
Facebooks recommendation systems are frequentlyaccused of spreading misinformation to maximize profit.
Critics say the companyeschews effortsto address this as doing so would limit growth.
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However, he argued that users are responsible for what they consume.
People want that information.
This defense of free expression simplifies Metas influence.
The company doesnt only choose what appears onFacebook; it also determines what the platform promotes.
Meta delegates many of these decisions to recommendation algorithms, which have showna penchant for false and divisive content.
Frances Haugen, the Facebook whistleblower, has endorsed an alternative approach.
The issue with this approach is obvious: depreciating engagement could reduce revenues.
However, there are signs that the switch is possible.
Last week, Metas Instagramannounced plans to launch a chronological feednext year.
The new rankings wont become the default, but the move suggests that further changes could come.
Theyre certainly worth consideration.
While were ultimately responsible for what we consume, Meta doesnt have to amplify our worst instincts.
Story byThomas Macaulay
Thomas is the managing editor of TNW.
He leads our coverage of European tech and oversees our talented team of writers.
Away from work, he e(show all)Thomas is the managing editor of TNW.
He leads our coverage of European tech and oversees our talented team of writers.
Away from work, he enjoys playing chess (badly) and the guitar (even worse).
