Exploring Facebook's Controversial Moments: Insights from WSJ's Investigation
The Wall Street Journal's investigation into Facebook's inner workings has uncovered a few jaw-dropping moments. Here are some of the most striking revelations:
"We Amplify Body Image Issues..."
The Journal cited Facebook's own researcher documents, claiming that Instagram negatively impacts teenage girls' physical health. A 2019 presentation stated, "We exacerbate body image issues in one out of three teenage girls." This was further expanded by another article, stating, "Teenagers blame Instagram for rising rates of anxiety and depression. The reaction was swift and consistent across all groups." (Source: Wall Street Journal)
Karina Newton, Instagram's Director of Public Policy, explained to the Wall Street Journal that Instagram could provide a space for "negative experiences," but also gives a voice to marginalized individuals and helps keep friends and family connected. She added that Facebook's internal research shows the company's ongoing efforts to understand and help tackle the complex and challenging issues faced by young people. (Source: Wall Street Journal)
"We're not really doing what we're publicly saying..."
Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook's CEO, has frequently emphasized that Facebook is a neutral platform equalizing billions of users. However, a separate report by the Wall Street Journal in 2019 revealed the existence of the "Whitelisting" practice, a rule that granted exceptions to Facebook's platform rules to politicians, prominent individuals, and other public figures.
This reported contradiction of Facebook's public stance was summarized by the Wall Street Journal as, "We're not really doing what we're publicly saying." (Source: Wall Street Journal)
"Misleading Information, Toxic and Violent Content"
In 2018, Zuckerberg announced that Facebook algorithm changes aimed to improve interactions between friends and family and decrease the amount of professionally produced content in users' feeds. But as per the Journal, internal documents showed that these changes had an adverse effect. Mitarbeiter warned that the change made Facebook more volatile.
According to the Wall Street Journal, data scientists pointed out that misleading information, toxic content, and violent content spread more rapidly when shared on Retweets.
Facebook's Vice President for Technology, Lars Backstrom, told the Wall Street Journal that there were opportunities to abuse or misuse any optimization, and that's why they had an Integrity Team to track and mitigate these problems as effectively as possible. (Source: Wall Street Journal)
Related Reading
Source:
Enrichment Data:
The investigations by the Wall Street Journal into Facebook's internal documents concerning the impact of Instagram on teenage girls' physical health revealed some critical findings:
- Negative Impact on Body Image: Internally, Facebook researchers observed that Instagram worsened poor body image among young people, particularly girls. Three out of ten teenage girls reported that Instagram made them feel worse when they felt insecure about their bodies.
- Comparison and Social Pressure: Instagram had a more significant impact on appearance comparison than other platforms like TikTok or Snapchat. Two-thirds of teen girls and forty percent of teen boys reported negative social comparison on the platform.
- Link to Suicidal Thoughts: Facebook's internal research revealed a connection between Instagram use and suicidal thoughts in teenagers. Twelve percent of British and six percent of American teenagers reported suicidal thoughts that could be traced back to Instagram use.
- Company Response: Facebook responded to the investigation by stating that the report focused on a limited set of findings and presented them negatively. Meta argued that the research was kept confidential to allow for frank and open internal dialogue and brainstorming.
- Public Actions: Despite the internal findings, Facebook took some public steps to address concerns. For instance, Instagram announced plans to explore new ways to discourage users from focusing on their physical appearance. Critics argue, however, that these efforts fall short, as Facebook continues to prioritize growth and profit over user well-being.
- Regulatory Pressure: The investigation has led to regulatory pressure, with 42 US states filing a lawsuit against Instagram and Meta in October 2023, alleging that the platforms contribute to a youth mental health crisis due to their addictive nature.
