Pretty sure making things worse in almost all instances by overwhelming the resource-constrained counter-institutions with speed & spread, combined with Facebook’s utter reckless & under-staffed approach. There could be alternative universes where things aren’t set up like this.
-
-
(Counter-institutions when they exist. Facebook tests for low bandwidth users when the real question is the impact of its rapid diffusion in low-institution settings. )
2 replies 0 retweets 0 likes -
Replying to @zeynep @deaneckles
What sort of counter-institutions do you have in mind? And, related: Have you seen any good reporting or academic work on how the victims of communal violence use Facebook?
2 replies 0 retweets 1 like -
Replying to @notjessewalker @deaneckles
Governments, media, the despairing Sri Lankan officials in that NYT piece... It is exactly what I’ve seen happen in country after country. Facebook ignores desperate pleas to establish emergency lines, hire people. Been years. Same global story. Victim groups: yes I track.
3 replies 0 retweets 1 like -
They try to warn one another, cry, also use to organize fleeing the lynch mob coming for them. The harm is so evident and overwhelming. I’d welcome more studies of all kinds but this really is one of those in-your-face situations. Chronic FB understaffing and lack of care.
1 reply 0 retweets 1 like -
Replying to @zeynep @deaneckles
Thanks. Have you written this up anywhere? I'd like to know more about the organized fleeing and how that compares to life during pre-Facebook assaults.
1 reply 0 retweets 0 likes -
Replying to @notjessewalker @deaneckles
I have not. Both overwhelmed and also to the degree I follow, it’s really escape organization. Not the kind of thing to expose. This stuff would be any sane company’s number one priority. Every year has gotten drastically worse.
1 reply 0 retweets 0 likes -
Replying to @zeynep @deaneckles
Do you mean it's getting worse globally? The violence in some places (Myanmar, Mexico) would be getting worse even without Facebook. Do you think there's a cross-cultural surge in communal violence that can be traced to specific technologies?
1 reply 0 retweets 1 like -
Replying to @notjessewalker @deaneckles
zeynep tufekci Retweeted zeynep tufekci
Yes. Complex multicausal stuff for sure but I’m pretty sure it won’t be in much doubt as history is written. Also which sane company picks Sri Lanka to do a fait accompli informational experiment on? Dart board picks by size/continent or something?https://twitter.com/zeynep/status/922838411429466112 …
zeynep tufekci added,
4 replies 0 retweets 1 like -
Replying to @zeynep @notjessewalker
Isn't that mainly a predictive claim about who will write history and how — not a claim about the truth? Of course, as they already do, authoritarian govts will blame uncensored social media.
2 replies 0 retweets 0 likes
It’s a claim about the truth. That the authoritarians will use all this as an excuse is true, but doesn’t make it false. Obviously I cannot do perfect experiments but Facebook data science can dig in. I hope they do. This dynamic has been playing out in multiple countries.
Loading seems to be taking a while.
Twitter may be over capacity or experiencing a momentary hiccup. Try again or visit Twitter Status for more information.