Status: 04.10.2021 09:11 a.m.
After a series of revelations about Facebook, the most important source has become apparent: On US TV, Frances Haugen renewed her allegations that Facebook divides society and causes violence.
By Katharina Wilhelm, ARD-Studio Los Angeles
The thing is personal for Frances Haugen: she lost friends through conspiracy theories. That is exactly why she tried to fight it on Facebook – in vain, as she found out. “What I saw again and again on Facebook was: Conflicts of interest between what is good for the public and what is good for Facebook. Facebook has opted for what brings more money,” said Haugen.
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Katharina Wilhelm ARD Studio Los Angeles
Haugen is 37 years old, worked for Facebook for two years and says she was frustrated that, from her point of view, she could not move anything. She accuses the company of focusing the algorithm on one emotion: anger. “You might only see 100 pieces of content on the phone. But Facebook has thousands of options it could show you. One of the consequences of how Facebook selects that content today is to optimize it for content that people want to participate in. Then it will stay longer Her own research shows that it is easiest to inspire people to be angry than to inspire other emotions, “says Haugen.
If Facebook changed the algorithm, the company would lose money, so Haugen. She backs up her allegations with internal documents that she collects, copies and, among other things, sends to the Wall Street Journal. Including a study that shows that the Facebook subsidiary Instagram harms young girls, for example can make them depressed and promote eating disorders. And that the group deliberately withheld this knowledge.
Zuckerberg: Positive effects on health
“Facebook’s own research says Instagram is dangerous not just for teenagers, but that it harms teenagers, that it is significantly worse than other forms of social media, “says Haugen. Instead, Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg stressed before the US Congress that social media had positive effects on people’s mental health.
Facebook had responded to Haugen’s allegations with a statement, emphasizing, among other things, that the network was trying to strike a balance between the right of billions of people to freedom of expression and a safe environment for users Find. Haugen is due to testify in front of the US Congress on Tuesday. She has officially applied for protection as a whistleblower from the US authorities in order to protect herself from a lawsuit by her former employer.
“Violence in the world”
She was obviously happy to take the risk. Haugen believes that Facebook has the potential to cause massive damage to society: “If our environment consists of information that polarizes, that makes angry, then it leads to a loss of trust in our counterparts. This version of Facebook tears up our society and causes violence of the world.”
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