Social media are going through some big changes this winter. Meta/Facebook has changed its policies banning hate speech and deceptive information on its platforms; TikTok was facing a ban, shut itself down, and then came back with the blessings of he new US president; and niche Twitter replacement Bluesky has exploded in popularity.
This post looking at how Meta is changing content moderation is the first in a series looking at how social media is changing during the start of the second Trump presidency.
On January 7, 2025, Meta announced that it would no longer be using third-party fact checking on its social media sites, which include Facebook, Threads and Instagram. Joel Kaplan, Meta’s chief global affairs officer, wrote in a blog post at about.fb.com that Meta’s sites need to be places “where people can express themselves freely. That can be messy.” Kaplan goes on to write that Meta’s systems got increasingly complex and seemed to be going too far, putting people in “Facebook jail” for inoffensive materials and for exhibiting “bias.”
Meta is now transitioning to a system of “Community Notes” similar to that used by Elon Musk’s X/Twitter. Instead of having experts moderating content, users of the sites will take care of labeling what they find problematic.
Video report on the change from ABC News
Not surprisingly, this has generated a lot of controversy. Here are several stories from reliable media dealing this these issues:
- NPR – What will the fallout be of Meta eliminating fact checking?
Several NPR reporters talk with All Things Considered host Scott Detrow about what the long-term fall out will be from this change. There is both a transcript and an audio recording of the story. - Washington Post – Finding truth on social media
The WaPo is kind of going out on a limb here, assuming that truth can be found these days on social media. But at any rate, a tech reporter Heather Kelly has several suggestions on how to find reliable information through social media. She actually has several good suggestions including:- Don’t trust your gut.
- Don’t use AI.
- Don’t assume things were factual before.
- Be ready for more controversial posts.
- Avoid algorithmic feeds that send you stories you already agree with.
- Look elsewhere for truth.
- NY Times – What does ending fact checking accomplish, beyond making the new president happy?
The Times takes an extended look at what this means, including:- How FB founder Mark Zuckerberg’s politics have changed since 2016.
- What this means for harassment of LGBTQ community.
- What this means for the spread of disinformation.
- Was there really a problem with fact checking? Or just a problem with misinformation being called out?
And finally,
- Did Facebook surreptitiously add President Trump and VP Vance to your FB feed?
Quick answer: No.
Longer answer: Facebook switched everyone who subscribed to the official Biden White House accounts over to the new Trump White House accounts, given that these accounts belong to whoever is in the office, not the individual.
Coming up next: What’s up with TikTok?