Facebook and it's communities - helpful or toxic?
“A community is only as good as the standards that underpin it.” (Beckett 2018, para. 2).
In her post, Beckett challenges the idea of community that has been created and normalised in an online context by Facebook since its creation in 2004.
The InfoWars page is a far-right media organisation that is infamous for perpetuating conspiracy theories. It was banned in August of 2018 for breaching community guidelines – on Facebook, and on other social media platforms like YouTube.
Some may say this is silencing, or unfair and unjust in the name of freedom and speech. Beckett however asserts that with the extreme reach of Facebook, limiting pages like InfoWars that cross the line between opinion and propaganda/hate speech is the right thing to do. Facebook, as of the fourth quarter of 2020, has 2.8 billion monthly active users. The extent of influence has the power to impact people’s views on the world.
Research on online spaces on social media platforms, particularly larger ones, can reinforce the same problematic social issues seen in day-to-day lives offline. These include social hierarchies that perpetuate racism and sexism (Beckett 2018).
Another issue pertaining to online communities is the creation of echo chambers and a “vocal minority”, a group consisting of a limited number of people who share their opinions on a larger, louder scale than most. These vocal minorities create and share content that reaches people outside the echo chamber, and with increased exposure to something, “we are more inclined to believe it is true” (Beckett 2018, para. 14). This can be used for good, for example people raising awareness for causes they’re passionate about. However, the views shared that are racist, homophobic, sexist, etc. are equally likely to be shared, allowing for their normalisation and the indoctrination of people who don’t know better.
There is no doubt that platforms like Facebook have been used for good, allowing people with similar interests to join communities they would never have had access to in their offline lives. However, with the good comes bad, and the communities that perpetuate negativity have to be acknowledged, and a focus on their monitoring should be at the forefront for platforms like Facebook.
Beckett, Jennifer. “Facebook is all for community, but what kind of community is it building?” The Conversation, posted 13 August 2018.
