Lost in the web: The struggles of Facebook's political climate

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Through the political atmosphere, there tends to be one source of media that allows for misinformation and conflict: Facebook. This social platform has been a battleground of misinformation, for people can misconstrue facts and voice their opinions. Though people have the right to voice their opinions, the line becomes blurred when deciphering between fact and opinion. Employees of Facebook understood that the recent uptick in Facebook misinformation soared when Trump and Biden were running for office in 2020. Unfortunately, because of the quick capabilities of Facebook posting, the platform has not been able to diminish the misinformation quickly.

Groups like "Stop the Steal" once appeared to protest the election but were ultimately taken down because of false information being linked to it. However, the misinformation was up for some time, causing confusion and conflict.

However, it's about finding a balance between understanding ethics, giving people a voice, and avoiding spreading false information. Mark Zuckerberg even said there was no way Facebook could have influenced the 2016 election, but it has a past of influencing politics and even tracking it. 

These social media platforms can be helpful to belittle and criticize political parties and people by simply attacking their character, like Kamala Harris experienced racist and sexist comments that had nothing to do with her ability to be in office. This attack on character is a big part of the problems social media platforms pose. 

In the eyes of politics, it seems no news source can be of satisfaction. Unfortunately, though, politics were not a part of social media in the past, and ever since they have been, there has been an even stronger divide between political parties.

Through convincing campaign advertisements, people can also be confused about facts and what is based on pure opinion. However, this issue seems to worsen with every election and advancement in social media. More platforms have been used, like TikTok and Twitter, to add to the overall confusion. It's fearsome to think about what social media will cause the United States to argue over next. 

In an article from Poynter, in 2020, many newsrooms turned to a different way of media coverage. This trend included becoming closer with their audience and thinking about what they wanted their audiences to think about during an election. So often, people lose sight of what needs to be thought about during the elections because they are so focused on causing conflict with their opposer.

Continuing to inform the public should be of utmost importance, but the halt to posting misinformation on Facebook is most likely far out of reach.