The titans and the engineers of the social networking world are busy unleashing ‘human-free' systems on the planet. The funny thing is that algorithms seem to know our preferences better than we do ourselves
How about having a tomato soup using a forkIJ What an absurd question you must be thinking. How can anyone sane pick up a fork when all you need is a spoon. RightIJ
Now, then why do people want to go to Facebook to have their daily dose of newsIJ Even when you have a newspaper or television news channel that does the job of informing you far more effectivelyIJ Why settle for such a poor substitute when you have first rate of choices abundantly availableIJ At the end of the day, Facebook is a social networking site. RightIJ But this has been a spaghetti-like dilemma so far.
Sticking to its self-avowed brief has been one of the most difficult things for Facebook to do. It kept veering away from its basic DNA into unchartered territories — such as dabbling with journalism and introducing news feed on its platform in pursuit of grabbing more attention from end users — for which it is neither legitimately competent, nor qualified.
Such missteps have boomeranged on its face in the recent past. Facebook faced a huge public relations disaster and agonising global scrutiny. The costs involved far outweighed the benefits of having these features on its platform. Finally, it seems, Facebook has been distancing itself from journalism and news. Perhaps, in its own enlightened self-interest.
It all started with the profit motive. The hunt for the right business model took Facebook in the direction where it is today. It is all about being the world’s most pervasive advertising machine. The consumer is the ‘product’ which it sells to anybody and everybody who is interested. Commercially, it is a run-away success, a gigantic unparalleled advertising platform with unprecedented granularity and information about its consumers. The company has reportedly made $4.7 billion in profits in the third quarter.
From a consumer’s point of view, it never made any sense to marry news and social networking functions that are fundamentally and inherently two very unrelated products.
Facebook appears like an on-going globe-girdling live project. It is one of the massive social engineering experimentation that human civilisation has ever seen on a global scale. It is a product that is discomfortingly work-in-progress mode with moral ‘after-thought’ ethics. It has self-obtained the license to tinker with careless, abandon oblivious of the societal costs and impact on its unwitting participants.
The titans and the engineers of the social networking world are busy unleashing ‘human-free’ systems on the planet. The funny thing is that algorithms seem to know what we want to see and read, than we do ourselves.
Bizarrely, we have let things go this far. Isn’t it a very soothing feeling to know how much of our personal information resides in these corporate servers. Sigh! Imagine if airplane manufacturers were only preoccupied building the airplane with no concern whatsoever of the consequences of passenger safety or flying in the airplane.
A civil engineer is responsible for the bridge and building he/she plans and constructs. Then the question arises why a software engineer is not equally if not more held responsible for the code he/she writes, which millions end up using.
Will we allow the pretty-young things of the Silicon Valley run amok and tinker and trample along the way while holding the world to ransom, building mass usage technology and digital platforms without actually being accountable and answerable for any of the consequences of their creationsIJ
Honestly, do these techies even care a hoot about the sociological and cultural ramificationIJ Why there is no oversight, scrutiny, testing, validation, approvals and certification of these products by regulatory agencies. You have ombudsman for every single sector and manufacturing company. Why is it that social networking sites and platforms ask to be treated differentlyIJ
The point is every consumer touching technology and product needs to be amply suitable in all its dimensions before it gets introduced. The creators of technology platforms do not seem to uphold these values nor share the same world view. They seem to believe that they belong to a parallel universe.
Remarkably, the technology titans believe technology to be value-neutral. In their unidimensional world, they believe only Internet is the panacea for all the inequities in the world. Recall the failed attempt to launch Facebook in India bundled as a free service along with select number of Internet sites, apparently to digitally connect the poor.
There are other better, richer and humane alternatives available to create a better and safer world than skidding on the technology-determined utopian dream. It already has splintered the society.
From a business point of view, news is no more a business model for Facebook. This U-turn is going to bring some real headaches and pain for the publishers and media. Publishers gave loads of content for free to Facebook in their struggle to monetise journalism and attract eye balls. Facebook products, like newsfeed, instant articles and Facebook live were all to make the media brands attract traffic and thereby revenues.
To the contrary, Facebook managed to kill the publishers and media brands and along with it trust, the pillars on which any media house depends. Nobody knows where the content came from any more. All they remember is they read it on Facebook.
This development eventually will lead media houses to reorganise their resources, execute production requirements needed to sustain and feed these platforms. In a way, the menace of fake news, self-segregated audience reinforcing cognitive bubbles may get contained to some extent.
This shift will fundamentally force the publishers and media houses to adhere to the basic tents of nurturing and retaining loyal audiences by investing in niche and quality journalism than chase the mirage. This resurgence and post enlightenment may possibly lead to a more expanded and better news coverage and help form a long-term relationship with the audience. As that is the sole differentiator. Hope, the year ahead would be of strong, independent and individual publishing and media brands.
(The writer is a communications and management professional with cross-sectoral experience)