Facebook’s goal was to connect people. Instead, it drove users apart.
Leaked documents from Facebook provide a rare glimpse into decisions at the company, prompting the most intense scrutiny the social media giant has encountered since it launched in 2004. The redacted versions were obtained by a consortium of 17 news organizations, including USA TODAY.
“In the 13 or so years I have been covering Facebook, I have never seen anything like The Facebook Papers,” said Jessica Guynn, senior tech write for USA TODAY. “The public is getting its first in-depth look under the hood of a platform that billions use every day.”
I’m Alex, and this is Your Week. Today, whistleblower Frances Haugen testified before the British Parliament. In this edition: What you should know about misinformation and extremism on the social media platform, as well as what Facebook knew — and when.
First, our must-read stories
Facebook’s experiment reveals how the company divided America
In 2019, a Facebook researcher created profiles for two women with similar interests: parenting, Christianity, civics and community. Both were 41 years old and from North Carolina.
The difference? Carol was conservative, and Karen was liberal.
Carol followed the official accounts for Trump, first lady Melania Trump and Fox News. Karen, who disliked Trump, followed a local news site, pages about North Carolina and the liberal advocacy group MoveOn. Then, Facebook’s algorithms got to work.
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