Following Zuckerberg's promise that Facebook would display less political content in the future, the company began testing the new feature.
In a blog post, the company he said that it will begin to “reduce the distribution of political content on News Feed for a small percentage of people in Canada, Brazil and Indonesia this week," with the U.S. to follow "in the coming weeks."
The company says it is using these early tests to find a better way to classify political content, taking into account users and their experience. He also clarified that valid information and content related to COVID-19 from official government agencies will be exempt from the changes.
Facebook says its goal is not to remove political content altogether, but rather to find a way to respect its members. The company notes that political content accounts for only 6% of what Facebook users see in the US, citing its own survey released in November 2020. It is worth noting, however, that this survey was created in response to data prove that the company was promoting right-wing news to users.
The impending change raises the question of whether a reduction in political content is ultimately the answer. I don't think they are bothered by political messages, but the misinformation and the various comments. Of course, the choice of a single political space is not the best either.
