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 "reducing distribution of political content in the News Feed for a small percentage of people in Canada, Brazil and Indonesia this weekteam”, while the US will 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. It also clarified that authoritative 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 entirely, but rather to find a way to respect its members. The company notes that political content makes up only 6% of what Facebook users see in the US, citing a research released in November 2020. It is worth noting, however, that this survey was created in response to data proving that the company was promoting right-wing news to users.
The impending change it raises the question of whether the reduction of political content is ultimately the answer. I don't think they are bothered by the political messages, but by the misinformation and the various comments. Of course, the choice of a single political space is not the best either.
