There are a few key reasons why the quality of Facebook stories has decreased over time:
Increased Focus on Engagement Over Quality
Facebook’s algorithm heavily prioritizes engagement and time spent on the platform over the actual quality or accuracy of content. This incentivizes publishers to create attention-grabbing headlines and sensational stories rather than high-quality, informative content.
Decline of Professional Journalism
As traditional news outlets have declined, there has been a proliferation of low-quality, hyperpartisan, and false content masquerading as news on social media. There is less professional journalism with trained fact checkers and editors creating stories.
Too Much Emphasis on Speed Over Depth
With the instantaneous nature of social media, there is pressure for constant updates and new content. This emphasis on speed often comes at the cost of in-depth, well-researched stories.
Limited Oversight and Moderation
Facebook has historically relied on community moderation and algorithms rather than proactive human oversight of content. This allows misinformation and low-quality stories to spread rapidly with limited accountability.
Declining Trust in Institutions
As trust in mainstream media and other societal institutions has declined, people are more vulnerable to believing false or exaggerated claims from unreliable sources.
Detailed Analysis
The Facebook Algorithm Values Engagement Over Quality
Facebook’s News Feed algorithm uses engagement metrics like likes, comments, and shares to determine which posts users see. This system is designed to maximize time spent on the platform, rather than provide high-quality information.
Publishers have recognized that posts with sensational headlines, exaggerated claims, or emotional manipulation are more likely to go viral. As a result, stories optimized to game the algorithm rather than report accurate information tend to spread farther on Facebook.
Evidence of the Facebook Algorithm’s Impact
Multiple studies have demonstrated how Facebook’s algorithm incentivizes low-quality viral content:
- A 2016 study found that posts with false information consistently outperformed accurate news stories on Facebook when it came to engagement.
- An analysis of over 200 million online stories found that hoaxes, rumors, and hype spread faster and farther than accurate news on social media.
- Stories using exaggerated language and moral outrage cues have been found to generate greater shares and engagement on Facebook.
The Decline of Professional Journalism
Traditional news outlets like newspapers and broadcast journalism have faced major declines over the past two decades. This has coincided with the rise of social media and citizen journalism.
While new media models provide more opportunities for diverse voices, they lack the standards, accountability, and oversight of professional journalism. There are fewer reporters, fact checkers, and editorial staff to verify sources, confirm claims, and ensure accuracy.
| Newsroom Employment Change 2004-2020 | -57% |
|---|---|
| Newspaper Advertising Revenue Change 2006-2020 | -80% |
This erosion of professional journalism has left a void for hyperpartisan blogs, propaganda sites, and false content to fill. Social media has accelerated their reach.
Too Much Emphasis on Speed and Immediacy
The real-time nature of social media platforms like Facebook has increased the pressure to constantly produce fresh content and new updates. Breaking news takes priority over in-depth reporting and investigation.
Publishers focus on churning out stories quickly and being the first to cover a topic rather than thoroughly researching and confirming a story. This speed often comes at the cost of accuracy and oversight.
Evidence of the Impact of Speed
- A study of local TV stations found their viewership significantly increased when airing unvetted breaking news vs. confirmed facts.
- An analysis by Buzzfeed found false news stories are often published extremely quickly, with 73% of false political stories shared within the first 24 hours of an event.
- A report found that internet rumors spread significantly farther and faster than accurate news, largely due to differences in quality.
Limited Oversight and Accountability
Unlike traditional publishers, Facebook historically relied on community moderation and algorithms rather than active human oversight of content. This reactive approach allowed misinformation, false claims, and low-quality news to spread rapidly before any action was taken.
Without proactive standards and fact checking, there was limited accountability for publishers spreading misinformation or intentionally misleading stories designed for engagement rather than public information.
Evidence of Limited Oversight
- Facebook had only about 10-15 content reviewers monitoring trending news for much of 2016 despite hosting over 1 billion users.
- In 2018, Facebook had roughly 7,500 content moderators reviewing posts, far below other platforms relative to users.
- Multiple government reports found Facebook failed to appropriately moderate content and disinformation around major events like the 2016 election.
Declining Public Trust
Public opinion polls show declining trust in societal institutions like the media, government, and universities over the past few decades. This makes people more vulnerable to false or misleading claims.
When the public is skeptical of traditional arbiters of facts, they are more likely to fall for stories that confirm their existing biases and narratives. This creates openings for propaganda, hoaxes, and misinformation to take hold.
Evidence of Declining Institutional Trust
| Institution | Change in % of Americans Expressing Confidence |
|---|---|
| News media | -30% (1985 to 2019) |
| U.S. Congress | -48% (1979 to 2019) |
| Public schools | -29% (1973 to 2019) |
Potential Solutions
Addressing the quality issues with Facebook stories will require multi-pronged efforts from different stakeholders:
- Facebook: Change algorithm to value accuracy over engagement; hire more proactive moderators and fact checkers; limit financial incentives for hyperpartisan content
- Publishers: Invest in professional journalism and fact checking; focus on accuracy over speed; avoid sensationalism
- Users: Read content from reputable outlets; fact check suspicious claims; report clear misinformation to Facebook
- Governments: Pass regulations requiring transparency into algorithms and content oversight
Conclusion
The quality of stories on Facebook has declined due to an algorithm rewarding engagement over accuracy, the erosion of professional journalism, too much focus on speed and immediacy in reporting, limited accountability and oversight, and declining public institutional trust. Addressing these complex issues will require efforts from both Facebook itself and other stakeholders in the news ecosystem and broader society.