Dear Facebook, this is how you're breaking democracy | Yael Eisenstat

Losing the Ability to Engage with Different Perspectives

The speaker reflects on how they started losing the ability to engage with people who have different opinions. This realization led them to shift their focus from global national security threats to understanding the causes of extreme polarization at home.

Shift in Focus

• Around five years ago, the speaker noticed a decline in their ability to engage with people who hold different views.

• Discussing hot-button issues with fellow Americans became more challenging and frustrating than engaging with suspected extremists overseas.

• This shift in perspective made the speaker realize that extreme polarization at home was becoming a greater threat to democracy than foreign adversaries.

Hearts and Minds Campaigns for Counterextremism

The speaker shares their experience as a former CIA officer and diplomat working on counterextremism issues. They emphasize the importance of building trust, listening, learning, and empathizing with communities susceptible to extremist messaging.

Building Trust and Empathy

• As a foreign service officer in Kenya after 9/11, the speaker worked on "hearts and minds" campaigns along the Somalia border.

• Their role involved building trust with communities vulnerable to extremist messaging.

• Through dialogue and tea sessions, even with anti-Western clerics and suspected terrorists, mutual respect was established.

• Listening, learning, and empathy were powerful tools in countering extremism.

Manipulation by Social Media Platforms

The speaker highlights how social media platforms manipulate users by exploiting their biases through personalized content. These platforms profit from segmenting users and incentivize inflammatory voices, making finding common ground difficult.

Manipulation by Social Media Companies

• Social media companies like Facebook profit from segmenting users based on their biases.

• Personalized content is designed to provoke strong emotions and keep users engaged.

• Inflammatory and polarizing voices are often incentivized, making compromise and finding common ground challenging.

• Despite calls for change, social media platforms are unlikely to take sufficient action on their own.

Urgency in Addressing the Harms of Social Media

The speaker emphasizes the need for governments to hold social media platforms accountable for the real-world harms caused by their business models. However, they acknowledge that this may not happen in time for the upcoming US presidential election.

Government Responsibility and Public Health

• Governments must define responsibility for the harmful effects of social media business models on public health, democracy, and the public square.

• Real costs should be imposed on these platforms to protect society.

• Unfortunately, significant changes may not occur before the US presidential election.

Repurposing Hearts and Minds Campaigns

The speaker explores the possibility of repurposing hearts and minds campaigns used in counterextremism efforts to heal societal divides. They acknowledge that face-to-face civil discourse cannot compete with the scale and polarizing effects of social media.

Repurposing Hearts and Minds Campaigns

• The speaker wonders if hearts and minds campaigns can be adapted to address societal divisions at home.

• Face-to-face civil discourse is unable to match the influence of social media's polarizing effects.

• Individuals who fall into online rabbit holes of outrage are harder to break free from ideological mindsets compared to vulnerable communities they worked with previously.

Understanding Systemic Issues

The speaker discusses their approach of asking questions to understand systemic issues underlying polarization. They highlight how current social media companies prioritize engagement over reasoned discourse.

Understanding Systemic Issues

• The speaker started by asking questions to comprehend the systemic issues enabling polarization.

• While believing in the internet's power to bring diverse voices together, current social media companies are antithetical to reasoned discourse.

• There is no incentive for listening, civil debate, or protecting those who genuinely seek answers.

• Engagement and user growth are prioritized over fostering thoughtful discussions.

Need for Collective Effort

The speaker emphasizes that fixing the problems with social media platforms will require collective effort. They reflect on their role at Facebook and their determination to contribute towards steering the platform in a better direction.

Fixing Social Media Platforms

• The speaker acknowledges that they cannot fix all the issues but felt compelled to accept a role at Facebook related to elections integrity operations for political advertising.

• Their focus was not directly on polarization but rather on identifying divisive issues exploited in election interference efforts.

• Despite limitations, they wanted to make an effort to steer social media platforms towards positive change.

Timestamps have been associated with bullet points as requested.

The Dark Side of Social Media

The speaker discusses the negative impact of social media platforms, particularly Facebook, on society. They highlight how algorithms prioritize engagement over truth and promote divisive content. The speaker also shares their personal experience working at Facebook and the lack of accountability within the company.

The Power of Algorithms

• Algorithms prioritize engagement and feed us content that plays to our worst instincts.

• Social media has amplified anger, mistrust, fear, and hatred in recent years.

• Internal documents reveal that Facebook's algorithms contribute to the growth of extremist groups and polarization.

Personalization and Confirmation Bias

• Social media profiles and segments users into narrow categories for personalized content.

• Users are bombarded with information that confirms their views and reinforces biases.

• Similar tactics used by terrorist recruiters are employed on social media platforms.

Lack of Impact at Facebook

• The speaker's efforts to combat disinformation and voter suppression were rejected at Facebook.

• Facebook needs to address how its platform contributes to hatred, division, and radicalization.

• Fundamental changes are required in the design and monetization of the platform.

Responsibility of Social Media Companies

• Social media companies like Facebook should take responsibility for amplifying harmful content.

• Recommendations should not push users towards extreme views or conspiracy theories.

• Algorithms should focus on metrics other than engagement, with review processes before viral spread.

Government Accountability

• There is a need for legislation compelling social media companies to protect public square, democracy, and elections.

• Governments should find a balance between free speech and holding platforms accountable.

• Transparency is necessary regarding recommendation engines, curation, amplification, and targeting.

Conclusion

• Holding social media companies accountable is essential for the betterment of society.

• The speaker does not want to eliminate these companies but wants them to be held to a certain level of accountability.

The Importance of Government Accountability

The speaker emphasizes the need for governments to step up and protect citizens from the negative effects of social media. They highlight the importance of transparency in how recommendation engines work and call for a balance between free speech and platform accountability.

Government Responsibility

• Governments should prioritize protecting citizenry by holding social media companies accountable.

• Legislation alone cannot fix the issues; transparency is crucial in understanding platform algorithms.

Balancing Free Speech and Accountability

• Governments must find a balance between protecting free speech and addressing harmful effects on society.

• Social media platforms should be transparent about their algorithms' impact on content curation.

Collaboration with Tech Companies

• Collaboration between governments and tech companies can lead to effective solutions.

• Tech companies should actively participate in discussions around regulation and accountability.

Conclusion

• Government intervention is necessary to ensure social media platforms are held accountable for their impact on society.

• Transparency, collaboration, and finding the right balance are key in addressing these issues.

New Section

In this section, the speaker discusses their efforts to bring about change within Facebook and emphasizes the need for accountability. They urge people to pressure their government representatives and educate others about online manipulation.

Efforts for Change

• The speaker tried to make changes within Facebook but failed.

• They have been using their voice to sound the alarm and inspire others for the past few years.

• The message is simple: pressure government representatives to take action and prevent the public square from being controlled by for-profit interests.

Educating Others

• It is important to educate friends and family about how they are being manipulated online.

• Encourage engaging with people who have different opinions.

• Making this issue a priority requires a whole-society approach.

New Section

In this section, the speaker addresses Facebook directly, highlighting how its tools are being used to spread hatred, division, and distrust. They emphasize that positive stories on the platform do not justify these negative impacts.

Message to Facebook

• People are using Facebook's tools as intended, but it is resulting in harmful consequences.

• Facebook is not just allowing this behavior; they are enabling it.

• Positive stories on the platform do not excuse or justify the harm caused.

New Section

This section focuses on the worsening situation as elections approach and highlights concerns about trust in election results and potential violence. The speaker urges Facebook to remember this moment when they claim they need to do better in 2021.

Worsening Situation

• As elections approach, things are getting worse on Facebook.

• Trust in election results is at stake, which could lead to violence if not addressed properly.

• When Facebook claims they need to do better in 2021, they should remember this moment.

New Section

The speaker emphasizes that the concerns raised about Facebook's policies and business practices harming people and democracy are not just coming from a few voices but from civil rights leaders, academics, journalists, advertisers, and even their own employees.

Concerns Raised

• Civil rights leaders, academics, journalists, advertisers, and Facebook employees are all speaking out against the harm caused by Facebook's policies and business practices.

• Facebook cannot claim ignorance as these concerns have been widely voiced.

New Section

In this final section of the transcript, the speaker addresses Facebook directly again. They state that Facebook is responsible for its decisions and can no longer claim they couldn't have foreseen the consequences.

Responsibility of Facebook

• Facebook is accountable for its decisions.

• They can no longer use the excuse that they couldn't have seen the negative outcomes coming.