Tuesday, 30 August 2016

Facebook still not looking to make your news, says Zuck

Facebook still not looking to make your news, says Zuck

Mark Zuckerberg has once more insisted that Facebook is not looking to start producing the news that millions read through the social network's feeds.

Despite multiple denials Facebook remains a potential super-threat for media businesses given its enormous user base and an increasingly prominent place in how people find their news.

And with the launch of initiatives like Facebook Instant Articles - an ad-lite news offering done in partnership with news outlets - the question of whether it would be easier for Facebook to launch a media wing keeps coming up.

Technology company

"No, we are a tech company, not a media company," Zuckerberg told students in Rome's Luiss University - according to Reuters.

'[Facebook is] a technology company, we build the tools, we do not produce any content".

"The world needs news companies, but also technology platforms, like what we do, and we take our role in this very seriously."

Of course, Facebook's algorithmic approach to news does fundamentally affect the industry already, tending to extend the reach of major media brands with big followings on social media.

But, if the company was to start producing news - and presumably favoring it on its platform - uncomfortable questions would be raised about the ethics of a single company dictating such a significant portion of the media agenda.

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