Facebook has revealed how it suppresses news it doesn’t like and decides what’s true and what isn’t. It’s chillingly Orwellian

The idea of a faceless Facebook employee sitting at a computer and deciding what is true and what is not conjures up the image of Winston Smith burning articles of yesteryear in the pages of ‘1984’. The corporate language that Facebook uses is just as purposely vague as that of The Party in that same novel. It’s designed to be vague, because those with power over the situation can change what it means to suit their needs as they please, while taking agency away from those who use the site.

Any time our society gets closer to George Orwell’s prophetic work is spine-chilling. It should be something that we avoid, not something that we use as an instruction manual. The idea of a corporation taking away the rights of normal people is as mortifying as a government doing it, if not more; who appointed them or voted for them to have these powers over our lives? Whether it’s Mark Zuckerberg or Joe Biden, everyone – regardless of political position – should look at this situation and be reviled by it.

As it stands, there is one saving grace to this situation. Going to Facebook is a choice that everyone has. They cannot force you to do things, like a government can, at the point of a gun. The obvious solution to this problem is simply to stop using Facebook for your news. The modern convenience Facebook offers is a wonderful thing, but the ability to read what you want and read who you trust is much more important. There has to be a point where people put their foot down with regards to Silicon Valley determining what we can and cannot read or think.

Maybe if enough people walk away, there will be some sort of realization that Facebook ultimately is no different than a coffee joint or a pizza place. We go there for a simple service, not for them to preach to us what is true and what is not.