Some of you may have noticed that on Tuesday there was a banner at the top of your Facebook timeline urging you to vote, and show others you had done so. Then when scrolling through your timeline, there were posts from many people stating they had in fact voted. A few days later, a new banner appeared at the top urging you to donate to help fight Ebola. These banners might help get people to vote or donate to the cause, but should Facebook try to influence its users?
As Caitlin Dewey stated in her article on the Washington Post, if people don't want the government to interfere with every day life, how do they feel about Facebook doing so? People were angry when larger sodas were banned in New York, so what does that mean for the reception of these Facebook banners?
I do think Facebook put the banners up with good intentions. I believe that people should vote and let their voices be heard. I also believe that you should donate to a cause, but I think people should choose that cause for themselves. I think people should invest their money, and time, in causes they are passionate about!
Do you think Facebook should continue to post banners like these? Did you even notice the banners on your Facebook timeline?
I think Facebook can post whatever banners they feel like, because at the end of the day, it's their website and we're the ones visiting it of our own free will. If Facebook required participation in these banners, that I can see becoming a problem.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I think that the banners were a great idea. There are millions of people who don't vote in this country, yet they still complain about the people running it. Those millions of people are on Facebook, so why not use a common forum to encourage political participation. After all, no one is forcing it on you, instead it serves as a simple reminder. There are some that probably didn't notice it anyways.
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