Meta's New Content Policy: Fact Checking Is Coming to an End
The recent debates and winds of change on social media platforms have also affected Meta's content control policies. Founding CEO of Meta Mark Zuckerberg, announced that the company would end its “fact-checking” practice. This statement caused a huge backlash among social media users and content creators. Zuckerberg summarized the reasons behind this change as follows: “Fact-checkers have their own biases, they over-police content.” These statements signal that Meta will adopt a more flexible content moderation policy.
New Approaches to Content Control
Zuckerberg said that old policies have become dysfunctional and it is time to adopt a new approach, particularly in terms of content control, which he said has been overdone. “He also made a lot of mistakes.” He stated that they are aware of the mistakes made in the past. Meta's new policy will be shaped on a structure similar to the "community notes" model implemented on the X platform. It is anticipated that this model will increase the influence of users on content.
Community Notes: Users' Voice
It is thought that with the new model, users will have more say regarding the content. Community notes, will highlight users’ contributions in determining the accuracy of content. This will enable users to take an active role not only as consumers but also as content producers and moderators. Thus, social media platforms will gain a more democratic and transparent structure.
AK Party's Reaction and Criticism
These statements by Meta were followed carefully, especially by users in Turkey. AK Party Publicity and Media Deputy Chairman Omer Arvas, criticized Meta’s content moderation practices, stating that their previous complaints had been inconclusive. Arvas, “For years, they have felt entitled to restrict the visibility of any page they want on Facebook by labeling it as ‘fake news’.” He emphasized that Meta's practices were based on biased and ideological interventions.
Awareness of Past Mistakes
Ömer Arvas stated that Meta's past practices had led to numerous operational interventions. “Although I cannot be happy that they are no longer functional after making numerous operational interventions over the years, I find it a right step to ensure that they will receive the treatment they deserve, as nothing more than an ordinary troll page.” He continued his criticism of Meta's old practices with his statements. This situation could be an important turning point for the future of social media platforms.
Social Media and Future Perspective
What do Meta’s new policies mean for social media users? Will these changes increase users’ freedom to create and share content? The future of social media platforms will depend on how such policies are implemented and how users respond to these changes. Freedom of content ve transparency, is one of the most requested elements by social media users. It is a matter of curiosity to what extent Meta will respond to these demands and what kind of impact it will have among the platform's users.
As a result
This radical change in Meta’s content control policies holds an important place in the social media world. The effort to create a more democratic structure where users will have more say is a promising development for the future of social media platforms. However, the effects of these changes will be seen more clearly over time. Users’ reactions will be decisive in how the platforms will take shape.
