The danger of the Facebook boycotts

The printed press is not a natural ally of Facebook. Silicon Valley publishers have hoovered up so much advertising that they are seen by newspapers as a mortal enemy. Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg has ended up with more power over people’s attention than any press mogul. A slight change in his algorithms can direct millions towards any publication or argument. Facebook might not want to be seen as a publisher (especially one that did so much to enable Donald Trump, for instance) but it has ended up becoming the biggest player in the information wars.

So when certain advertisers started to pull out of the social media platform — citing the ‘divisive’ content it hosts — newspapers were thrilled. The reaction is understandable, but misguided. The rise of politicised corporations, which are moving away from their previous neutrality and taking sides in culture wars, is a threat to all publishers. It has implications for press freedom and the variety of opinion available to the public. And it is a battle that will be with us for some time.

Advertisers say they are abandoning Facebook to preserve neutrality and avoid being seen to associate with outré opinions. This rationale overlooks a fairly basic point: advertising is not endorsement. It is absurd to think that a newspaper advertiser agrees with every article in its pages. The failure to understand or make this point drags companies down a murky path, where they have to make clear which opinions they do agree with. Soon they will find themselves laying out their own manifestos, which risk
alienating customers.

In this way, firms that would never dream of expressing a preference for a political party are bullied by online trolls who accuse them of ‘funding’ incorrect opinions.