Meta Addresses Controversy Over Removed College Facebook Page

Meta apologizes for mistakenly removing a conservative college’s Facebook page, igniting concerns over potential censorship and bias in social media.

At a Glance

Meta admitted to an “error” in taking down Hillsdale College’s Facebook page
The page was shut down the same day Hillsdale launched a course critical of Communism and Marxism
The shutdown potentially caused Hillsdale to lose thousands of enrollees for their new course
Meta claims the findings from recent studies validate that its platforms are not to blame for rising polarization

Meta’s Mistaken Removal of Conservative College’s Facebook Page

In a recent incident that has sparked debate about social media censorship, Meta, the parent company of Facebook, has issued an apology for mistakenly removing the Facebook page of Hillsdale College, a conservative institution known for its classical education approach. The timing of the page’s removal, which coincided with the launch of a course critical of Communism and Marxism, raised eyebrows and fueled concerns about potential bias in content moderation practices.

The Hillsdale College Facebook page, which boasted over 300,000 followers, was shut down without clear explanation, leading many to question the motives behind such decisions. Meta quickly acknowledged the error and restored the page, but not before drawing criticism from the college and its supporters.

We’re aware that some people are having trouble accessing our apps and products. We’re working to get things back to normal as quickly as possible, and we apologize for any inconvenience.

— Meta (@Meta) October 4, 2021

College’s Response and Impact

Emily Stack Davis, Hillsdale College’s executive director of media relations and communications, expressed frustration with Meta’s explanation and the timing of the shutdown. The college claimed that the removal of their page could have resulted in the loss of thousands of potential enrollees for their new course on Marxism, socialism, and communism.

“Meta claims that Hillsdale’s entire online course page was taken down for almost 100 hours because of ads they mistakenly flagged on Facebook. But those same ads had been running unchanged for over a year. And we don’t even run them on the page they took down! They are on our main Hillsdale College page. The timing of this censorship — right as we launched our new course on Marxism, socialism, and communism — was particularly inopportune.” – https://www.foxnews.com/media/meta-admits-error-taking-down-conservative-colleges-facebook-page

This incident occurs against a backdrop of increasing scrutiny on social media platforms and their content moderation practices. Hillsdale College, which has seen a 53% increase in applications as of April 2022, is often viewed as an alternative to institutions criticized for adopting “woke” ideologies.

Meta’s Algorithm and Political Content

The controversy surrounding Hillsdale’s Facebook page removal comes at a time when Meta’s algorithms and their impact on political content are under intense scrutiny. Recent research conducted during the 2020 election has shed light on how Facebook’s algorithms shape conservative and liberal information bubbles.

“The experimental studies add to a growing body of research showing there is little evidence that key features of Meta’s platforms alone cause harmful ‘affective’ polarization, or have meaningful effects on key political attitudes, beliefs or behaviors.” – https://www.npr.org/2023/07/27/1190383104/new-study-shows-just-how-facebooks-algorithm-shapes-conservative-and-liberal-bub

The studies, published in Science and Nature, reveal that conservatives engage more with political news on Facebook than liberals, and there is more political news seen exclusively by conservatives. However, the research also suggests that changing Facebook’s algorithm, while altering what users see, did not affect their beliefs during the study period.

Ongoing Challenges for Social Media Platforms

As social media platforms continue to grapple with the complexities of content moderation and free speech, incidents like the Hillsdale College page removal highlight the ongoing challenges. Meta and other tech giants face the difficult task of balancing the need to combat misinformation and harmful content while ensuring diverse voices are heard and protected.

While Meta claims that its platforms are not to blame for rising polarization, outside academics caution against drawing broad conclusions from these studies about social media’s role in shaping public opinion. As the debate continues, it’s clear that the intersection of technology, free speech, and political discourse will remain a critical issue in the digital age.