You were the year that a social network famed for spreading news got flamed for spreading fake news. The year the same social network, that’s spent the past few years talking up its measurement capabilities, had to issue several mea culpas for math errors. The year the largest video network tried to become a social network as seemingly every social network tried to become a live video network. The year messaging apps matured. The year a rivalry between the next generation of social networks emerged. And the year one social network sold out while another failed to find a buyer.
2016, you were a weird, unforgettable year. Here’s what I’ll remember most.
The year of fake news
If on the internet no one knows you’re a dog, on Facebook no one knows if you’re lying. The social network got slammed for serving as a vessel for fake election news. How much that spread of falsehoods influenced the U.S. electorate is anyone’s guess; how much it has impacted Facebook’s reputation is less of a guess. After CEO Mark Zuckerberg tried to downplay the issue — claiming that a company, whose pitch to advertisers is its ability to influence customers, didn’t influence voters — and after a group of Facebook employees secretly assembled a task force to take it on, Facebook finally took action. It will have outside news organizations fact-check disputed stories and label them as such when warranted, as part of an effort to stop the spread.
The year Facebook messed up its math
At the start of 2016, Facebook was the kid in class you nicknamed “The Human Calculator.” By the end of 2016, Facebook was the kid in class who needed to borrow a calculator. First Facebook fessed up to incorrectly calculating videos’ average watch time. Then it messed up on several more measurements. Then a couple more. Then another. And now, will there be others next year?
The year of live video
Live video became a feature for social networks in 2015. In 2016 it became a business. Facebook started paying media companies and celebrities to produce live…
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