Discussing Facebook Algorithm and Ads in the Context of Political Manipulation and Negative Campaign

Abstract

Social media tools have not only altered the daily habits of ordinary people but also revolutionized how to reach audiences, compared to old techniques empowered by conventional media. Facebook is an interactive and decentered platform seen capable of altering the definition of media by its features, such as empowering ordinary people to reach their own audiences and to create pages or groups to serve either their commercial purposes or political aims to gather people around. Facebook is also changing the way the advertisement is perceived together with its competitor Google by providing the advertisers with the ability to have a tailored audience. In this chapter, the aim is to analyze the link between Facebook architecture (algorithm and ads) and negative campaigns. It is revealed that not only users' or page owners' motivation, but also Facebook's architecture, can lead the advertisers to run a negative campaign considering the fact that it has clear advantages compared to a positive campaign.