Discussing things online can be tricky because due to the relative anonymity provided, there are some who take the opportunity to say things that they would never say to a person in real life. Such trolls can exist in pretty much any and every topic, which is why we have to commend Facebook for apparently being brave enough to consider launching a platform to facilitate political discussion.
However we say “consider” because according to The Wall Street Journal, Facebook has ultimately decided against the launch. Dubbed “Common Ground”, this was a platform in which some at Facebook dreamed would help people with opposing political beliefs to interact with each other in a more positive way.
However apparently Facebook’s global head of policy Joel Kaplan felt that this might end up disproportionately impact conservatives in a negative way, and that the name “common ground” was said to be patronizing, ultimately leading to the project being shut down. Facebook has yet to confirm whether or not such a project was in the works, but according to a spokesman, he told the publication that the company’s work to study polarization is still ongoing.
There is no doubt such a platform would have proven to be interesting at the very least, but whether or not it would actually facilitate discussion in a positive way, we suppose we’ll never find out, at least not anytime soon.
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