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Here is the link to the original World Street Journal article.

“Our algorithms exploit the human brain’s attraction to divisiveness,” read a slide from a 2018 presentation. “If left unchecked,” it warned, Facebook would feed users “more and more divisive content in an effort to gain user attention & increase time on the platform.”

Being a digital advertising platform is the main business service of Facebook. Such business service could favors user stickiness to generate more advertising clicks. Therefore, if divisive content can keep user stickiness, it’s understandable that Facebook rationally maintains their algorithm which would feed users more and more divisive content.

However, it’s time for Facebook to change. Facebook launches shopping platform for small businesses. After Facebook generates more income through E-commerce platform, user stickiness would become a less important factor.

If that happens, wish we can have a social network website with diverse posts yet uniting people.