Did Facebook’s deal with Cambridge Analytica have an impact on local ads? Let’s look at how the Facebook controversy hits small businesses.
Transparency
It’s odd, isn’t it that a social networking app and website designed to disseminate all forms of photos, video, thoughts, and products took over 10 years before a transparency update. Authentication processes will include verifying page admins and the elimination of subversive language, but perhaps the most intriguing layer will be Facebook’s new advertisement archive.
Starting in the summer, users will be able to see every business’ current and previous Facebook ads even if excluded from the target demographic. This capability can be a boom, as companies will be able to see how competitors will attract customers. Or this could be a bust, with users gaining insight into a page’s “us vs. them” ads and realizing they’re not on the good list.
Verification
Pages with certain amounts of followers already qualify for verification. It’s the check mark next to your name or @ handle if you have one.
The new chapter to avoid another Facebook controversy, however, is to verify more than simple businesses or brands, but political groups and affiliates – and the people who run them.
This measure ensures the stricter labeling on political ads behind so-called “hot-button” issues. There is no clear impact on local businesses with ads not involved in politics.
Changes will likely affect page visitors’ perceptions of the company should it end up sharing questionable posts made by unverifiable pages.
Language
Four-letter words aren’t the greatest thing to use in legitimate social media postings. But swearing isn’t what’s getting Facebook’s goat when it comes to divisive language. Motivations behind certain pages based on racial, sexual or extremist principals continually violate the user agreements against hate speech.
Some are more obvious than others. And some require a heavy dose of linguistic gymnastics to understand why homonyms – words spelled the same with different meanings – can negatively affect pages without any apparent relationship to defamatory content.
Whatever Facebook controversy tries to avoid next you can be sure user changes will follow.
