Frances Haugen, Facebook whistleblower, Iowa City West graduate speech

Frances Haugen, a former product supervisor at Fb who leaked paperwork to The Wall Avenue Journal and lawmakers in 2021, was offered with the Distinguished Alumni Award by Iowa Metropolis West Excessive Faculty principal Mitch Gross throughout a graduation ceremony Sunday.

“It is our accountability to determine what to do with social media and the way to make sure it helps the general public entry and digest data,” Haugen informed the graduates at her alma mater.

Haugen labored for Fb for almost two years on the civic integrity crew, charged with combating election interference and misinformation. She reviewed 1000’s of paperwork over a number of weeks earlier than leaving the corporate in Could 2021.

“The truth is, social media will not be a mirror. Some content material will get distribution and different content material does not,” Haugen mentioned. “Due to unaccountable algorithms that we by no means get to weigh in on. Social media will not be a mirror. It is an amplifier. Content material that’s sensationalistic attracts consideration, attracts engagement. And because of this is proven to extra individuals extra usually. That is the place it will get harmful.”

Haugen informed the viewers at Xtream Enviornment in Coralville that she doesn’t consider any individual is probably going to surrender on utilizing social media when dance routines, recipes and feedback with associates can present worth of their lives.

Extra:Lengthy earlier than changing into the ‘Fb whistleblower,’ Frances Haugen was a curious scholar in Iowa Metropolis

“The challenges of social media will not be those that people can resolve on their very own, she mentioned. “For those who would determine you need to spend much less time on social media and extra on your mates, you may’t make that call simply by yourself until your mates make it on the identical time. Equally, every of us as people strolling away from social media will not accomplish so much, if essentially the most susceptible in society are those left on-line.”

Haugen attended Horn Elementary, Northwest Junior Excessive Faculty and Iowa Metropolis West, graduating in 2002, in line with Press-Citizen archives. Information clippings present she liked geography and took part in debate and engineering competitions.

“You’ve got been given a tremendous present rising up in Iowa Metropolis. And in case you are so lucky as to construct upon that present and end up at a tech firm, remind one another that you just nonetheless get to make selections — that every of us can meaningfully change the trail of even a big group,” she informed graduates.

Joseph Cress is a photojournalist for the Iowa Metropolis Press-Citizen, Des Moines Register and HawkCentral.com. Observe him on Twitter at @josephwcress.