Facebook ’s found a new way to capitalize on the thoughts , supplicant ( and data ) from the religious side of its exploiter base . On Thursday , the company confirmed that it ’s lead off elaborate a novel feature called “ supplication billet ” that will get members of particular Facebook groups literally ask for ( and offer up ) appeal for other folks on the platform .
A Facebook spokesperson confirmed that the feature ’s been in testing for “ over a year ” before quietly roll out to the hoi polloi over the preceding few months . Back in April , Robert Jones — who runs Public Religion Research Institute in Washington DC — was one of the first world face toactually askthe company what the perdition these C. W. Post actually were .
So I just had this “ Introducing Prayer Posts ” pop up as a new fb feature of speech on my profile . Anyone else ascertain this ? Wondering what fb algorithm thinks it knows about me?pic.twitter.com / TnP1reKDGR
Photo: Justin Sullivan (Getty Images)
— Robert P. Jones – Hidden root of White Supremacy ( @robertpjones)April 14 , 2021
His question was n’t pick up by mainstream outlets at the sentence , but more than a few religious - confront newswiresjumpedon the narrative and get Facebook to confirm that Prayer Posts were indeed being tested on a blue-ribbon few groups , though the troupe would n’t elaborate on which groups they were ( hint : probably exploiter who are religious ) .
At the time , Nona Jones — who has the knotty role of head “ Global Faith Partnerships ” for the troupe — toldone of these religious outlets that the idea for supplicant post stemmed from the need to “ build community , ” with exploiter over the class of the pandemic . It ’s not a concurrence that Jones was seeing this post in the pencil lead - up to Easter when churches were expecting to see their attending to be slicedto a fractionof what they ’d expect in the pre - covid geological era .
“ During the COVID-19 pandemic we ’ve visualize many faith and spiritualty communities using our service to connect , so we ’re starting to explore Modern tools to sustain them , ” a Facebook spokesperson told Gizmodo . He add that the feature first debut in select mathematical group in the US in decree to “ give people the option of request supplicant from their Facebook Group , ” if they choose . The companionship did not answer questions on whether any of the data from these posts would be used to delivertargeted adsat users based on their mathematical group - pray habits .
When a group decision maker prefer into using the lineament , penis just drop prayer request into the group , and then others can cluster over and strike the “ pray ” button to send word the notice that their request has been implore for . Sure , it ’s … something , but like the majority of Facebook ’s design , it ’s a construct that feelscold and clinicaland more than a moment bizarre . This is a company that puts profitsbefore all else , always , and has found way to turn even the smallest blip on the political platform intodata to be monetized . And if prayers are something deeply personal to the users post them , at the ending of the mean solar day , they ’re still just pointedness of data on a major social platform that has absolutelyno scruplesabout turning over that data foras much cashas potential .
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