Elon Musk’s X begins experimenting with a new way of using community notes, a crowdsourced fact checking system, highlighting appropriate posts from users with different perspectives. On Thursday, the Community Notes X account announced the launch of a pilot test where selected contributors can rate posts by answering questions about whether they like or don’t like that particular post.
This system is similar to how communities fact-check their own facts. Rather than allowing users to support or downboat posts for accuracy, it’s something that can be easily played when like-minded contributors combine to promote their own opinions. Community Notes use what is called a “bridging algorithm.” This attempts to find consensus among people who do not normally share the same view.
If both users who normally differ in their opinions agree that the fact checking is accurate, the note will be published and become publicly visible. Although X’s systems have been criticized for failing to keep up with the vast amount of misinformation circulating on the platform, this same idea has been adopted by Meta as an alternative to fact-checking.
X will see if community notes will also help identify the best posts.
Starting today, the company has a subset of community note contributors, and has liked their posts! Contributors can then evaluate and provide feedback about their posts. This informs the algorithm when the post is well received by people with different perspectives.
In a post on the Community Notes X account, the company explains that the experiment could bring awareness to “what resonates widely.”
“People often feel the world is split, but community notes show that even controversial topics can agree. This experimental new feature seeks to uncover ideas, insights and opinions that bridge perspectives,” the Post said. “As we follow the path we used to develop community notes, we are built in public spaces in small pilots, so this concept can be shaped by people. We look forward to learning and repetition with you, just like daily community notes.”
Source link
