Aaron Sorkin — creator of liberal television and film mainstays, The West Wing, The Newsroom, and The Social Network — is claiming Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook bear responsibility for the January 6 Capitol riots. During a recent appearance on “The Town with Matthew Belloni” podcast, Sorkin explained how he believes Facebook’s algorithm promotes increasingly extreme content, ultimately radicalizing its more politically engaged users.
“Facebook has been, among other things, tuning its algorithm to promote the most divisive material possible,” Sorkin said. He added: “Because that is what will increase engagement and because that is what will get you to, what they call inside the hallways of Facebook, the infinite scroll.”
Sorkin’s comments echo a similar concern raised by Representative Clay Higgins (R-LA). The National Pulse previously reported that Higgins, through his own investigation, uncovered evidence that federal law enforcement infiltrated online social networks — including Facebook — where American veterans groups would communicate.
Higgins said it was through interactions with veterans in these groups that the FBI appears to have created agents provocateurs. According to the Louisiana Republican: “The original seeds of riotous or illegal or occupation-type behavior amongst these groups were planted by the FBI agents embedded in those groups.”
The comments by Sorkin may also appear intended to stoke interest in his new film project — an untitled movie about the January 6 Capitol riots. He would not confirm whether the project will be a direct sequel to his Oscar-winning screenplay for the 2010 film The Social Network.
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