The Social Reckoning

In 2019, data engineer Frances Haugen joins the Civic Integrity team at Facebook. Although she believes in Facebook's mission to connect people, she discovers that its leadership prioritizes engagement and revenue over user safety. Facebook media relations executive Teddy Marks briefs employees on journalists' efforts to obtain internal information. Frances attempts to raise her concerns publicly, but the forum ends before she can speak while her colleagues dismiss her. The Wall Street Journal investigative reporter Jeff Horwitz joins the paper's San Francisco Bureau and receives an assignment covering Facebook. A political reporter by trade, Jeff is skeptical of Facebook's influence on American life. He contacts Civic Integrity employees through LinkedIn and eventually connects with Frances, who agrees to meet despite fearing the consequences of violating her non-disclosure agreement. During their meeting, Frances describes her concerns and recounts how her childhood friend Kayleigh, a political progressive, became radicalized after spending considerable time on Facebook and was eventually arrested for harassing concerned officers while drunk. Although interested in her allegations, Jeff lacks sufficient evidence to publish a story. Frances accompanies her colleagues to present their findings to Mark Zuckerberg. The team explains that Facebook's algorithms amplify hate speech and divisive content, but Mark rejects their proposed changes and ends the presentation early. Fearing that Civic Integrity will be disbanded, Frances becomes more willing to share internal documents with Jeff, meeting him at his hotel. Following the 2020 United States presidential election, Facebook dissolves Civic Integrity. At a farewell party, Frances asks her colleague Morgan to sign an open letter she has written, but Morgan urges her to delete it. Morgan later visits Frances's apartment and gives her a flash drive containing an internal study of Facebook's effects on teen mental health. Frances, who has coeliac disease, temporarily relocates to San Juan, Puerto Rico, as the COVID-19 pandemic begins. Jeff travels there to continue working with her and, armed with sufficient documentation, starts publishing articles in the Facebook Files series. Facebook's human resources department subsequently orders Frances back to the Bay Area, determining that she cannot work remotely from a U.S. territory. Fearing that Facebook will identify her as the source of the leaks, Frances cuts off contact with Jeff. In 2021, Mark prepares to testify before the United States Senate with assistance from crisis management consultant Raya, former Facebook investor Charlie Garrigan, and several aides. Raya coaches him on questions concerning content moderation and Facebook's influence on American elections. Charlie challenges the company's approach to free speech and its fact-checking of political advertisements, while Mark maintains that Facebook operates as a "public square." Their preparations are interrupted by news of the January 6 United States Capitol attack. After President Donald Trump fails to call off the protesters, advisers urge Mark to ban him from Facebook. Mark initially freezes but, under pressure from Raya and Charlie, ultimately decides to block Trump from posting on Facebook's platforms. After meeting with Jeff and his colleagues, Frances resolves to seek whistleblower protection and testify before the Senate. As Jeff's reporting reaches Mark and his team, Jeff interviews Teddy on background before publishing another installment of the Facebook Files. Frances and Jeff meet in Washington, D.C., before her testimony. After delivering her opening statement, Frances shares a moment of recognition with Jeff. Closing titles reveal that Facebook eliminated its fact-checking programs and that 43% of Americans receive their news from Facebook.

Plot from The Social ReckoningCC BY-SA 4.0