The Impact of CrowdTangle Shutdown on Social Media Monitoring
Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, recently made the decision to shut down CrowdTangle, a tool that has been widely utilized by researchers, watchdog groups, and journalists to monitor social media posts. This move has raised concerns among various organizations and individuals who heavily rely on CrowdTangle for tracking misinformation and other crucial information on social media platforms.
Protests Against the Closure
The announcement of CrowdTangle’s closure earlier this year sparked protests from researchers and nonprofit groups. Many organizations, including the Center for Democracy and Technology and Human Rights Watch, sent letters to Meta Platforms urging them to keep the tool operational at least until January, in light of the upcoming U.S. presidential election. The closure of CrowdTangle has been viewed as a setback for transparency efforts and oversight mechanisms.
Challenges with the Replacement Tool
Meta Platforms introduced a replacement tool called Meta Content Library, but access to this tool is limited to academic researchers and nonprofit organizations, excluding many news organizations. Critics have pointed out that the Meta Content Library is not as comprehensive or user-friendly as CrowdTangle. Despite efforts to gather feedback and improve the new tool, concerns remain about its effectiveness in monitoring harmful content and threats on social media platforms.
In conclusion, the shutdown of CrowdTangle has stirred up debates and criticisms within the social media monitoring community. While Meta Platforms aims to enhance transparency and address concerns about misinformation, the replacement tool has yet to gain widespread acceptance and usability.
