When the Facebook algorithm works against their stated goals

by Angela K. Durden
Technology inventor protecting creator's copyrights. Business writer, novelist, songwriter, and Citizen Journalist.

Playwright Wade Marbaugh, front row, in suspenders.

My friend Wade Marbaugh wrote a play called "American Apartheid" based on a novella written just after the 1906 riots in Atlanta. Technically you could say these were race riots but it was white politicians who started the thing.

Politicians in Atlanta were unhappy that the Negro had been freed in the War Between the States a mere 40 years previous. They could see the vote coming for both the Negro and the white woman and they didn't like either one of them getting that, no sir, not one little bit.

So the newspapers in the town resorted to yellow journalism, what we today call fake news or spin, and simply falsely reported a massive uptick of rape of white women by black men. It was not true, but it finally got to the point of having a three-day riot wherein lots of people got hurt and lots of people — mostly blacks — died.

Involved at the time was William Edward Burghardt "W.E.B." Du Bois, a front runner of Martin Luther King, Jr.; was a hell of a writer on the subject of race relations; and founded the NAACP and ran it honorably.

Now, you would think Facebook would be happy with sharing such a fine story since it deals with the beginning of U.S. civil rights.

And isn't Facebook all about "real" news and "verified" facts and making the world a great place to live in? So they say, but Facebook's algorithm says No. How do I know?

Because when I share photos on Facebook about the Gordon Vernick Jazz Jam, these photos are immediately seen by lots of people who like, share, and comment. The post is often seen in FB feeds for several days after because I keep getting more likes, etc. 

But this play called "American Apartheid" only received one immediate like and that from a guy who was new to being a friend and looking to make time with me and is liking everything I put up in order to get Brownie points. 

I shared it with seven people, two of whom were expecting me to tag them, and they have not even had it show up. 

This play has been mounted almost 35 times. I was told by someone who's seen it several times that this was the best one yet and came in on a shoestring budget.

So I am sharing the album here with you. 

I would be interested in knowing if access to it is denied when you click on the link below. If it is denied, please email me at: angeladurden@msn.com and let me know. Here is the link: 

Here is the photo album of American Apartheid: The Play