June 9 (UPI) -- After a Facebook algorithm change, local Republican Party posts in 2019 were shared twice as much as local Democratic posts, according to new research published Wednesday. That happened even though local Democratic parties posted more often on Facebook.
The research paper was published in the journal Research & Politics.
"Regardless of Facebook's motivations, their decision to change the algorithm might have given local Republican parties greater reach to connect with citizens and shape political realities for Americans," the research paper said. "The fact that private companies can so easily control the political information flow for millions of Americans raises clear questions for the state of democracy."
The research showed that from Jan. 1 to June 30, 2019, posts by local Republican parties were shared 1,684,586 times. Content from local Democratic parties was shared 800,659 times.
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