The use of social media to purposefully influence and target society has been extensively documented. Many have remarked on how outside actors may have weaponized online platforms to sow seeds of dissent, perhaps to the point of influencing some US elections. However, the optimization of social media algorithms may have created some unintentional consequences as well. Algorithms actively monitor every tap, like and hesitation, curating your own personalized social media echo chamber that is all but guaranteed to keep you doomscrolling until your eyes are red and watery and your brain is numb to everything you see.
Every user has at one point noticed how their interactions with a specific niche led to their entire feed flooding with that topic. The more you interact with something, the more videos that you will see about that thing, as long as that thing still holds your interest. However, this can quickly trap you in bubbles that exclusively affirm your own beliefs. Like a celebrity surrounded by “yes men”, you are constantly receiving affirmation through online posts that your opinions and views are, indeed, the correct ones and that everyone around you feels the same way.
For example, say someone was curious about whether vaccines are actually safe or not. If they go and search for that topic on a social media platform, if the algorithm sees that they have interest in anti-vax posts, it doesn’t fact-check any information and take into account what most medical professionals say, it only cares about the engagement. Now you have a group of people who believe that vaccines are harmful and have a contrarian view to the medical community, at large.
Take another example; flat earthers. Once considered to be a debunked and antiquated theory, flat-earthers have enjoyed a resurgence over the last few years and this is largely due to social media. If someone expresses curiosity about the subject, they would easily find countless videos endorsing the concept of a flat earth. This is especially dangerous as many do not seek further information to disprove or justify these theories. In fact, in a study done on Twitter, researchers found that false information spreads six times faster than factual information. This stands to reason as false information is often more sensational. In return, people are left susceptible to absorbing whatever information their biased algorithm feeds them.
Ultimately, the algorithm is primed to keep you engaged at any cost. Truth is immaterial and fact-checking is a waste of time that garners no likes or reposts. AI has further exacerbated this phenomenon, with people creating completely fictional scenarios just to grab someone’s attention. This results in a society that can be tremendously misinformed because of the specific interest echo chambers in which they reside. These hyper-specialized interest groups separate people from each other, potentially resulting in an even further divide in society.
