The Truth Behind the Algorithm

It's doing exactly what it was designed to do -- and that's the problem

I wrote an article a few years ago called Dueling Echo-Chambers where I posited the idea that social media is speed-running us into information bubbles that thrive on our most base instincts.

Since then, I've read a lot of content through that lens, and one essayist (F.D. Signifier, on Nebula) summed it up quite well: social media algorithms thrive on immediate engagement. Whatever gets you to click a link or an image -- even if it's falsified information, ragebait, or a shallow appeal at our most base instincts -- is prioritized over literally everything else. So common sense would indicate "if these algorithms prioritize immediate engagement no matter the cost, what happens when all of our personal information reflects only what makes us angry, shocked, or impulsive?"

The answer, obviously, is that there is no focus on truth, responsibility, ethics, or even long-term sustainability. By focusing on immediate engagement, we pigeonhole users into what piques our worst impulses, and little else.

I actually tried the "Youtube" experiment, where a user opens the application on a VPN -- no connection to personal data -- and just starts scrolling. Within minutes, I realized I was only really clicking on the only videos I couldn't easily ignore — clickbaity titles or images that led to either flagrant misinformation, misleading titles, or videos where I thought "wait, this can't be what I think it is."

And that's precisely what our youngest users are experiencing. They aren't getting targeted for a suite of healthy body images, mentally healthy practices, self-improvement, or even content that helps reduce stress. Instead, the algorithm, trained on what manipulates us more than any other factor, bombards new users with content only designed to get people clicking -- and addicted to whatever clickbait rabbit-hole they fall into.

It's a conundrum that, historically, we've just never seen before at such a level.

Fortunately, "alternative" sites are starting to spring up. Bluesky avoids the algorithms flooding Twitter; Tiktok-alternative Skylight Social is basically the same app, but without the data-mining. There's a community out there railing against the blood-pressure-spiking rage-fuel machine, and there's starting to be more of a demand for less toxic media.

I only hope I can get people to tell the difference.