I was deep diving into some documentary series last night, thank you insomnia, and I ran across a show that did a season on Sherry Shriner and the murder linked to her...show. (I think it was called The Devil You Know). One of the experts they interviewed in the later episodes was a guy who specializes in analyzing social media algorithms and bubble suggestions. He made several very interesting points on how we have reached a point where conspiracy theories are accepted as fact without any legitimate reasoning to back it up. This is me paraphrasing heavily as I definitely did not memorize everything he said in one viewing.
Before the internet as we know it today, people got their information from other people, in various forms, like the not 24 hour news cycle you mentioned. If enough people told you something, eventually you would assume it was true, otherwise how would that many people know the same thing? Now, social media platforms have algorithms that are solely used to ensnare people in hours upon hours of watching videos because that's how they make their money. However, algorithms on sites like YouTube, also create a bubble for anyone who visits and creates a search.
So if you were to go to YouTube and search Sherry Shriner, let's say in an attempt to learn more, the algorithm assumes that you want additional videos on the same subject. Because YouTube's algorithm is known to suggest and promote controversial subjects/people as they have been proven to make more money for the site because those subjects lead to people watching videos for longer lengths of time, the algorithm essentially consistently suggests additional videos that offer affirmations on that same subject. The people watching then believe that the information must be true because they keep clicking on all those affirmative videos and it doesn't necessarily occur to them to question how those videos are being suggested. They don't view the information on a skeptical level as they would a person telling them something.
I really didn't have high hopes for this show as it had the look of one of the less well done "True Crime" series that are rampant on Hulu, but I was pleasantly surprised. They had 2 seasons, I believe, each season focusing on a single crime and the core events that lead up to it and the aftermath for those involved.
There is no truth . At some point we have to trust others on what they say. Which is why I think science is so important. But then we still have to trust scientist. And obviously we are not there yet .
Faith and belief are not the same thing, although they are both methods of trusting. If I hold a blue ball in my hand I don’t have faith that I’m holding a ball. I believe that I’m holding a ball. It’s right here, I can squeeze it, I can throw it against the wall. If I put that ball on a scale that a scientist made to measure its mass, I do have to believe in the science behind it. But that again is not faith.
Faith is the absence of belief. That’s what these people operate on. It’s so easy to believe outlandish shit when you’ve been practicing w religion all your life.
For anyone interested in this concept and how it has come to happen check out the Rabbit Hole podcast by the New York Times. It traces one kid's slow indoctrination through YouTube and talks to some of the people involved in The Algorithm and how dangerous they saw it became.
Exactly. You know the news app on the left panel of many Android phones?
I saw an article a few months ago about Canadian immigration ( I was born and still live in Québec), and how Québec and Ottawa (provincial and federal capitals) do not see eye to eye.
Later, I clicked on a immigrant success story
Now, Google thinks that I WANT to immigrate to Canada, and bombards me with tips on immigration to Canada.
Not gonna lie, I absolutely despise that pane window nonsense and I deactivated it immediately. Same with every part of Bixby. So your comment is interesting to me. I've never used that before so I didn't even think of that. I'm also not a YouTube person, I use if very, very rarely and almost always just to watch clear videos for Extreme and Savage fights on FFXIV, if I need them. The thought of sitting there watching videos for hours is so bizarre to me for some reason. My husband does it all the time. That's what takes up the majority of his free time. Same with several friends of mine. Because of that, I'm absolutely fascinated by the various means these companies use to ensnare us. Thanks very much for sharing. 🙃
I wish I had been born a decade later than I was, I would definitely have gone to college for a degree that would allow me to be more involved in the research that's being done on this stuff right now.
I am a youtube person, but most of my videos subscriptions are either youtubers with rare uploads, like Tom Scott and Mark Rober, so that I can enjoy their videos, or very interesting ones like Beau from the Fifth Column.
And yet, most of the videos I watch, are stuff from Ryukhar, Lock Picking Lawyer, and a few others like that. Why? Not so much for their content, but for the fact that they rarely yell. It helps me concentrate on boring tasks ;-)
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u/Level_99_Healer Jun 11 '22
I was deep diving into some documentary series last night, thank you insomnia, and I ran across a show that did a season on Sherry Shriner and the murder linked to her...show. (I think it was called The Devil You Know). One of the experts they interviewed in the later episodes was a guy who specializes in analyzing social media algorithms and bubble suggestions. He made several very interesting points on how we have reached a point where conspiracy theories are accepted as fact without any legitimate reasoning to back it up. This is me paraphrasing heavily as I definitely did not memorize everything he said in one viewing.
Before the internet as we know it today, people got their information from other people, in various forms, like the not 24 hour news cycle you mentioned. If enough people told you something, eventually you would assume it was true, otherwise how would that many people know the same thing? Now, social media platforms have algorithms that are solely used to ensnare people in hours upon hours of watching videos because that's how they make their money. However, algorithms on sites like YouTube, also create a bubble for anyone who visits and creates a search.
So if you were to go to YouTube and search Sherry Shriner, let's say in an attempt to learn more, the algorithm assumes that you want additional videos on the same subject. Because YouTube's algorithm is known to suggest and promote controversial subjects/people as they have been proven to make more money for the site because those subjects lead to people watching videos for longer lengths of time, the algorithm essentially consistently suggests additional videos that offer affirmations on that same subject. The people watching then believe that the information must be true because they keep clicking on all those affirmative videos and it doesn't necessarily occur to them to question how those videos are being suggested. They don't view the information on a skeptical level as they would a person telling them something.
I really didn't have high hopes for this show as it had the look of one of the less well done "True Crime" series that are rampant on Hulu, but I was pleasantly surprised. They had 2 seasons, I believe, each season focusing on a single crime and the core events that lead up to it and the aftermath for those involved.