We unleashed Facebook and Instagram’s algorithms on blank accounts. They served up sexism and misogyny
We unleashed Facebook and Instagram’s algorithms on blank accounts. They served up sexism and misogyny
Result of Guardian Australia experiment aligns with research showing social media automatically delivers troubling content to young men, largely without oversight
"How do the algorithms of Facebook and Instagram affect what you see in your news feed? To find out, Guardian Australia unleashed them on a completely blank smartphone linked to a new, unused email address.
Three months later, without any input, they were riddled with sexist and misogynistic content..."
The algorithms primary objective is to generate interaction.
Interaction leads to ad revenue.
The quickest and easiest way to get people to engage with a topic is to infuriate them.
After all, how many of us have apps on our phone that shows them only cute pictures of cats and dogs and babies?
How many feel-good stories do you read in an average day?
How many of us spend our time solely in the pursuit of self-improvement and self-education rather than delving into bitter bickering over politics or religion or whatever the cause of the day happens to be?
It's easy to optimize for the lowest common denominator.