Imagine our parents’ generation, they didn’t have any phones or video games, and of course, they didn’t have such a thing as “social media.” Today, however, something called “algorithms” silently dictates what we see and how we think, profoundly influencing our worldview. The algorithm detaily analyzes our interests and only shows content related to ourselves. As the word “algorithm” is getting issued, many people will be wondering about the definition of algorithm and the negative and positive effects of it.
First, the draft of the algorithm. SocialPilot states, “A social media algorithm is a complex set of rules and calculations used by social media platforms to prioritize the content that users see in their feeds.” Did you guys ever experience a sponsored feed that recommended a product that you were searching for days? Then that’s an algorithm! This mechanism suggests a topic that you were finding on that platform. This makes viewers stay on the platform for the long term.
This algorithm uses relevancy, filters noise, and sponsored content based on the internet. First, relevancy supports the viewers to reach more related and familiar content with them. For example, if a person keeps watching a dog video on YouTube the platform will expose content related to the keyword “dog.” Second, filter noise is the opposite of relevancy. While relevancy finds out contents that are related to the viewers, filters noise filters out the contents that are not related to the viewers and that they are not interested in. Since social platforms are very sensitive to content that comes from viewers’ friends and followings, if users’ friends are not interacting with their friends or posts, filter noise will cancel out the feeds of that content. Third, sponsored content based on interest shows paid advertisements on targeted audiences. For platforms like “Linedln” where people upload their careers and interests, the platform’s algorithm can show the users the sponsored content related to their jobs and industries. These show how a system called ‘algorithm’ works and how they use these to grab users’ attention.
While people are conveniently using algorithms, Northeastern professor Christo Wilson said “There is a large amount of concern about the impact of these algorithmic systems in our daily lives.” On April 3, 2023, Christo Wilson was honored as the 59th Robert D. Klein Lecturer in the John D. O’Bryant African-American Institute Cabral Center and gave a lecture about the harms linked to algorithmic systems. Wilson said people can’t even measure the immense impacts of algorithms that are affecting our daily lives. He told the audience that even significant medical care decisions can be driven by algorithms.
As Wilson put much effort into studies of Algorithms, he came out with a few theories that criticize well-known social platforms; and algorithms. He criticized Google’s search engine by saying they are creating filter bubbles that only expose contents that reinforce viewers’ preexisting biases and content beliefs. Also, Amazon and travel websites position products with higher prices than products that have better quality and low prices. Wilson said the concerns about algorithms come from the fact that there’s an imbalance of information. People don’t understand that there is a bunch of data about the public that is easily connected, bought, and sold that is worked in mysterious ways.
On the other hand, there are opinions that algorithms have positive impacts on our lives. The algorithm can be used for complicated tasks by recommending users on social media. A few examples show how algorithms positively affect our lives. For instance, GPS, Global Position System helped people in so many ways, especially in navigating and traveling. GPS works by pinging satellites and sending signals. GPS uses an algorithm to compute the users’s location with signals. This GPS is so useful for tracking, that an average of 15 million Americans are using these tracking apps. Another notable example is Spotify, a music app that has more than 200 million premium users. The biggest reason that people love Spotify is that the app recommends music to the users through algorithms. Spotify uses a “thumbs” system when they recommend songs to their users. If a user skips a song within 30 seconds, Spotify considers it as a “thumbs down” and does not recommend similar songs like that. These kinds of recommendation systems in Spotify make 90 percent of the users premium. Lastly, Google Search is the best search engine. Even though Christo Wilson criticized their search engine system, there are 5.4 billion Google searches a day. Google is using the PageRange Feature which is a process that determines search results in crucial order. Most of the people focus on the search result that is located at the very top part of Google. This PageRange Feature also uses the algorithm. Basically, the system gives each search result a score. The higher the score, the higher the result appears on the search page. The score is partly based on how many other websites link to that page.
As algorithms continue to shape the content we consume online, their influence on our beliefs and perceptions becomes increasingly undeniable. However, companies that become large corporations utilize algorithms to understand users’ needs and recommend relevant content, encouraging people to spend more time on their websites or apps. Despite the benefits these algorithms can offer, people’s worldviews are shaped just by algorithms is not a healthy way to use social media. By reducing social media, growing and shaping your own thoughts and ideas can develop a more balanced and independent perspective.
By: Seoyun Lim
Write and Win: Participate in Creative writing Contest & International Essay Contest and win fabulous prizes.
