Home
AI
World
Politics
Health
Crime & justice
Science & technology
Social issues
Sports
Money
Entertainment
Environment/energy
Military
Culture
Weather
Media






Home
Bias Split
Public FiguresControversies

Sign Up for Our Free Newsletters
Sign Up for Our Free Newsletters

Sign Up!
Sign Up Now!

How our sliders workAboutContact UsNewsletter Archive
MediaFAQGlossaryPrivacy Policy
  1. Home

Study: Meta Algorithm Has Little Effect on Political Polarization

  • #Politics
  • #United States of America
  • #Media
  • #Science & technology
  • #Research
story
JUL 2023
Image copyright: Unsplash
story last updated JUL 2023

The Spin

Establishment-critical narrative

These studies are carefully crafted pieces designed to shift the blame off of the social media platforms that fuel intense political polarization. Social media platforms are in no way absolved from the damage they have caused democracy and have even reversed some of their misinformation guardrails in the run-up to the 2024 election. No matter how odious the content, engagement is the only thing of value to these companies.

Guardian

Pro-establishment narrative

Everybody loves a scapegoat, but the inconvenient reality of political polarization is that social media platforms play a limited role. The algorithms of Meta and others simply make it easier for people to see the content they want to see without affecting their underlying beliefs or values. The issues in America's democracy go deeper than Facebook and speak to political discourse in profound need of repair. Polarization is driven by people, not platforms, and the solution lies within everyday people, not Silicon Valley.

Renew Democracy Initiative

Articles on this story

Political insiders say 'pocketbook issues' surpass abortion as key midterm priority, but not everyone agrees
FOX NewsAUG 2022
‘Fundamentally dangerous’: reversal of social media guardrails could prove disastrous for 2024 elections
GuardianAUG 2023
Fox News Poll: Polarization defines the midterm election
FOX NewsAUG 2022
Changing Facebook’s algorithm won’t fix polarization, new study finds
Washington PostAUG 2023