How much do you trust the information that you come across every day on the internet, including social media? Your answer will depend largely on whether you’re being pessimistic or optimistic about it. But how much control do you have over the content that’s actually being pushed your way?

That may sound like a leading question, but the social media platforms and different browsers, now also including AI, are all fighting for your attention. Your attention is the juice that makes it all worth it. Your attention is very special to them. Perhaps we should ask ourselves the question, “Why?”

I don’t know. But here is what we know. Algorithm, according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, is “a specific step-by-step instruction used by a computer system to achieve a particular result.” A good question could be, “What is that result?”, “Does it have my best interests at heart? Wait, what heart?!”.

Do remember that having a Google account is free, but then again, nothing is free in this world. What are you paying with?

Many questions, and few answers. If not careful, we’re basically hogging down whatever it is that we’re fed. 

Algorithm, according to Gemini Google description, on social media, is “a set of computer rules and step-by-step instructions that decide what content you see in your feed. Instead of showing posts in simple time order, it uses rules to pick and rank posts you will likely like and stay on the app longer.”

What?! Is that why I get so many stand up comedy reels and educational, emotional content. Oh no. Are you reaffirming my biases?!

Research has shown that we are drawn more to information that reaffirms our biases. Eevn if we don’t hit the Reaction button, we are more inclined to watch that video. (Please include existing research into this that I’m sure is there.).

So what it means is that if I am a homphobic person, then I am likely to come across content, on a daily basis, that reinforces the biases I currently have. That if I’m homophobic, after a few days online, I would feel more empowered in my beliefs, that homosexuality is wrong. Even if, it literally has nothing to do with you. 

I was faced with this realixation when I saw the kind of content my partner came across on his phone. “Wow.” It hit close to him. The person that I needed to understand my needs, elsewhere was coming across content that told him that I’m the bad guy. Even if that is what he wanted to believe in, that was a sneaky and detrimental way of keeping him engaged online.

In that way, algorithms, other than the possibility of feeding us delusions, is also very polarizing. Unless, it is in their policy to bring like minded individuals together, and that we can appreciate, even when the harm outweighs the benefits. 

As a critical thinker, and a fact-checker, I’ve had to use different accounts, just to find false claims. Because my own algorithM knows better than to mess with me. I don’t normally like, share or engage with nonsense content. But if you’re not careful, if you’re gullible, misinformation will become your daily bread.   YOu’ll be living in a world that was manufactured to control you.

So what do we do? I didn’t need AI to write this part. It is the logical next step. Recommendations. My advice, as someone who struggles to find misinformation on her own timeline, is to scrutinize every fact that comes across your screen. Before agreeing to a piece of information, think about whether it could be true. 

And then most importantly, don’t share it. Don’t increase its reach. Because ignorance does reach far and wide. And it becomes worse when those without education or common sense, get hold of information like that from far corners of a country. You could have a large demographic of misinformed citizens, deciding the future of a country, by voting. 

Voting to me, by the way, is a new concept. Something that I feel I have to do if I have something to say about democracy. But I don’t enjoy voting. I don’t really believe in it. Democracy depends on the people, and the people are easily misled.

Back to the algorithm and how easy it is to use to manipulate people?! Just joking, that is a topic for another day.

Misinformation is also part of the algorithm. Because the algorithm doesn’t really know what’s right and what’s wrong, its only intention is to keep you engaged.

So if someone is paddling misinformation somewhere, and you’re the target, then it will find you and it will populate your timeline with shocking, confusing, provoking content to keep you glued to your screen.

Also, these days, even when we should probably seek human contact, we still turn to our digital screens for companionship. Just another advanced version of the internet. We’re still online. But the point is, exposed to even more misinformation. Because there’s AI somewhere else, helping the person that hurt you, feel much better about themselves. It is, in its basic programming, to validate your feelings. 

“Algorithms in social media platforms can be defined as technical means of sorting posts based on relevancy instead of publish time, in order to prioritize which content an user sees first according to the likelihood that they will actually engage with such content. For example, the posts which are recommended to you when you scroll through your Instagram feed, or the stories of your friends that appear first on the dashboard, are determined by algorithms. – Institute for Internet and a Just Society

In a 2021 research article for the Institute for Internet and Just Society, researcher Maria Golino points out how platforms aren’t just sorting our feeds, they’re acting as digital gatekeepers. Instead of showing posts in order, machine learning uses our location and behavior to predict what keeps us scrolling. The bigger issue is that because these platforms are businesses, the algorithm prioritizes revenue and engagement, which ends up shaping what culture gets amplified and what voices quietly get buried.

She breaks this down into technical mechanics like collaborative and location-based filtering, where algorithms constantly harvest your sensitive personal data, from your exact coordinates to your micro-interactions, to predict your behavior. By then matching you with similar user profiles, the platform engineers a customized reality bubble. What feels like a personalized user feed, is actually a no – nonsense commercial framework deciding which creators get discovered and which ones stay invisible.

Ultimately, Golino’s argument forces us to rethink what “digital culture” actually means today. If our cultural trends, social norms, news exposure, and social awareness are continuously filtered through machine-learning models designed for monetization, we lose organic, naturalling occurring, realistic public discourse. Addressing this requires moving beyond just consuming content, to actively questioning the algorithmic structures that dictate who gets heard.

Other things that can help protecting yourself against the downsides of algorithm are:

1. Protect Your Mind: Algorithms want your time. Don’t give it away for free. You decide when to open the app.

2. Use “Not Interested”: Every time you see rage-bait, gossip, or doom content, hit “Not Interested on the upper left side dotted line of the post. You’re training the algorithm not to mess with you.

3. Be Intentional: Follow relevant figures with authority on issues  that matter to you,

4. Time limits: Use Phone’s Digital Wellbeing. Personally, I don’t really follow it’s recommended time, but I have become more aware of my screen time. I found that informative.

My AI bot wants to let me know that algorithms are not “evil”, that they are just designed to keep us watching, clicking, and buying. The harm comes when they control what you see, think and feel. But I also think they could have been designed in a different way. In a way that is not controlling.

So, should we fear the algorithm?

The answer depends on whether we view the algorithm as an unstoppable manipulator or a mirror reflecting our own cognitive flaws. Recent qualitative research “Confirmation Bias in Our Opinions on Social Media: A Qualitative Approach” by Ghani and Rahmat (2023) highlights that while algorithms are undeniably engineered to drive engagement, their power over us relies heavily on human psychological vulnerabilities.

“Social media do play a role… but it does not depend on social media itself. I think it depends on the individual… It is more about the ability of the individual to control themselves and not fall into social media.” – Informant #4 (Confirmation Bias in Our Opinions on Social Media: A Qualitative Approach)

Ultimately, algorithms are not omnipotent puppeteers, nor are we helpless subjects. While platforms must be held accountable for revenue models that prioritize outrage over accuracy, the research proves that human agency remains a decisive factor. We don’t need to fear the algorithm, we need to cultivate the digital literacy, critical skepticism, and self-control required to master it.