This is a collection of one of the main subjects I intend to write about, social media and how it and its algorithms affect users. I started this blog due to a frustration with the algorithmic manipulation Facebook was putting me through, both in showing me rage bait content that I really didn’t want to see and how my own posts were either promoted or suppresed by the algorithm. I’ve felt myself the subject of endless psychological manipulation over the years by Facebook and I really wouldn’t have been exposed to the conspiracy theories I debunk without it. Since then, I’ve joined Bluesky, not because of the mostly left leaning politics of its content but due to its claim of algorithmic neutrality and user control over content and the decentralized nature of its network. I also have some experience with the primaeval beast of social media, Usenet which is truly decentralized and algorithmically neutral to compare with modern platforms.

 

Facebook Groups Vs. Internet Forums

Rage Bait and Other Problems with Social Media Algorithms