Social media algorithms are doing more than curating your feed—they’re shaping global discourse, politics, and even national security. In this thought-provoking episode, we unpack the complex duality of these systems: tools for managing overwhelming content, yet engines of division and misinformation.
Key takeaways include:
• Why engagement-based ranking systems favor “monetizable behaviors” over truth or nuance
• How filter bubbles and echo chambers form—fueling misinformation and radicalization
• The hidden dangers of “revealed preferences” and how deep personalization opens the door to adversarial propaganda
• Why U.S. free speech protections make direct regulation nearly impossible, pushing solutions to international arenas like the EU’s Digital Services Act
• The overlooked role of homophily—our built-in tendency to group with like-minded individuals—as a foundational driver of algorithmic polarization
This episode connects the dots between technology, psychology, and geopolitics to reveal how algorithmic design choices have real-world consequences far beyond screen time. It’s not just what you see—it’s what you’re not allowed to see that matters most.
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