Social Media Algorithms and the Importance of Informed Voting

The BBC invented “Gabriela,” a fictional voter, to investigate how social media sites use algorithms to influence political beliefs. Gabriela’s feeds were initially apolitical, but after Elon Musk’s platform improvements, X (previously Twitter) began to prioritize Trump-related information. Meanwhile, TikTok’s algorithm promoted a pro-Kamala Harris video that reflected her identification as a Latina voter, while Instagram and Facebook remained relatively neutral. Gabriela was shown paid advertising from both primary candidates that focused on economic issues on YouTube. The experiment demonstrates how platform-specific algorithms might influence undecided voters’ views by presenting various political content.

Editor’s Note: The experiment with “Gabriela” demonstrates how influential social media algorithms are in shaping human perceptions, particularly on key matters such as elections. However, making decisions based on a social media feed, which frequently highlights sensationalism and popular opinions, might result in an incomplete and biased perspective. Instead of allowing computers to influence what we see, we must delve deeper, consider both sides and thoroughly study any candidate’s policies. Elections impact the future, and our decisions should be based on a complete grasp of the facts and policies that correspond with our goals rather than filtered snatches of information from social media. Thorough research, rather than algorithm-driven content, is what assures educated decisions that align with our beliefs. [See also: THE USA HAS DOOMED ITSELF AND THE WORLD TO MASSIVE GLOBAL COLLAPSE AND BLOWBACK: An Open Letter to Freedom Fighters]

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