Individual choice shapes news exposure more than algorithmic filtering does

Evidence

In the next stage, they wanted to figure out how much Facebook’s algorithm is harming your potential. Facebook concedes that after doing its magic ranking of your newsfeed, the probability that you’ll see crosscutting content is reduced. But by how much, exactly? They calculated that the likelihood of seeing ideologically diverse versus congenial content is reduced by about 5 per cent for conservatives and 8 per cent for liberals. Overall, a relatively small reduction, the researchers argue. What’s more, in the final stage of our process, we need to look at what people actually click on (not only what is recommended). Here Facebook makes an interesting argument about the power of personal choice. They estimate that the likelihood of clicking on ideologically uncongenial versus congenial content is reduced by about 17 per cent for conservatives and 6 per cent for liberals. Thus, although conservatives have more opportunities than liberals to engage with cross-cutting content, given their slightly more diverse social network, conservatives were less likely to follow through and engage with opposing viewpoints. The larger takeaway is that the impact of individual choices may exert a bigger influence on exposure than the algorithmic ranking of the newsfeed. — Sander van der Linden, Foolproof, 421

Categorization

• QUESTION: The 2015 Bakshy et al. study figures — 5/8 per cent reduction in showing crosscutting content, 17/6 per cent in clicking — would be worth rechecking against its critics, notably later reanalyses accusing Facebook of framing causality to underplay filter bubbles.
• XREF: connects to: Filter bubbles personalize content invisibly unlike self-chosen echo chambers — Sander van der Linden, Foolproof: Why Misinformation Infects…, 392; Facebook’s newsfeed ranking tailors content exposure to each user’s predicted engagement — Sander van der Linden, Foolproof: Why Misinformation Infects…, 418; Algorithmic exposure shapes the very choices that appear voluntary — Sander van der Linden, Foolproof: Why Misinformation Infects…, 422 (+4 more)

Broader Connections

• Algorithmic content filtering can funnel users toward polarization and extremism #contradicts (0.85) — Sander van der Linden, Foolproof, 476
• Short experimental news exposure measurably shifts perceived problem importance #qualifies (0.75)
• News consumed via social media correlates with more polarization than direct browsing #corroborates (0.72)