We are not in control of the content we see on modern social media

An algorithm is a set of instructions designed to perform a specific task. The word 'algorithm' is a little abstract - it helps to think of it as a piece of code that was created by a human with a specific objective in mind, like an instruction manual for a computer.

Remember when Twitter and Facebook would show us a reverse-chronological list of everything we were subscribed to? This is what came before the algorithm. It fundamentally changed what appears on our newsfeeds, what sort of ads we get, and what kind of page or people recommendations show up for us.

At the start of a new social media account, the algorithm does not know who you are aside from the data you provide at sign-up. Through the process of using the platform: following people, liking content, performing searches, these algorithms collect data and use those statistics to predict what we want to see.

On the surface, this seems pretty harmless. At first, it seemed kind of neat that a platform could 'learn' our likes and interests and lead us to content we enjoy, but over time it revealed its darker side.

Algorithms determine and limit the content that we see and discover. They tailor it based on the data it collects on our behavior. As a result, nothing you see appears organically - it is all being driven by the overarching vision of the platform: to keep us using it regularly and as a result, expose us to as many advertisements as possible.

Have you ever noticed that adblockers don't block ads on social media anymore? When platforms shifted from websites to web apps, advertisements became immune to adblockers. This is not an innocent byproduct of changing technologies - it is intentional.

Data collected by algorithms allow platforms to build a profile of every user that reduces their activity to a number of marketing buzz words. This provides a huge benefit to the platform, and allows them to sell ad-space on an individual's timeline. Because algorithms have become so good at learning and building profiles of users, these slots are worth more than the average ad space because they are so specific to a user's interests and thus it increases the likelihood of a user buying a product. In 2020, Facebook generated close to 84.2 billion U.S. dollars in ad revenues.

Even if we go out of our ways to not click on ads, they can still influence our purchasing decisions. Seeing an especially enticing ad for something you wouldn't normally buy makes you more likely to buy it. The cyberpunk trope is having an overlay of the internet implanted in your eyes, so citizens are bombarded with advertising constantly. If your average person spends most of the day on social media, is it really so different?

As another byproduct of the algorithm, we are less likely to see items that challenge our existing beliefs. This leads to us being trapped in an echo chamber that only confirms and encourages the thoughts and beliefs that we already have. The outcome of this is twofold: you are exposed to less contradictory content and as a result, we are encouraged to spend more time on the platform.

We are not in control of the content we see on social media.