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Turning on the ‘for you’ feed on X shifted political opinions, but turning it off did not
A study in Nature examines how X's (formerly Twitter) feed algorithm influences political views and polarization.
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A study in Nature examines how X's (formerly Twitter) feed algorithm influences political views and polarization.
A study found that X's algorithm shifts users' political views toward conservatism by promoting conservative content and demoting traditional media. Switching to the algorithmic feed increased engagement and conservative opinions, but switching back had no effect. The algorithm's influence persists by changing who users follow.
Timsort is a fast hybrid sorting algorithm that combines merge sort and insertion sort. It divides data into runs, sorts them with insertion sort, then merges them efficiently. It's optimized for real-world data, often running in linear time on partially sorted inputs.
A 2023 study found that using X's 'For You' algorithmic feed for seven weeks shifted users' political views and priorities toward conservatism, an effect that persisted. The algorithm boosted conservative content while demoting traditional media.
Former Meta exec Brian Boland testified that the company prioritized growth and profit over user safety, driven by a culture of "move fast and break things." He became a public critic after losing faith in its leadership.
Algorithms now dominate human forecasting, driven by profit and mathematical rationality. This raises concerns about power and control, shaping our lives with potentially harmful consequences.