The shift from social graphs to engagement-maximizing algorithms on social media platforms and its potential implications for ideological bubbles and content exposure is a key topic discussed.
The role of social media platform algorithms in amplifying inflammatory and inaccurate content is identified as a key factor enabling misinformation.
The episode discusses the role of social media algorithms in amplifying and promoting inflammatory and misleading content, contributing to the spread of misinformation.
The law specifically targets algorithmic content recommendations, which are seen as potentially addictive and harmful to children.
A significant portion of the episode focuses on the role played by social media algorithms in amplifying divisive and emotionally charged content, and how they contribute to the toxicity of online spaces.
The episode explores how social media algorithms and practices like shadow banning can limit artists' reach and connections with audiences.
The role of social media platform algorithms in shaping what content goes viral, and their deliberate shift around 2014-2015 to favor provocative engagement, is a core topic.
A major topic is how social media platform algorithms optimize for engagement metrics like likes, shares, and comments, shaping what content gets amplified.
The episode examines how algorithms on platforms like Instagram can contribute to the spread of problematic content and users by recommending related accounts and materials.
The concept of the 'TikTokation' of social media, where algorithms prioritize content based on interests rather than followers, is a central topic discussed.
The podcast episodes discuss how social media algorithms have fundamentally transformed the dynamics of content distribution and consumption on various platforms, with far-reaching implications for industries, politics, and society.
Several episodes explore how the shift from 'social graphs' to 'engagement-maximizing algorithms' has the potential to create ideological bubbles, amplify divisive content, and influence user perceptions and behaviors, as seen in "Why 99% Of People Can't Grow On Social Media", "EPISODE 197- Bots on the Ballot: NYU's Professor Joshua Tucker on How Tech & Marketing are Throwing Democracies Into a Spin", and "Introducing 'Lately': The Globe and Mail's business and tech podcast".
Other episodes delve into the specific impacts of social media algorithms, such as their role in promoting harmful content to minors ("The rocky road ahead for New York's new social media law", "The Grim Reality for Some Young Influencers on Instagram"), the amplification of misinformation and disinformation ("Big Tech Has Destroyed Public Trust. Can We Fix It Before the Election?", "'The death of truth' - and how to save it"), and the exploitation of human emotions and social dynamics ("coffee in the garden with my husband", "the dress").