Is Social Media Responsible For The Election Results?
While not strictly discussing the controversial 2016 presidential election, the article entitled “Facebook shows you what you want to see post-election” encompasses the effect that technology has on divisive issues. The article makes the important point about the popular social media: Facebook knows what we want to see so it “shows you more of the same”. This understanding, in essence, represents the driving force behind information cascades. When a string of people respond to some signal in the same way, everyone after them tend to respond in the same way. What we see with Facebook, in particular, is confirmation bias. We only see the information that corresponds to our views. Especially in the post-election period, we see either celebratory remarks or words of sorrow and anger depending on the filters that Facebook has developed.
The article recognizes that the main issue that Facebook imposes on users is not the ability to trust information, but belief and trust in the people who are sharing the information. This detached bias coincides with the concept of information cascades because we may not have the full picture, but we have the ability to trust the people sharing the information. Over the past year, the article reveals that social media became very personalized and created an environment where people can developed similar beliefs. In addition, false information may have easily spread, but again, we believe in how trustworthy people around us responded to it. So, we responded in the same way without having access to every piece of information. The article implies that the American population underestimated the outcome of the election due to the development of the confirmation bias. We see what we want to see and support those who’s views are in line with our own. However, we must also consider the deliberate role of social media in encouraging this behavior. Because of this, many question the responsibility that Facebook and other social media websites should take as a result of the election.
http://money.cnn.com/2016/11/09/technology/filter-bubbles-facebook-election/