Echo Chamber Destruction 2.0

7 steps to overpower the machine.

Daily your views are shaped by an algorithm, an algorithm written not by people, but by learned machines. Think back over 24 hours, have you thought about a YouTube video, a Facebook post, a suggested article? Every one of those platforms utilises machine learning to suggest content to you — but you still have the power to change things. Even without throwing your router into the fireplace and moving to a cabin in the mountains.

As you scroll and digest you are getting served content with the main goal to keep you reading. How do I, an outsider (I don’t work for Google or Facebook or Amazon) know what the algorithm is doing? Pure logic and rules, when you IPO a company and sell ownership to shareholders, you pass control to them. The vast majority of shareholders bought shares to make money — ie profit. I know when I buy shares I am looking for a monetary return.

Amazon makes profit by selling you more products, Facebook and Google’s Youtube makes profit by selling ads you see and click on. Therefore each of these platforms algorithms is initially designed by people to keep you on the platform for as long as possible. Once the algorithm is created it gets passed to the machine to learn how to achieve this and set it in motion.

Over the last years, we’ve realised the preferred method of the machine is to build an echo chamber of similar content and then slowly add more extremity to keep you interested, shocked and engaged.

As we watch the news we are constantly shocked by outcomes of elections, referendums and huge groups of people doing ‘unexpected’ things. You say, “I can’t believe this happened”, “where did they come from”. What you’re seeing is genuine reality. Life outside your echo chamber. It comes as a shock because real life isn’t determined by your algorithm, unlike your world view.

Are you powerful enough to fight the algorithm? Yes, and it’ll only take 5 minutes. Here are the steps:

1. Log in to your social platforms.

2. Like and follow a politician from EVERY political party. Then read their posts as they come up.

3. Like and follow a celebrity from movies you don’t enjoy.

4. Like and follow a meme account that mocks your political views daily.

5. Like and follow a billionaire and a minimum wage worker.

6. Like and follow an opinionated person from every sexual orientation.

7. Like and follow some more writers… They are good at writing and it makes for interesting reading.

Check off the 7 steps. Stop living in your cave and experience the rich sunshine of diverse humanity.

Post the list of new people you’re following and use the hashtag #leavethecave. Let’s turn the machine against itself — that’s just funny.

PS. To read more on medium about AI and biases — try this article. I never wrote this with the intention of teaching AI as it is over my head, but rather as a practical guide on how to broaden the inputs of your life. In the past a newspaper or television editor would hopefully take the responsibility to ensure readers were getting a balanced world view — you are your own social feed editor. You need to take on this job for yourself.