Fighting The Algorithm, Echo Chambers, and Negative Bias

One comment that I constantly hear is how negative the news and social media can be. What most people don’t understand is that there is a reason for that, and there is something that an individual can do to stop it, as well as slowly change the way others view the world. I am also a moderator on an Eagle Mountain page that has over 14K members. And I have noticed on that page that the positive posts get little to no interaction while the negative posts get more interaction than is needed.

First, let us define a few terms. In the title, I used the terms Algorithm, Echo Chambers, and Negative bias. I want to spend just a couple of minutes defining each term so that as the reader you understand where I am coming from. Some of these terms are used in different contexts so I would like to set the context for this article for you.

The Algorithm

There have been a few movies that have poked fun at “The Algorithm” but it is a real thing. The majority of online media companies as well as search engine giants use an Algorithm to define what you see and what advertisements you are forced to see while online. The companies keep their Algorithms a secret creating what some would refer to as a black box. A device that is there, everyone knows about it but has no idea exactly how it works. But there are a couple of things that are universal with them all. If you interact with the article, post, website, etc they notice, and that item will be shown to more people, and will actually define what you will see. If you spend time on it, like it, share it, then the different sites’ Algorithm will mark it as something you find important and interesting. So in the future, the Algorithm will add more things like it on your wall and feeds. Just remember, everything you do online is monitored and watched, and used for some type of Algorithm in the future. It also influences what it will show to others as well.

Echo Chambers

GCF Global is an organization that “has helped millions around the world learn the essential skills they need to live and work in the 21st century.” They define an Echo Chamber in their Digital Midea Literacy section as “an environment where a person only encounters information or opinions that reflect and reinforce their own. Echo chambers can create misinformation and distort a person’s perspective so they have difficulty considering opposing viewpoints and discussing complicated topics. They’re fueled in part by confirmation bias, which is the tendency to favor info that reinforces existing beliefs.” They also tie it into The Algorithm and a process called Bubble Filtering. “The Internet also has a unique type of echo chamber called a filter bubble. Filter bubbles are created by algorithms that keep track of what you click on. Websites will then use those algorithms to primarily show you content that’s similar to what you’ve already expressed interest in. This can prevent you from finding new ideas and perspectives online.”

You cannot completely eliminate Echo Chambers, and I would say that not all Echo Chambers can be bad. What you do online will influence what is in your Echo Chamber.

Negative Bias

I could spend an entire article on this topic. Basically, there are studies that show that news media and other forms of communication have a negative bias. This bias is not necessarily the fault of the news outlets, but a response to market demand. And there is a psychological aspect to why this is the case. A September 2019 study by Stuart Soroka titled “Cross-national evidence of a negativity bias in psychophysiological reactions to news” illustrated this point and also shows that it is not just an American thing, but a Human thing. The study states, “News coverage of current affairs is predominantly negative. American accounts of this tendency tend to focus on journalistic practices, but this cannot easily account for negative news content around the world. It is more likely that negativity in news is a product of a human tendency to be more attentive to negative news content. Just how widespread is this tendency? Our evidence suggest that, all around the world, the average human is more physiologically activated by negative than by positive news stories.” I have seen this time and time again on this site. If I publish a feel-good article about a resident doing good things it gets noticed, but no interaction happens on the article. But if I post something that has a negative implication the opposite happens, the article gets a lot of interaction and will be shared with others.

Bringing it all together

If you want to have a happier, more positive experience online, you need to train The Algorithm, modify your Echo Chamber, and minimize the influence of Negative Bias. This is how you do it.

If you see a positive article, or item on your social media feed/wall, make sure you like it, share it, and comment on it. If you see a negative item, don’t take the time to validate it. Move on without a share, like, or comment. If you do that, then The Algorithm will start showing you more positive items and the feel of your feed/wall will change. The more you interact with the positive things, the more The Algorithm will change and maintain a positive experience for you.

Yes, there are other things in play here. There are ad monies that also influence what the Algorithm displays. But over time that will also change. If the negative items stop getting the attention that the companies are paying for, then they eventually will shift from paying for negative items to paying for positive items. If enough people do this, then eventually negativity will not be profitable.

Yes, it is against our nature to take action on the positive and leave the negative, but if we make a concerted effort to do so it will eventually make a change in society. It has been said that the reason you respond to negative items is that your survival may depend on acting on them. We feel threatened, so it pulls up the urge to act on it to protect ourselves. But honestly, there are a few things that you see online that your survival is dependent on. Just look the other way and scroll past.

Even if this small thing does not change society, it makes your little corner of the web more positive and increases the happiness level of your Echo Chamber. If you are going to be stuck in a chamber, wouldn’t it be better for it to be a positive than a negative experience?

Positive Feedback is Better than Negative Feedback

Let us take this one step further. I propose that if you focus on the good people present instead of the bad or negative they present that society as a whole will improve and move forward. To support this idea, I turn to a study done by Daniel S. Kirschenbaum. He has done a lot of work on Child Obesity but also has done some work in the sports arena. The work I want to focus on at this point is one he did for Bowling and improving a Bowlers game. In 1982 he did a study entitled “Effects of differential self-monitoring and level of mastery on sports performance: Brain power bowling“. This study took some inexperienced bowlers and had them bowl. While they were bowling they recorded what they did with video. After they finished they then sat them down in two groups to give them advice on how to improve their bowling game. One group focused on the positive things they did. They concentrated on Strikes and Spares instead of the dreaded gutter balls. In the second group, they showed them their gutter balls and the other things they did wrong. They then had them all bowl for 30 days. At the end of the 30 days, the group that was shown the positive things improved their game better than the group that was only shown the negative things they did.