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I have for the last 11 years talked about the problem with user profiling and algorithmic content. Creation of echo chambers and the ability to easily manipulate what people see for marketing purposes and worse. Even made a cat video to try to make the point. I wish more would see this.
The point is not for political parties to see the potential here, but rather to see the risk. The only way to fix this is to ban user profiling.
You have made a good choice to move the the Fediverse. It would help for more of your friends to join us.
https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2024/11/09/social-media-traditional-news-elections-00188548
#Politics #fediverse #Mastodon @EUCommission #Privacy #Twitter #Facebook #USPol #USPolitics
@jon Thanks for this post - it's probably one of the two main reasons I chose to join Fedi. I know, however, that follower/following dynamics can cause echo chambers, albeit ones that are much more visible and less abusive than those subtly formed by profiling.
Do you have any advice for minimizing these echo chambers, or when an echo chamber may become a problem rather than just being a convenient portal to a common interest?
@WebCoder49 , I strongly believe that we need to ban profiling. That can help reduce echo chambers and make manipulation of opinions harder.
I have been so long on the Internet that I know that what we have today was not a problem to the same extent before. We had forums and groups, but you would see what you wanted to see and were not force fed angry and misleading opinions.
David Sommerseth Regarding the risk of echo chambers: I believe that can be a risk in the fediverse too - but not due to algorithmic influence and booster of posts.
In the fediverse it depends a lot on who you follow and which topics you're paying attention too. If you only follow people and topics close to your own viewpoints, that can easily end up as a echo chamber as well.
So I advice you to also follow people who you normally disagree with. You may filter out the extreme/radical voices, but at least follow some viewpoints which challenges your own ones. Viewpoints which makes you wonder and question, and engage in discussions if it's not too heated. And be open to admit you might not sit on the only truth. Try to understand why others have a different viewpoint than you have.
That way you get check points towards your own stand points. Which helps you avoid the echo chamber.
But it's a hard challenge. Because we all usually choose the convenient and easy paths. And that's the main "selling point" of the echo chambers. You don't need to reflect on yourself and why you have a certain standpoint.
@jon @EUCommission I work with AI/LLMs alot. It is relatively easy to spot bias when it is spoken out loud; it's more insidious when things are hidden and omitted. Google Gemini and ChatGPT will not answer questions about White, Wealthy, Conservative Men. Google and the tech oligarchs have an agenda.