Confusing the Algorithms, Intersectionality; politics and social media
I admit that I can relate to ‘Bob,’ the intersectional striped triangle.
According to Merrill Perman, regarding intersectionality.
“Each individual has things in common with some other individuals, a place where our interests “intersect” in a joining way.” (Columbia Journalism Review, 2021)
I can personally relate my own political beliefs to this testament.
Nervous to say out loud,
but I would consider myself a libertarian. For those unaware, most would define this political identity as fiscally conservative and socially liberal; needless to say, it’s hard being purple. I can contest the confusion my beliefs cause on social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook, and not just among my peers. Explicitly I am referring to the algorithm confusion these social media sites experience based on interactions. Hence, my shock to come across Blue Feed, Red Feed (Wall Street Journal).
Take a look,
This intriguing interactive visualization tool by Jon Keegan shows the effects of Facebook’s sorting algorithm. I learned that users’ news feeds are affected based on the determination of users’ personal preferences, such as the “about me” section, in personal political affiliation. I had no idea that my political choice was affecting my feed, more so, why, It was so far, right? When I clearly am in the middle?
According to the American Press Institute,
“Facebook plays a preeminent role in the news and information lives of all Millennials across ethnic groups”(American Press Institute, 2015).
Sadly, I was not surprised to learn that Facebook is highly preferable for news amongst millennials. However, I was shocked to learn that youtube is not more popular amongst all ethnic groups for retrieving info. According to the American Press Review data,
“Both African Americans and Hispanics, for instance, are more likely than whites to get news and information at least once a day from YouTube.”(American Press Institute, 2015).
I found this curious. I often use YouTube for news because that’s the best way to watch directly, (in my opinion) either via C.Span or the White House Press channel.
References:
American Press Institute. (2015, August 21). Race, ethnicity, and the use of social media for news. American Press Institute. https://www.americanpressinstitute.org/publications/reports/survey-research/race-ethnicity-social-media-news/
Columbia Journalism Review. (2021). The origin of the term “intersectionality” (M. Perman, Ed.). Columbia Journalism Review. https://www.cjr.org/language_corner/intersectionality.php
Keegan, J. (2016, May 17). Blue Feed, Red Feed. WSJ. http://graphics.wsj.com/blue-feed-red-feed/#/president-trump
