Social Media algorithms help sort the feeds on social media and allow platforms to cater to the posts and feed that a person will see based on what they like. Algorithms are beneficial for Social Media companies to create feeds and show content to people who follow their specific interests. When people want posts or follow new accounts, they can be matched with content that they would be interested in or new content that has similarities to their interests. It can also help sorting results from searches and order posts based on the topic’s most relevant results. Using things like hashtags can help move posts onto the feeds of people interested in the content, also tagging other groups with similar accounts or topics.
There are ways to get around Social Media algorithms, but most companies have them embedded in their platforms. One way to see new content is to look through the main explore page that most Social Media groups have. While this page will be catered to the viewer’s general interests, they will most likely also find new topics of interest. Another option is to look up new types of posts that are not the traditional content that a person would look at to mix up the feed. Algorithms are wonderful if the content is appropriately catered to users and provides them with the range they are interested in. One of the issues with this is how the algorithms work to give the users the content they are interested in will often put up targeted advertisements that people may not enjoy viewing or feel uncomfortable with how specific these ads are.
Online silos make it, so a user’s feed only shows one perspective on their beliefs and opinions. While this may be easier for the user to digest and agree with, it is not always the best thing. People can get trapped in their ideologies and never see or learn about the other sides of issues or groups. This can cause people to become even more hostile towards others with differing opinions. A way to avoid being stuck in an internet silo is to look at news companies with different viewpoints and opinions. This can show people differences between their opinions and broaden their views. Another to get out of the online silos is by looking at platforms that are much more moderate or ranked in the middle of the spectrum to get less biased reporting or information.
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