Who decides what you see on social media? A person? Kind of.
But really, it’s a computer, farming for engagement above all else.
And the longer you stay online, the more money big tech companies make out of you.
The final report from the Senate inquiry looking at the mis/disinformation around climate change and energy cited a study of 315 accounts using the hashtag #ArsonEmergency during the Black Summer Bushfires.
The study revealed that a third were suspected to be bot or troll accounts.
However, real users were primarily responsible for continuing to spread these falsehoods, which were then picked up by mainstream media.
We know these algorithms are causing harm, so why doesn’t our government try and do something about it?
The National Account’s Archie Milligan has the rundown: