What is it about?
Online platforms for social interactions are an essential part of modern society. With the advance of technology and the rise of algorithms and AI, content is now filtered systematically, facilitating the formation of filter bubbles. This work investigates the social consensus under limited visibility of neighbors using an opinion model on scale-free networks.
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Why is it important?
Social media promotes personalized advertisements while engaging its audience and users via sophisticated algorithms and social filters. However, a natural consequence of such market strategy is the fabrication of a synthetic majority by amplifying certain content and viewpoints. Content filtering on social media can promote the formation of filter bubbles and polarization, where users are more likely to receive content that aligns with their current beliefs. This environment can isolate affected users, making them believe specific opinions are the most prevalent, even if this is not the case. A dangerous impact of a mainly profit-based advertising algorithm is the manipulation of information flow, which can distort public perception. In particular, making minority opinions appear dominant and thereby influencing social and political paradigms in ways that may not accurately reflect the broader population’s views.
Perspectives
Our investigation reveals the potential conditions social media users may experience due to filtering algorithms. Users can be influenced to consume specific content more frequently, shaping their views and creating opportunities to manipulate public opinion, impacting society in various social, political, environmental and economic aspects. However, filtering content can also diminish incorrect information, fake news, dangerous content, and discriminatory material from social media, enhancing the platform’s sociability and security. We highlight that open filtering policies may improve the overall impact of the online social community while building a reliable source of information and fair conviviality. Despite the secret nature of proprietary social media filtering technologies, we suggest their disclosure could enhance the stable and peaceful development of modern society while still preserving expressive financial profits.
André L. M. Vilela
Universidade de Pernambuco
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Consensus effects of social media synthetic influence groups on scale-free networks, Chaos Solitons & Fractals, August 2025, Elsevier,
DOI: 10.1016/j.chaos.2025.116479.
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