Rank by Reaction
Posts with strong likes, comments, and watch time get pushed to the top, even if they’re oversimplified, emotional, or misleading.
SOCIAL MEDIA EFFECTS
How Feeds Shape What We See
From algorithms to echo chambers, this page walks through how platforms filter information long before we ever decide to vote. All of the ideas here are connected to the studies and reports summarized on the Data & Evidence page.
What Algorithms Actually Do
Platforms rank posts based on engagement, not accuracy or balance. That changes what shows up at the top of your feed and which political ideas feel “normal.”
Learn Your Preferences
The system quietly tracks what you pause on, share, or save and learns which topics keep you scrolling the longest.
Narrow the Feed
Over time, your feed shrinks to a small slice of everything online, making some viewpoints feel “normal” and others almost invisible.
Echo Chambers in Action
Many people mostly see viewpoints that fit their existing beliefs. Over time, that can make disagreement feel rare, extreme, or even dangerous — especially when every screen looks the same.
Signs you might be in an echo chamber:
- You rarely see posts you strongly disagree with.
- Opposing views mostly appear as screenshots used to make fun of them.
- It feels like “everyone” you know online agrees with you about politics.
Key Takeaways
Feeds are curated — you never see “everything.”
Algorithms reward strong reactions and watch time, not accuracy or fairness.
Echo chambers can make extreme views feel more common and more “normal” than they really are.
Knowing how your feed works helps you be an intentional voter instead of a passive scroller.
Where to Go Next
Now that you’ve seen how feeds work, you can dig into the research behind these ideas or turn what you learned into an actual voting plan.
See the Research
Visit the Data & Evidence page for short, readable breakdowns of the main studies and real-world cases behind this project.
Go to Data & Evidence →Turn It Into Action
Use the Take Action page to slow down your feed, double-check information, and make a real voting plan.
Go to Take Action →