Why the news we see online isn't always what we think it is

Now we’re in lockdown, our phones are becoming even more of a BFF than they were already.

Amongst the TikToks and the virtual meet ups we’re all desperate for information and news from the outside world; from when the lockdown might end to wondering if your pet dog can catch coronavirus. But what if you are only seeing part of the story?

The news and information you see in your social media feeds is not always exactly what it seems.

The news stories that appear on search engines and social media are tailored to your personal information, which is collected through:

• your search history
• online shopping habits
• platforms you use
• details passed on when signing up to things online
• your privacy settings

All this is used to inform the algorithms that decide what you see. Think of it as a recipe that is used to give you what it thinks you want, based on all the things you’ve searched before. It learns from your behaviour online.

When online choices are made for us, it’s important to know and understand all the processes behind them, as well as what we can do to control what we see.

Here’s a little rundown of things to be aware of so you can see a balanced view of life.

Confirmation bias

Confirmation bias is the habit of favouring ideas and beliefs that we already have. For example, if there’s a subject at school you dislike, you’ll be more likely to agree with anything that backs up your own opinion that it’s bad.

In a similar way, we often read news that confirms what we already think, rather than stories that offer alternative opinions and views that might challenge what we think, or offer understanding on how others think.

When it comes to false stories or information online, we are more likely to believe stories that support what we already believe – even if they aren’t true. Similarly, we might ignore real news stories because they don’t fit in with our beliefs. Memes or funny photos that confirm what we already believe in seem funnier than those that don’t.

To help get around confirmation bias, try looking out for ideas that challenge your existing beliefs, or consider other perspectives about what you already think. Surrounding yourself with a diverse group of people with different opinions can also help.

Echo chambers

An echo chamber is an environment where we only encounter information or opinions that reflect and reinforce our own. Echo chambers can distort our perspective and view of the world making it more difficult to understand opposing viewpoints.

Echo chambers can be found everywhere online, from forums to comment sections. We often feel comfortable in echo chambers, as they’re full of people who think similarly to us and help us learn more about beliefs we already have. It’s like hanging out with a group of friends and forgetting there are other people who think differently.

We might find ourselves in echo chambers because of confirmation bias, as we want to have our existing beliefs verified by others. And just like with confirmation bias, echo chambers can help spread false stories. If you share a story that appeals to everyone else, it can spread much faster – even if it isn’t true.

You can escape from echo chambers by looking at other points of view from places you wouldn’t ordinarily visit. You don’t necessarily have to get the exact opposite opinion to your own – sometimes this can be counter-productive and lead you back in to the echo chamber.

Try looking at perspectives that are slightly different to yours and keep an open mind, it will be a much more comfortable transition that way.

Filter bubbles

You may have heard the terms ‘echo chamber’ and ‘filter bubbles’ used in the same way, but there is a distinction between the two. An echo chamber is the way in which we only encounter information from like-minded people. A filter bubble is a space where our previous online behaviour (search history, likes, shares and shopping habits) influences what we see online and on our social media feeds and in what order.

Filter bubbles allow false stories to spread quickly, as stories and posts that appeal to us take priority on our feeds. If we don’t verify them and share them without fact-checking, the story spreads into other people’s filter bubbles and the process repeats itself.

To help burst the bubble, try following different accounts that you might disagree with and search for different sources online to widen your search history. It’s also good to go offline occasionally and have conversations with friends, family and other people in real life in order to escape your filter bubble.

Where next?