I am a simple man; when I see a cat video coming by on YouTube shorts recommendations I click on it. For a whole 25 seconds, I am satisfied with the quick dopamine rush of seeing a cat being rescued and given a home, but my reflexes have already been trained to drag the screen with an upward motion, as Pavlov had done with his dogs. Besides animal and cooking videos, I am also interested in history and news, muddling my media profile and my place in their algorithm. This means that after scrolling for 2 hours, when it barely felt like 10 minutes, I am stared at by one of a few faces.
Suddenly I keep getting pieces of some Joe Rogan podcast denying the existence of climate change, Ben Shapiro wailing on the American poor for supporting abortion, or Andrew Tate with a hardstyle remix saying men should rule the household.
The Anti-Intellectuals
Now I count myself lucky to understand the bullshit of their argumentation and their methodology of “saying something agreeable” like “men’s mental health is important” or “we have to be open-minded”, to go to the most ridiculous statements and see who has been reeled in. However, this method seems to work for a considerable number of people who now take their ideas and reject the opinions of experts in those fields. This is partly because to many it feels like “if the message is so simple, it must be true”, but also because many of the world-class experts and leading academics, have yet to move on from newspapers as their primary form of public engagement. This is changing, as many scholars and scientists have taken their expertise to the podcasting business, but they have entered the stage of social media, an arena that moves with blinding speeds, far too late. Much has been lost and many systems of government have been affected by the leaders of ignorance, such as the Netherlands with its looming budget cuts to education and increased xenophobia.
Populist narratives
It is not just influencers who have learned how to use this approach. It is the method used by political movements across the world, all across the political spectrum. But the ones who managed to make the best use of it are the populist parties, as their message tells not how you should feel, as various progressive political parties try, but why you feel how you feel. As a result of the neoliberal weakening of social welfare, the increased power of large financial institutions, and the resulting quest for ever-increasing shareholder profits, the living conditions for many people have worsened. Absolute necessities like housing have become a luxury and wages have stagnated. While the populist parties use the consequences of this process for their benefit, they do not attack the process itself. They use the algorithms of social media to tell that living conditions are worsening, something that many people rightfully believe. But then they continue to blame it on immigrants who had no hand in this process at all, just because they are an easy scapegoat who have no means to strike at them. This method has been used by political figures like Donald Trump, Geert Wilders, Marie le Pen, Nigel Farage, and many more all across the world.
“They are eating the dogs” – Donald Trump
The hand that feeds them
These political leaders have masterfully and unsubtly made use of a system created by the major social media companies, but they are in turn also used by these social media giants like TikTok and Meta, as these algorithms still do exactly what they were meant to do. Maximizing viewer engagements, data profiling and advertisements are the only reasons for these algorithms to exist, and they are amazing at it. Because when I see a blatant lie told by Ben Shapiro, you can bet I will write a paragraph on his mistakes. Yet, through this act of engagement, I am throwing oil on the fire of his message, even when engaging negatively. “All publicity is good publicity” is the name of the game for these algorithms, and will still quell their boundless appetite for the precious time that people have on this Earth. As these polarizing figures will guarantee a reaction no matter which side of the political spectrum you find yourself on, they generate an increasing audience for their messages. Once again starting with the the bait of understanding to lure you in, until you are so deep into the sunk cost of time and agreement that letting go of their hooks is an improbability.
Conclusion
Out of desperation, I have sent an email to a European Commissioner of “A Europe fit for a Digital Age” asking for the ban on shorts and algorithms partly for this very reason (to which I never got a response). Countries seem to entirely ignore the shenanigans of the major media companies, besides the occasional fine that they have to pay. The political system has returned to accepting xenophobic populist sentiments. It has been normalized by the population at large, through the mechanisms of algorithms. Outrage is great for the bottom line. As populist parties are making rapid gains, such as the PVV in the Netherlands, the Reform Party in the UK, Front Nationale in France, and AfD in Germany, the chances of reform of this algorithmic system are less and less likely. These parties are reliant on the effectiveness of their propaganda machines and the dissatisfaction of the population. Will their opposition strike at the heart of the algorithms before these parties do irreparable harm to their respectable systems, or are we simply ignorant of the fact that the algocracy is already here?
Note of the author: This was written in immense frustration of the political developments over the past decade and out of spite for the sitting government of the Netherlands. While the message is bleak, I do not believe the complete collapse of democracy is at hand.
Sources:
Image 1: https://variety.com/2022/digital/news/joe-rogan-rejected-donald-trump-interviews-1235309192/
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