Bulletin Article: Division Begets Division in the Age of Algorithmic Classification
My latest article for the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists examines how social media platforms and algorithmic curation are fundamentally fracturing society.
The online information landscape, driven in large part by social media, rewards engagement and is curated by classification algorithms. This simple combination is the problem at the heart of society’s fracturing and discord. Societal fragmentation isn’t accidental – it’s structural. Algorithms prioritizing engagement naturally amplify divisive content because controversy drives clicks and interaction. Understanding the fundamental nature of this problem is prerequisite to developing meaningful solutions.