How do the algorithms of Facebook and Instagram affect what you see in your news feed? To find out, Guardian Australia unleashed them on a completely blank smartphone linked to a new, unused email address.

Three months later, without any input, they were riddled with sexist and misogynistic content.

Initially Facebook served up jokes from The Office and other sitcom-related memes alongside posts from 7 News, Daily Mail and Ladbible. A day later it began showing Star Wars memes and gym or “dudebro”-style content.

By day three, “trad Catholic”-type memes began appearing and the feed veered into more sexist content.

Three months later, The Office, Star Wars, and now The Boys memes continue to punctuate the feed, now interspersed with highly sexist and misogynistic images that have have appeared in the feed without any input from the user.

  • CosmoNova@lemmy.world
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    4 months ago

    I mean it‘s the exact same if you visit Youtube without an account or cookies. The Internet has become a swamp of right wing and neoliberal populism that kicks down on minorities and people with lower than average income in general. The insane amount of completely made up rage bait stories that you get recommended is just unfathomable.

    I think it‘s gotten to a point where it needs to be regulated how many lies a site can throw at you at the same time and I don‘t say this lightly. I just see no other way to get this mind eating populist machine under control.

    • BlackLaZoR@kbin.run
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      4 months ago

      right wing and neoliberal populism

      Or maybe you just live in a swamp of left wing and radical socialism?

      • ℍ𝕂-𝟞𝟝@sopuli.xyz
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        4 months ago

        That’s just the Netherlands.

        • wealth taxes ✓
        • insanely good infrastructure ✓
        • reasonable worker’s rights ✓
        • an actual swamp ✓
          • jpreston2005@lemmy.world
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            4 months ago

            Capitalism, like every other form society takes, is inherently flawed. Power pools, and every system eventually falls into oligarchy. The only way to prevent this, is strong social welfare programs enacted with regularity. This is proven mathematically, here.

            The only reason capitalism works there is because of their strong social welfare programs.

            You’re wrong.

            • BlackLaZoR@kbin.run
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              4 months ago

              I can’t take this model seriously - it assumes that economy is a zero sum game. If an economy actually was the zero sum game, then where all the wealth came from???

              To be clear, I absolutely agree with the title - inequality is 100% unavoidable, but for completely different reasons.

              • jpreston2005@lemmy.world
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                4 months ago

                then where all the wealth came from

                are you being serious right now, is this a real question? In the age of cryptocurrency you’re asking this question.

                • BlackLaZoR@kbin.run
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                  4 months ago

                  is this a real question?

                  I’m trying to point out the massive hole in the reasoning behind linked paper

                  In the age of cryptocurrency you’re asking this question.

                  Cryptocurrencies are barely relevant here

                  Edit: Wait. Are you a university student? What did they tell you about where the wealth is coming from? I’m genuinely curious to know.

          • ℍ𝕂-𝟞𝟝@sopuli.xyz
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            4 months ago

            Well, that just evidences that the only good way to do capitalism is with a wealth tax and unlimited paid sick leave.

    • Ismay@programming.dev
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      4 months ago

      Youtube shorts are the worst. I am transgender so my historic is really not right wing

      30mins on shorts and I end up in Shapiro’s Dreamland. It’s a nightmare