Is Social Media Polarizing The Conversations We Have With Others?

I’ve written about this one before. I’ve even left Facebook for a while. Admitted, I’m back, but never got really excited about participating in somebody else’s platform. I failed to see how it would benefit me or the people I was connecting with, other than exchanging vacation pictures (but there’s better ways to share pictures, too). Are social media likes about actually liking something – or seeing something that’s, like you?

The problem with social media is that it is anti-social. Think about it. When is the last time you saw someone publicly change their mind on social media? It doesn’t happen. The endless and instant sharing of opinions illustrates well how everyone’s view of reality is very different, but only polarizes the sharing of opposing opinions more. Algorithms by their very nature will enhance that polarization.

My first bot: polarizing conversations

When I was in university, I launched an experimental chat bot on good-old ICQ (remember that one?). It was my take on what …