hate

how algorithms how algorithms make us hatemake us hate

WORDS BY Chanel Trezise

Online platforms have facilitated echo chambers for ideologies and beliefs, a great deal of which are politically skewed and ethically iffy. As a result of social media algorithms and advertising, consumers are exposed to an ever narrowing and polarising personalised feed of information. However, it is polarised actors which continue a cycle of radicalisation by targeting vulnerable individuals already falling down ideological rabbit holes.

While the internet is a beautiful web of connections and information firing back and forth, its bubbly façade unwittingly exacerbates marketing ploys. Surveillance capitalism is the commodification of the news we frequent, the posts we like, and content we engage with - our data, in other words. Surveillance capitalism trivialises the abuse of privacy to provide us with personalised algorithms, tailored advertisements, groups, and sponsorships. It facilitates the eventual echo-chambers that extremist actors piggy-back on.

Because the sites we frequent generate capital, our experiences are dependent on our engagement and the commodification of our engagement. The more an individual engages with a specific type of content or ideology, the more algorithms push similar content to maximise profit.

Because it is human nature to seek connections and partnership, if an individual cannot access this in their personal life, it is not uncommon for them to reach out online. Further, it is easier to package ideas to an individual by offering them friendship and community in exchange.

In this regard, extremist groups take advantage of surveillance capitalism by endorsing a sense of exclusion and ostracisation. This fuels an othering narrative that is similarly provided by a personalised algorithm. These individuals are sold untruths to solidify and base an emotive response to isolation. However, surveillance capitalism favours this as emotive responses tend to fuel extremism. An individual who does not have the tools of critical thinking and education necessary to question misinformation and extreme biases pushed by an algorithm can easily fall prey to them. The response is emotive, not rational in nature.

For example, within the so-called incel community, lonesome men who adopt a shared ideology of the apparent discrimination and rejection of men, by women, are recruited by others who have fallen into this ideology already. It is this belief that branches into their accompanying misogynistic rationale and adopted cycle of victimhood. Incel beliefs are dependent on an emotion-fuelled narrative of perpetual victimhood. Additionally, incels often believe that they are exempt from moral reasoning because of their victimhood. Currently, individuals from the incel community have performed 11 terrorist attacks since 2014 and taken the lives of 64 people.

“hUMAn nAtUre teMpts Us to reAct to whAt we perceive As injUstice throUgh A BlAck And white lens.”

In 2015, Chris Harper-Mercer fatally shot 9 people at his university campus. Chris frequented online sites and forums, a few of which include 4chan’s /r9k/ board, a MySpace profile depicting fascist and pro-militant beliefs, and a religious dating site. While it is not conclusive that Chris’ online presence radicalised him, it is likely that it motivated his behaviour. Chris’ frequent posting, liking, and sharing of extremist material allowed him to validate his immoral beliefs and reinforce a narrative of us versus them.

Overall, modern polarisation is a by-product of skewed narratives, vulnerability, emotive irrationality, and data extortion. Human nature tempts us to react to what we perceive as injustice through a black and white lens. The othering narratives used by extremist groups, paired with the political rabbit holes facilitated by online platforms, equates to a grander, more dangerous scale of polarisation.

Hence, we need to probe irrationality to understand extremism and deconstruct its recurring characteristics. We need to challenge the data extortion on our media platforms to help those who cannot understand the mistruths and great biases before them, and do whatever possible to curb the rise of online extremism.