Depolarization Depot

Tweaks to social media feeds reduced polarizing effects

- Simon Makin

PEOPLE OFTEN BLAME Social media algorithms that prioritize extreme content for increasing political polarization, but this effect has been difficult to prove. Only the platform owners have access to their algorithms, so researchers can't identify possible tweaks to the products' behavior without the platforms' (increasingly rare) cooperation.

A study in Science not only provides compelling evidence that these algorithms cause polarization but also shows the trend can be mitigated without getting a platform's approval or removing posts.

The researchers created a browser extension that can push down or move up posts in users' X feeds that display attitudes linked to polarization, such as partisan animosity and support for undemocratic practices. The tool uses a large language model (LLM) to analyze and reorder the posts in real time.