Sharing your political view on Facebook probably won’t change anyone’s opinions. In fact, regardless of whether your friends agree or disagree, sharing news articles likely to make their beliefs even stronger. The reason is confirmation bias, our tendency to emphasize information that supports our views, and minimize anything contradictory. Due to confirmation bias, the same news story can serve to strengthen opinions on opposing sides of an issue.
The news stories that get the most traffic on social media, are from conservative and liberal outlets. News from middle of the road, less biased sources just doesn’t get our attention as in the same way. Once those biased articles make onto Facebook, they circulate through shares, likes, and comments. Each time you interact with a post, it tells Facebook’s algorithms a little more about what you want to see.
Facebook’s goal is to create a newsfeed for each user that’s brimming with posts and stories that person enjoys. That’s what keeps us coming back. Unfortunately, when we only see the information we like, it filters out dissenting opinions, and narrows our view of the world. This can create a echo chamber of like-minded people, and build more division between opposing viewpoints.
The problem of confirmation bias is magnified by social media, leading to viral spread of misinformation and fake news. In fact, when the volume of information grows large enough, people will stop thinking critically and fact checking, and instead simply believe what they read.
Learn more about confirmation bias and how to avoid it in this infographic:
Infographic Courtesy of Psych Degrees http://www.psychdegrees.org/confirmation-bias/