We Are What We Have in Common

In an effort to not make generalizations, I won’t say that everyone wants to be like or feel as though they belong. But, most of us do. Most people want to feel included in some sort of group and seek to establish their identity based on these groups. Whether it is by political, religious or social affiliations, that is how we seek to define our identities. Think about it, how often do you hear people say “ I’m a Republican” and expect you to identity their beliefs based on that one statement? Social media is no different. There are so many groups of like-minded individuals that it is hard to keep track. That explains the concept of homophily. The connections are based on similar values, views and goals.
It’s no secret that all data is collected by online sources. The data is complied of search engines, click bait ads and the like. These algorithms are used by just about every social media site. The amount of posts that are liked and viewed as well as those that are ignored are all tracked. The purpose of the tracking is to provide ads and other content that is relevant to the users interests and belief. According to Facebook, they want to make sure that people receive the content they actually care about (Agrawal, 2016).
Providing content that users care about is great for businesses, which explains how the use of tracking is important. This is where social media creates homophily. This can benefit businesses as well as provide a better user experience. Statistics can be sold or used for marketing and “they can their data and marketing expertise in order to reach a targeted audience, as opposed to anyone who happens to be on Facebook at the time”(Agrawal, 2016).
While social media has many positive aspects such as socialization and information. The potential risks arise when the information and socialization are false, libelous and hateful. One way to ensure that users can avoid those pitfalls is to make sure the information that they are sharing is fact-checked. Also, while homophily is understood and accepted, it should never be used to bully or silence any other group that has opposing views and beliefs.
References:
Agrawal, A. (2016, Apr 20). What Do Social Media Algorithms Mean For You?Retrieved from Forbes.com: https://www.forbes.com/sites/ajagrawal/2016/04/20/what-do-social-media-algorithms-mean-for-you/#30e24e8ba515
McPherson, M., Smith-Lovin, L., & Cook, J. M. (2001). Birds of a feather: Homophily in social networks. Annual Review of Sociology, 27(1), 415–444. doi:10.1146/annurev.soc.27.1.415