The Bubble Effect:

T. Williams
Sep 9, 2018 · 4 min read

How Homophily in Social Media Use Can Create Isolation

I Like You Because You Are like Me

Aristotle said it best when he made the statement that “people love those who are like themselves” (McPherson, 2001, p.2). It is an innate desire to be drawn to people and things that are similar to ourselves. It can even be seen in young school children that form friendships faster with those who they have demographic characteristics in common with (McPherson, 2001). It is a concept known as homophily, which states that interactions between similar individuals are more likely to occur than between dissimilar individuals (McPherson, 2001). https://medium.com/@twilliams546/an-ostrich-of-the-same-flock-why-we-like-people-like-us-4ab0f997100e In regard to social media use, people tend to gravitate more towards the similar than the dissimilar.

Living in a Bubble

The desire to want to connect to likeminded people is a contributing fact to how social media is used, and in turn, how social media responds to the user. We “like”, view and share things that speak to what our beliefs and interests are. Social media sites track this information and use algorithms to filter out anything that is not “relevant” to the users’ interests (Agrawal, 2016). While this may filter out a lot of useless nonsense, it also will not show you things that are opposing what you like. If you are a Minnesota Vikings fan, then the site will not show you anything Green Bay Packers related. If you are a vegetarian, then post about the best way to cook a steak will not pop up on your feed. While this type of screening can have it’s, it comes with drawbacks as well. Constant homophily in social media use can lead to what is known as isolation. Only being shown things that are “relevant” to you means that you are being exposed to beliefs and ideas that you already agree with (O’Connell, 2016). This creates sort of a vacuum effect. The individuals then start to think that if so many others believe, think, or feel like this, then it must be true. With no other viewpoints being presented to them, it can cause ideological segregation (O’Connell, 2016).

Isolation can also lead to misinformation. On social media, information is being transmitted and consumed at lightning speed. It only takes a matter of moments for one wrong piece of information to spread like wildfire. In a recent study conducted on Twitter, false information was retweeted six times more that correct information (Markman, 2017). If an individual’s social media experience is isolated, and they see this misinformation repeatedly, they are likely to believe that “if this many people are saying it, then it must be true.” Once misinformation is spread, it is hard to correct. Constant exposure to something causes one to think extensively about it, thus committing it to memory (Markman, 2017). Once it is part of an individual’s memory, the misinformation becomes harder to debunk later (Markman, 2017). This misinformation due to isolation can influence everything from what foods people choose to eat to how they vote in an election.

The More You Know

There are a few methods that can be used to avoid the pitfalls that extreme homophily in social media use can cause. One of those things is to be well informed. When viewing information on social media, users should first look at where the information is coming from. Is the source credible? Does the creator have certain allegiances that would cause them to present a biased point of view? It is also important to recognize one’s own biases and do things to circumvent them. As a social media consumer, when you keep coming across the same content repeatedly, make it a point to seek out content that comes from an opposing viewpoint. Also, do not just rely on social media as the only outlet for information. Read newspapers, scholarly journal articles, watch television programs or speak to other people who do not necessarily have the same ideals as you. These measures can help to prevent the social media “bubble” effect.

References

Agrawal, A. (2016, April 20). What Do Social Media Algorithms Mean For You? Retrieved from Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/ajagrawal/2016/04/20/what-do-social-media-algorithms-mean-for-you/#3770c54da515

Markman, A. (2017, November 28). Getting Rid of Misinformation Is Hard. Retrieved from Pyschology Today: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/ulterior-motives/201711/getting-rid-misinformation-is-hard

McPherson, M., Smith-Lovin, L., & Cook, J. M. (2001). BIRDS OF A FEATHER: Homophily in Social Media Networks. Annual Review of Sociology, 27, 415–444.

O’Connell, J. (2016, July 7). Trapped in social media ‘echo chambers’. Retrieved from Phys.org: https://phys.org/news/2016-07-social-media-echo-chambers.html

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