How Social Media Algorithms Shape Our Thinking and Beliefs
- Inaya Soni
- Oct 12, 2025
- 4 min read
Social media is something we use everyday without thinking much about how it really works behind the screen. Whether it’s something like TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, or even FaceBook, what we see is quite often chosen for us by algorithm. These algorithms decide what we watch, read, and even believe; it’s all based on what we’ve clicked on before. While these algorithms do seem to be helpful at times, they can also shape our thinking in ways we don’t always know and realise. This article will explore how social media algorithms can affect our opinions, beliefs, and even our mental health, using real studies, facts, and even expert research.
An academic paper done by ResearchGate, with the title “The role of social media algorithms in shaping public opinion during political campaigns” explores how algorithms affect users’ political opinions during elections. It shows how algorithms learn users’ preferences and reinforce existing beliefs. Some statistics that were mentioned were that in 2022, 64% of Americans got news from social media; Facebook’s algorithm update in 2018 prioritised content with strong emotional reactions and this created divisiveness; YouTube's algorithm was responsible for 70% of the videos that users watched and these videos were mostly aligned with users’ past views; the paper warns about filter bubbles – when users only see similar opinions, making it harder to think critically; campaigns use algorithms to target voters more precisely with persuasive messaging.
PMC wrote a peer reviewed scientific paper called “Social Drivers and Algorithmic Mechanisms on Digital Media”. This paper mentions how 80% of users on Facebook mainly engage with content that supports their own opinions. It also mentions how misinformation spreads six times faster than truth based on a cited MIT study, and emotional content spreads three times faster than neutral content. Algorithms learn from user activity and adjust what they show, creating reinforcing feedback loops. Overall, this research paper explains how social behaviors and algorithm design work together. Platforms reward content that creates emotional reactions and shares, even if the information is false.
Northwestern University did a research summary article, “Social Media Algorithms Exploit How Humans Learn from Their Peers”. This article introduces the PRIME content, Prestige (celebrity/influencer status), Related to one’s in-group (e.g., same political beliefs), Involving morality, Made to be emotional, and Easy to understand. Algorithms show PRIME content more because people are more likely to react and share it. This leads to social amplification, where one viewpoint dominates. It suggests platforms should clearly explain why certain posts are recommended to users. This article explains that algorithms take advantage of how humans naturally learn from others in their group. Platforms boost content with emotional or moral content because it grabs attention.
Bipartisan Policy Center did a tech report on “The pros and cons of social media algorithms”. This report looks at both benefits and harms of social media algorithms. It provides balanced evidence to help policymakers regulate platforms. The tech report gives information on what social media algorithms do. It shows many things, such as how social media use has been linked to a 35% increase in depression in teens due to algorithmic content loops. It also mentions how algorithms keep users engaged by promoting controversial or emotional content, and algorithms help people find communities, especially for isolated users.
A professor from US Berkeley (Fung Institute) wrote an article called “Social Media Algorithms and Their Effects on American Politics”. The professor included many statistics on how social media algorithms affect American politics such as how in 2010 an experiment with 61 million Facebook users, just adding an “I Voted” message increased voter turnout by 340,000 people. This shows that algorithms can change real-world behavior through tiny nudges. This article also warns that platforms can manipulate users’ political views without them noticing. And it calls for regulation and transparency in algorithm design. This article was written by a professor who specializes in disinformation. This article explains how even small changes in algorithm design can influence huge political outcomes.
An investigative news article was written by The Guardian about “Social Media Algorithms Amplifying Misogynistic Content”. A recent study by UCL and the University of Kent shows that TikTok’s algorithm quickly promotes harmful content like sexism and misogyny. TikTok increased misogynistic video recommendations by four times in just five days after a user liked just one video. The algorithm quickly pushed extreme content even if users didn’t search for it. And many of the targeted viewers were teenagers, making the impact even worse. This raises concern over how fast algorithms can shape harmful beliefs.
Overall, social media algorithms can have both their ups and their downs. They can help us find content we like quickly, but they can also control what we see more than we realise. Over time, this can affect what we believe, how we think, and maybe even how we feel. It’s also very easy to forget that not everything shown to us is objective, but it's been chosen for us based on things we click on or what we choose to watch. That’s why it is so important to stay aware and think for ourselves. If we understand how these systems work, we can enjoy social media without letting it harm us.
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