How Social Media Algorithms Shape What We Think and Believe

Insights For Youth

How Social Media Algorithms Shape What We Think and Believe.

Written By: Deepshree Mishra

August 14th, 2026

Introduction

Social media has rapidly evolved from being just a tool for connecting with friends and family into a powerful cognitive force. In recent times– short-form video content along with the endless scroll, popularized by large platforms like Instagram or TikTok have come to shape how we think, feel, and perceive our world. While they do offer mass and unprecedented access to information and community, the accumulating evidence seems to suggest that these digital environments have come to reshape our intellectual ability, consumption patterns, and originality. Whether you’re watching videos, browsing websites, or scrolling through socials, the content you see online and in your feed is not chosen at random– and is carefully curated to what holds your attention the longest, and not what enriches you the most. And the result of this, is a complete rewiring of our thinking. In this article, we explore how social media algorithms and trends are fundamentally altering what we believe.

The Echo Chamber Effect

The "Echo Chamber Effect", (Kte’pi, Bill, MA) refers to a phenomenon in which an individual's beliefs and views are reinforced by exposure to information that aligns with their preexisting opinions. Think of it as a room, where you only hear what you want to hear, and enriches your already existing beliefs. This effect often occurs within isolated communities that share common beliefs, leading to polarized perspectives and a reduced understanding of opposing viewpoints. In this day and age, the internet and social media have significantly amplified the echo chamber effect, as algorithms curate content that aligns with users' interests and preferences, further entrenching their views.

The Algorithmic Ballot

An academic paper on ResearchGate, (“The role of social media algorithms in shaping public opinion during political campaigns”) looks at the way algorithmic systems affect voters' political views during election times. It points out that these algorithms pick up on user preferences and have a tendency to strengthen people's existing beliefs. Among its key findings are that in 2022 64% of Americans said they obtained their news from social media; the 2018 update to Facebook's algorithm which gave more weight to emotionally charged content led to greater political divisiveness; and YouTube's recommendation system was responsible for 70% of user viewing, the videos suggested being mostly in line with users' previous political interests.

The paper also expresses concern about "filter bubbles", which are cases in which people are mainly exposed to content that matches their own views and this can impede critical thinking. Furthermore, it observes that political campaigns make use of these algorithms to send targeted and persuasive messages to particular groups of voters.

Conclusion

Overall, it is possible to make a conclusion that social media is no longer a purely neutral platform for communication. From now on, it actively shapes and influences our thinking. It forms ideas and concepts inside of us and pushes us to take actions that we would not do otherwise. However, it seems that the influence of social media is mostly negative. The reason for this claim is that people who are using social media are not as free from judgment as they used to be. The echo chamber effect and the recommendation algorithm push people to think about certain topics only from one point of view.

Moreover, they prevent people from exploring new things that they would have otherwise ignored. As a result, the thinking of individuals becomes non-critical and fixed. This way, social media ultimately affects the thinking process and the development of new ideas. The bright side is that people are not necessarily programmed, and they can resist social media. However, for this purpose, people have to be aware of the fact that they can control their actions. By doing this, individuals will be able to avoid conforming to one idea.

Works Cited

Mir, Asma. "How Social Media Algorithms Shape Our Reality.” Medium, 27 Oct. 2024, medium.com/the-thinkers-point/how-social-media-algorithms-shape-our-reality-c1f47afc200d.

Kte’pi, Bill, MA. “Echo Chamber Effect.” EBSCO, 2021, https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/communication-and-mass-media/echo-chamber-effect

Hasibuan, Effiati Juliana, et al. "The Role of Social Media Algorithms in Shaping Public Opinion During Political Campaigns." ResearchGate, Dec 2024, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/386347360_The_Role_of_Social_Media_Algorithms_in_Shaping_Public_Opinion_During_Political_Campaigns