The Rabbit Hole Effet

The Rabbit Hole Effect: How Social Media Algorithms Are Shaping the Youth

By: Bryan Salazar

In today's digital age, social media is more than just a platform for connection; it's a daily presence in the lives of many children worldwide. With endless scrolling, known as "Doom Scrolling", the personalized content of these platforms has become a primary source for information, entertainment, and identity formation for many people. Algorithms are designed to keep the users engaged for as long as possible. 

This is where the "rabbit hole effects" come into play. 

What is the Rabbit Hole Effect? 

The rabbit hole effect describes how social media algorithms, especially on platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram, learn user behaviour and begin to feed them increasingly niche content. A teenager can start watching videos about healthy eating, and it might eventually lead to harmful eating disorders. It is common among people to acknowledge their algorithms as "crazy" when situations like this occur. They would personify the algorithm by giving it human emotions. The algorithms don't have an ethical compass. They are not designed to promote healthy or educational engagement, but they are designed to keep the user as addicted as possible.









Why This Matters to Youth:

Adolescents are still developing emotionally, physically, and cognitively. They are more impressionable and vulnerable to peer pressure, influence, and social validation. They are more likely to rely heavily on their social media to shape their reality by constantly being exposed to the same ideas. 
This can have the following consequences: 
  • Mental health: Exposure to toxic beauty standards, fear-based news, or extreme ideology
  • World view: Narrow algorithmic exposure can polarize beliefs and limit critical thinking
  • Identity: Constant comparison to social media influences can impact self-esteem and identity development 
What Can Educators and Parents Do?

It is impossible to fight the algorithmic system overnight, but we can encourage the youth to engage with social media in smarter ways:

  1. Teach media literacy: Help the youth understand how algorithms work.
  2. Encourage diverse content: Suggest following different creators with different backgrounds.
  3. Screen Time awareness: Track their time and lower their activity
Conclusion:

Social media isn't always bad, but the secret mechanics of the rabbit hole or doom scrolling need to be addressed. As future parents and educators, we need to help our youth by educating them on the harmful aspects of social media and finding positive ways to encourage using social media for good. The rabbit hole doesn't always have to be a doom scroll, but an educational and entertaining moment for users. 

Reference: 
  1. https://issueone.org/events/down-the-rabbit-hole-how-social-media-is-designed-to-radicalize-its-users/
  2. https://awiebe.org/en/rabbit-hole-effect/

  4. https://simplifaster.com/articles/social-media-insecurities-rabbit-holes-networking/
  5. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-engaged-mind/202106/how-avoid-the-downside-the-internet-rabbit-hole

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