A Quiet Beginning, The Prelude to Tragedy
One afternoon, an intriguing video pops up on your smartphone screen. “Shocking! Hidden Secrets of a Famous Politician Revealed.” Drawn by the provocative title and thumbnail, you click the video. When it ends, similar videos fill your screen. The algorithm kindly keeps recommending content you might like. After watching a few more, you might find yourself convinced that something huge is controlling the world beyond your initial simple curiosity.
This is no longer a strange story. It happens daily on social media. Fake news, once like a small snowflake, begins to roll down the massive hill called social media. “Likes” and “shares” become the forces that grow the snowball, and recommendation algorithms guide it down the steepest slopes. When you come to your senses, this snowball has become a massive avalanche of conspiracy theories that engulfs our society.
Tragic Cases Nurtured by Platforms
The story has led to real-world tragedies regardless of the platform.
## Facebook: The Spark of Massacre Fueled by Hate, The Myanmar Rohingya Crisis
In Myanmar, Facebook was more than just a social networking service—it was the internet itself. However, fake news such as “The Rohingya are illegal immigrants and pests stealing our resources” spread systematically. Facebook’s group and page features became perfect tools for spreading hate. People formed groups with like-minded individuals to confirm and amplify their hatred.
The algorithm delivered this hateful content to more people. The result was horrific. Online hatred spilled over into real-world violence, leading to the massacre of many Rohingya and the loss of their homes. Even the UN investigation team pointed out that Facebook played a “decisive role” in inciting hatred against the Rohingya. Yet Facebook’s response was painfully slow. Using language barriers and lack of local cultural understanding as excuses, it essentially took a passive stance and only issued a belated apology after the tragedy had spiraled out of control.
## WhatsApp: Death Delivered in Encrypted Messages, Mob Lynchings in India
WhatsApp, with its strong encryption, became a private conversation space. But this “security” feature plunged small Indian villages into terror. Fake messages claiming “Strangers kidnapping children have appeared in the village” spread rapidly along with manipulated videos. These messages were passed along in family, friend, and neighbor group chats without anyone verifying their truth.
Because of encryption, tracing the original sender or tracking the spread was nearly impossible. The fear that took root in people’s minds quickly turned into blind rage against strangers. As a result, innocent travelers or outsiders were falsely accused of child kidnapping and brutally beaten to death by villagers in horrific incidents. WhatsApp took passive measures like limiting message forwarding, but it was insufficient to quell the already uncontrollable spread of distrust and fear.
## YouTube: The Algorithm-Guided Rabbit Hole of Conspiracy Theories, Pizzagate and QAnon
YouTube’s recommendation algorithm continuously suggests videos based on users’ viewing history. This feature is convenient but also leads users down very deep and dark “rabbit holes.” The “Pizzagate” conspiracy theory is a prime example. The absurd claim that prominent Democratic figures operated a child sex trafficking ring in a Washington D.C. pizza restaurant’s basement spread rapidly through YouTube.
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After watching one conspiracy video, YouTube’s algorithm recommended even more provocative and confirming conspiracy videos in succession. People who fell into this rabbit hole gradually lost their sense of reality and came to believe the conspiracy as truth. Eventually, a man stormed into the pizza restaurant with a gun, claiming he was there to “rescue the children.” This algorithmic problem later became fertile ground for even larger and more dangerous conspiracies like QAnon, culminating in the unprecedented storming of the U.S. Capitol. YouTube belatedly strengthened its harmful content policies, but the monster nurtured by the algorithm was already shaking the world.
#3. How Do Conspiracy Theorists Captivate Us?
Conspiracy theorists cleverly exploit the characteristics of these platforms to incite the public.
- Triggering Emotional Responses: They stimulate primal emotions like fear, anger, and distrust instead of logic or facts. Messages like “The establishment is deceiving you” divide people into “us” and “them,” fostering belonging and hostility.
- The “Do Your Own Research” Trap: They urge people not to trust mainstream media or experts but to “look it up yourself.” However, the path they guide leads only to distorted information and false evidence supporting their claims.
- Community Building: Through live streaming and private groups, they communicate with followers in real time, forming strong bonds. Here, conspiracy theories become more than information—they become shared beliefs and religions.
Throughout this process, social media platform operators often hide behind the shield of “freedom of expression” or show lukewarm attitudes fearing profit loss. They repeatedly respond with a “too little, too late” approach, deleting accounts or tightening regulations only after serious social controversies arise.
#4. Is the World We See the Real World?
Social media deeply influences how humans form their worldview. It changes society and individual behaviors on both macro-political and micro-personal levels. Until now, we have only superficially understood the shocks and impacts social media can bring.
German sociologist Niklas Luhmann said, “Everything we know about society and the world we live in comes through mass media.” But 21st-century social media seems to say to us:
“We do not really know much about the world we live in.”
The world we see and believe in may be another world cleverly designed by the algorithms on the small screen in our hands.