I’m Tired of Being Gaslit by Algorithms
Look, I’ve been in this game for over two decades. I’ve seen the news industry evolve from typewriters to tweets. And let me tell you, it’s been a wild ride. But lately? Lately, I’m just tired. Tired of being told what to think, tired of algorithms deciding what I should see, tired of the whole damn mess.
I remember back in ’98, when I was a wet-behind-the-ears reporter at the Austin Chronicle. My editor, let’s call him Marcus, would yell at us if we didn’t have our facts straight. He’d say, ‘You’re not just telling a story, you’re shaping perceptions.’ And he was right. But now? Now it’s all about clicks and shares and engagement. It’s completley bonkers.
I was having coffee with an old friend, Dave, last Tuesday. He’s a data journalist now, which honestly sounds like the most depressing job ever. He told me, ‘The algorithm is king, man. It’s all about the aquisition and retention of users.’ I asked him if he meant the retention of users’ attention or their actual, you know, souls. He laughed. Which… yeah. Fair enough.
But Here’s the Thing About Algorithms
They’re not neutral. They’re not objective. They’re designed to keep you hooked, to keep you scrolling, to keep you engaged. And they do this by feeding you more of what you already agree with. It’s a committment to confirmation bias, and it’s making us dumber.
I read a study once—okay, fine, I skimmed it—about how people who get their news from social media are less informed than those who get it from traditional sources. Less informed! And yet, here we are, with more people than ever getting their news from Facebook and Twitter.
I get it, though. It’s convenient. It’s fast. It’s right there in your pocket. But convenience shouldn’t come at the cost of critical thinking. Should it?
The Rise of the Citizen Journalist
Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying there’s no value in citizen journalism. There is. It’s just… it’s not always accurate. And it’s not always fair. And it’s not always, you know, good.
I remember covering a protest in downtown Austin back in 2012. There were maybe 200 people there, but on Twitter, it looked like a million. Because everyone was posting the same picture from the same angle, and it was all retweeted and shared and amplified. It was a physicaly impressive display of misinformation.
A colleague named Sarah was there too. She turned to me and said, ‘This is gonna change everything.’ And she was right. But not in the way she thought. It didn’t change things for the better. It changed things for the worse.
So What Do We Do About It?
I don’t know, honestly. I mean, I have some ideas. But they’re not gonna be popular. For starters, we could all try to be a little more critical of the news we consume. We could try to seek out different perspectives. We could try to, I don’t know, read things that challenge our views instead of just confirming them.
And look, I’m not saying this is easy. It’s not. It’s hard. It’s really hard. But it’s necessary. Because if we don’t start taking responsibility for our own news consumption, then who will?
Oh, and one more thing. If you’re gonna share that pregnancy health advice guide from some random website, maybe—just maybe—double-check the source first. pregnancy health advice guide I mean, come on, people. Use your brains.
Anyway, I’ve got a deadline to meet. So I’m gonna go. But remember, folks: stay curious, stay critical, and for the love of God, stay informed.
About the Author
I’m Jane Thompson, a senior editor with more than 20 years of experience in the news industry. I’ve worked for major publications, covered everything from politics to pop culture, and have a strong opinion about pretty much everything. I currently live in Austin, Texas, with my cat, Mr. Whiskers, and my collection of vintage typewriters. You can find me on Twitter @janethompson, where I rant about news, politics, and the general state of the world.
