I just read a substack newsletter that helped me see how different the news feeds are that each of us gets. Here’s a link

Because the poster is a member of a 12-step program, she and her partner concluded that they were powerless over algorithms and that it is making their lives unmanageable.

Because the poster is a member of a 12-step program, she and her partner concluded that they were powerless over algorithms and that it is making their lives unmanageable.

I think that is right.  The algorithms are tearing apart our society, pitting us against each other. Why? Because it is profitable. It gets our attention and that is how they make money. From our attention.  They are one of what Amanda Ripley called a conflict entrepreneur.

So how can we fight this?

I’ll take my lesson from a 12-step program as well. The only thing we can change is ourselves. It won’t work to fight the algorithm; it is more powerful than we are. But we can change our own behavior.

How to do that?  Get off social media. Or if you can’t manage that totally, avoid conflict entrepreneurs, those who are deliberately publishing inflammatory content to get your attention. If enough of us starve them of attention, we can together effect a change we can’t each make on our own.

I heard a story from a friend of mine about another type of attempt. She and a close friend from the other side of the political spectrum decided to try to listen to the media the other listened to. One of them was able to do it, the other just couldn’t.  It’s worth trying, I guess. There’s also a substack newsletter that summarizes Fox news, so you don’t have to watch it yourself.

Another effort I just heard about is to deliberately click on the things you want to see more of. I’ve heard of people who try it politically and it didn’t work, but it might be worth trying.

Finally, another tip, listen to people you disagree with. I’ve written before about listening in conversations. It’s tough to do, but it’s the only way to learn.