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Behind the Markets Podcast

Misconceptions on misinformation

Jul 5, 2024
David Rothschild, Senior economist at Microsoft, discusses online misinformation, media consumption nuances, algorithmic influence limits, user content choice, social media's role in political polarization, AI's societal effects, generative AI opportunities/challenges, Media Bias Detector insights, and future media/tech trends.
53:51

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

  • Algorithms like those on YouTube actually push users towards moderate content, with user choice driving extremism, challenging common beliefs about algorithm influence.
  • Social media's role in political polarization is complex, with considerations of community building benefits alongside concerns of reinforcing extreme ideologies.

Deep dives

Focus on Research on Misinformation and Social Media Impact

Researcher David Rothschild discusses his work on understanding misinformation online, emphasizing that harmful content exposure is limited to a small subset of extreme users as opposed to the general public. He highlights the misconception about the prevalence of fake news consumption, indicating that the main concern lies with a small group that heavily engages with such content. Rothschild argues that algorithms on platforms like YouTube actually push users towards moderate content, with user choice being the driver towards extremism, thus challenging common beliefs about algorithm influence.

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