Algorithmic Confirmation Bias

The nationwide protests on police brutality has been the focus of my twitter feed. I see tweets condemning police brutality and the murder of George Floyd. Just as disturbing however, is the tweets and videos about police inciting or escalating violence.

I’ve seen police shooting non-lethal rounds at the press, police aggresively arresting protesters just for speaking, and I’ve seen that video of the NYPD car nearly running over a crowd.

All of this is I find extremely upsetting to watch.

I have not particpated in any protests but I found myself subsconsciously villainizing the police force as a whole.

The captured events of police brutality during these protests are sticky and trigger emotions. It is ironic that protests on police brutality are escalated by the police. My timeline is filled with this, this is algorithmic confirmation bias. But when I step back I realize I’m in no position to make any judgements.

I know that not all cops are bad. I have a few friends that joined the police force for noble reasons.

I’m sure there are many scenarios of protesters provoking and attacking police officers but I don’t see many of them, maybe it’s because it rarely happens, or maybe its because the algorithms don’t favor them.

Whatever form of media we choose to consume I think it’s always important to question if it represents reality.

June 2, 2020 · Technology · Diversity


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