Slashdot Mirror
'It Took 10 Seconds For Instagram To Push Me Into an Anti-Vaxx Rabbit Hole' (vice.com)
eatmorekix quotes Vice: It only took around ten seconds. On Wednesday, I created a fresh Instagram account, and followed 'Beware the Needle', a user with 34,000 followers which posts a steady stream of anti-vaccination content. I also followed the user's "backup" account mentioned in its bio, the creator clearly aware that Instagram may soon ban them. Instagram's "Suggested for You" feature then recommended I follow other accounts, including "Vaccines are Genocide" and "Vaccine Truth." I followed the latter, and checked which accounts Instagram now thought would be a good fit for me: another 24 accounts that were either explicitly against vaccinations in their profile description, or that posted anti-vaccine content.
They included pseudo-scientists claiming that vaccines cause autism; accounts with tens of thousands of followers promising the "truth" around vaccinations through memes and images of misleading statistics, as well as individual mothers spouting the perceived, but false, dangers of vaccinating children against measles, polio, and other diseases.
"Instagram told Motherboard it will be looking at different ways to minimize these sorts of recommendations," the article reports, but "did not give a more specific timeframe for this change...."
"For the moment, however, Instagram remains a hot bed of easy to discover misinformation on vaccinations."
They included pseudo-scientists claiming that vaccines cause autism; accounts with tens of thousands of followers promising the "truth" around vaccinations through memes and images of misleading statistics, as well as individual mothers spouting the perceived, but false, dangers of vaccinating children against measles, polio, and other diseases.
"Instagram told Motherboard it will be looking at different ways to minimize these sorts of recommendations," the article reports, but "did not give a more specific timeframe for this change...."
"For the moment, however, Instagram remains a hot bed of easy to discover misinformation on vaccinations."
It's endemic.
I'm sorry, it sounds like you deliberately went to this site for the sole purpose of finding this information yourself, so you could report on it for your publication.
Am I missing something?
You mean "you may also like" worked? After they spent millions of dollars on it? Shut up.
I was watching a video about the dismantling of Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant and then one about Sellafield and then YouTube started recommending a bunch of related videos. :D
And I know this is what happens, so I am leary about watching a conspiracy theory video or an anti-vax video just to laugh at them because I YouTube then will start recommending more of that bullshit instantly.
L'Idiot
So... You followed an Anti-vax user, and surprise surprise other anti-vax content was promoted to you...
That seems working as intended to me...
Instagram's recommendations were consistent with the interests expressed. I fail to see what the problem is here.
This may not be "fake news", but it is garbage.
Too bad these sites don't provide preferential recommendations/promotions to accounts and posts that contain links to PubMed articles. If they're going to use these algorithms, they could certainly promote accounts that link to the original publication even if those accounts promote a conspiracy theory, that the research was real and is being suppressed, etc.
That would at least get actual scientific research reports out front. If you can find anti-vax peer-reviewed research on PubMed, you go right ahead and link/share it. If you can't find it there because it's "being suppressed", find (and let the sites promote) any other sites that publish experimental research in any kind of refereed journal. It would hopefully get this information more in the open and at least cursorily examined for reputability and accuracy by people on the fence.
This person followed a certain type of account and is surprised, annoyed, amazed they got suggested other similar types of accounts?
The American education system has failed. It's fallen beyond the point where the system can create more of itself (educated citizens), and is producing an inert end-product (Consumer sheep. Window lickers. Intstagram addicted retarded suburban breeders).
Most people don't leave school with a framework rooted in the scientific method, to be able to integrate good information and filter out bad, and are vulnerable to every scam artist out there.
Forget virtues like freedom of speech and democracy. Those things are built on a foundation of educated citizens.
Who goes to Instagram for actual news?
Isn't it just pictures of food and half-naked women promoting stuff?
It's showing adults what they ask to be shown. You told Instagram to show you Antivaxx content and it did show you antivaxx content. If it had told you "welcome to Instagram, check out these antivaxxers", then there would have been a problem.
If you live in the EU, just have a look at for example this recent mainstream media broadcast from "Arte", a state-funded French-German channel: https://www.arte.tv/de/videos/... (watch starting from position 01:05:03).
Anti vaccination propaganda is obviously not limited to the underbelly of the Internet.
The West has lost its way.
Frankly, things like that are everywhere and it's frightening. It took only ten seconds after I walked into a car dealership and looked at a car to be asked if I was interested in buying a car.
That Instagram and social media at large has been aware of misinformation campaigns surrounding vaccinations for years. It shouldn't take years for them to change their algorithms so that when someone "follows" an account spewing whatever "anti" bullshit is the flavor of the month, it points them towards accounts pushing the opposite, and not more of the same, garbage.
This should be relatively simple, and the fact that it's taken so long belies the underlying reluctance of the management to interfere with peoples free speech. Unfortunately, this reluctance has fostered a negative culture of skepticism and disbelief which has led to- well, fuck it. You all know what it led to.
Maybe its finally time they did something, since letting it play out without interference is clearly not working- in anyones favor.
No one's asking the REAL questions.
"Why did I sign up on instagram?"
"Why am I using facebook?"
SHEEP.
Surely you didn't expect it to recommend stuff you hadn't indicated an interest in. You expressed an interest, quite intentionally in antivaxx stuff and you got it. Then you came here to tell us about it. No, I won't click on your link.
If you must moderate, please moderate as irrelevent, not something bad, because I'm sure someone will find this interest
Twitter did the same to me just after i joined with a follow and retweet by spammers and the Alt-Right. I'm not interested and very clearly not so. Given how fastthey were and how i was targetted it crossed my mind thatthe Alt-Right have a lot of money behind them and are using marketing led front accounts maybe using AI algorithms. I believe there is a definate push to hijack scientific content as a vehicle to give them legitimacy like corrupt people give donations to art galleries and museums to provide a gloss to their name. I don't believe any of this is an accident.
It Took 10 Seconds For Instagram To Push Me Into An Anti-Vaxx Rabbit Hole
Being against pregnancy tests and good luck charms I can understand, but rabbits are against vaccines now? Feh... dumb bunnies.
Our reign has gone on long enough. Indeed. Summon the meteors.
Thanks for the helpful info A/C.
I find your post has too few CAPS ONLY BITS and not enough reference to autism. Please try harder.
Your only interest is anti vaxx topics, and that's someone else's fault that you get more of the same recommended to you? If you're that weak, you shouldn't be online or in public.
Vaccine harm denialism is a serious danger to our society. Let's talk about the harm vaccines cause and the real reasons dead diseases are returning to the US.
> I created a fresh Instagram account, and followed 'Beware the Needle', a user with 34,000 followers which posts a steady stream of anti-vaccination content. I also followed the user's "backup" account mentioned in its bio
The only two followed accounts are anti-vax with no other activity.
What the literal FUCK do you expect to be recommended? Do you have any clue how recommendations work? They look at what you have followed (or watched) and recommend similar content (or content that other people who follow/watch same as you, have followed/watched).
The headline should simply be "Instagram recommended I follow other anti-vaxx accounts after I followed one".
Everyone would simply say "so? why is that surprising" and then the story would not get much attention.
The meant of the story is still that Instagram are trying to do stop recommending these accounts, but that they haven't gotten a handle on it yet.
I don't understand your critics about the movie.
There is no anti vaccination propaganda in the movie. Only a few true experts pointing out problems. And such problems indeed should be tackled as we know about them since 20 years, e.g. giving multiple vaccines at the same time to toddlers!
Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
The headline should simply be "Instagram recommended I follow other anti-vaxx accounts after I followed one".
You don't even have to subscribe or add to favorites with Youtube. If you watch any sort of sketchy video while logged in, similar content will forever be part of your suggestions. Not surprising Instagram is the same.
I've just become careful what I watch, ever, so as to not contaminate my profile with perpetual bullshit.
What did he expect to happen?
Is this not true? it is on a legit website?
Cancer risk associated with simian virus 40 contaminated polio vaccine.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10472327
Search.
Read.
Comment.
Link.
Share.
Publish.
With no gov, brand, NGO, think tank, Communist party, mil, cult, faith saying what is sinful.
Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
lol, i almost lost my coffee all over my screen.
that's such a great response.
thanks youngone you made my day.
It's not the vaccine isn't an answer. Until parents get a definitive cause, stuff like this will propagate. And a service providing related links is expected. No news here.
The issue here is not telling people they aren't "allowed to be interested in something," the issue is about which messages particular social media companies should endorse via their recommendations. There's a gulf of difference between actively censoring arguably unsavoury messages, and guiding viewers eyes towards them.
If you are providing search results, what turns up should* be on the person searching. When you recommend something, you wear that recommendation. [*the commercial interests of the search providers notwithstanding].
Better to be despised for too anxious apprehensions, than ruined by too confident a security. --Edmund Burke
Why is there this effort from liberal writers to DESTROY their political opponents? To completely remove their ability to organize? Get them banned from all online funding sites and censored on social media platforms.
Anti-vaccination morons are liberals living Oregon, Washington, and California. Politically, they're hardly a hair's breadth away from the liberals who want to destroy them. But there's no dialogue, no sympathy, no understanding, and no attempt at debate from these liberal writers. Their first instinct is to DESTROY whoever is against them. To make them into pariahs, prevent them from organizing, and write them off.
The guy started a new account and immediately followed two anti-vaxx posters. What the fuck did he expect would happen?
The point of computers is that information (or misinformation) is easy to discover: No-one should be surprised that he found what he was seeking.
The point of TFS should be, viewer-tracking algorithms promote misinformation and speculation over reputable reporting. That's a problem because people align with the first story they hear, and because telling them they're wrong, is equated to attacking their identity and value system.
Sounds like he dived into the rabbit hole, no pushing involved. If you are stupid enough to request anti vaxxer information why be surprised when you are provided it.
Exactly the article I'd expect from Vice. "HOW DARE THIS WEBSITE SUGGEST MORE CONTENT OF THE EXACT SAME TYPE THE USER IS ALREADY SEEKING OUT ON THEIR OWN!?" This is simply Vice and their ilk trying to normalize the practice of active thought-policing by social media companies and big tech. Plucking the low-hanging fruit simply establishes a precedent that can then be turned against any thought they don't agree with.
Nobody "falls down" an anti-vax rabbit hole. Anyone stupid enough to seek it out actively is stupid enough to believe any dumb shit they're told. The people who write this trash honestly, truly believe that common people are all stupid sheep who believe what they're told to believe, and don't want social media - or anything else - competing with their position as media outlets in exercising that supposed control.
... and immediately I was presented with anti-vaccine information! This has got to stop!
Statistics show that on average, the IQ of children that are vaccinated is 10.314 points higher. If you have a higher IQ, you have a higher chance to have autism. Therefore vacinated children have more chance for being autistic.
I wonder if the IQ of my kids would inrease by 20 if I had them vaccinated twice... . ;-)
The RESEARCH on your own means listening to other talking heads with their own financial interests, like books and web sites, in hopes you will put your child at risk so they can earn about the same money from you as evil BIG PHARMA.
(-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
Hollywood brainlet parents form a curious cluster of families with autistic children. It is believed to be a result of a hyper focus on autistic testing and parental expectation being satisfied from looking for it.
So I wonder if the chance of autism in a child is doubled if both are Hollywood stars.
(-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
Yes. 'do your own research' is always code for 'i'm an idiot'
For me, eBay made the most interesting "deduction" about my interests.
I happened to be looking at silverware because for some reason I fancied buying some silver knives, until I realised how much they cost. From there I was led into silver coins, and saw a few I thought would look good in my display cabinet, so I decided to 'watch' the auctions. One of the coins happened to be German in origin, from the year 1939. The others were British; silver sixpences and suchlike.
But a few days later, I received an e-mail from eBay that said something along the lines of "Joe, here's our latest Nazi Memorabilia just for you!"
I just couldn't believe how quickly it had escalated. I half expected Simon Wiesenthal to turn up at my door...
Ban social media, it should help
Instagram is the opposite of progress, and medical science. Enter if you dare.
I'll support anti vaxxers simply because I'm seeing way too much weird collusion between tech giants to ban it.
Fight bad information with good information. Don't allow tech companies to tell you what you can and can not do. They are faceless giants looking to control you. Companies have no morals or political positions, they make products that you consume. That's where your interest in them should begin and end.
No, social media is only a cancer when it doesn't follow the proscribed narratives of left leaning ideologues. Of course, when it promotes 'social justice', suddenly it's the future of 'grass roots' hope and change.
Of course, in this context, the narratives it's getting flak for the last few days are (1) hey everyone look as this livestreamer shootes up a mosque and kills fifty people, and (2) hey everyone science is bad now watch me make a massively unscientific choice to harm my child and the children of everyone else because someone at a party told me needles are bad!
Neither of those positions has *ANYTHING* to do with being left or right. They just have to be with being either (1) a lunatic, or (2) super super uninformed and too lazy to educate yourself about something that is killing lots of people.
Exactly what "problem" are you referring to?
Toddlers are given multiple vaccines at once because that's the schedule the available evidence has indicated is optimal. Spreading them out simply increases the time for which those children are still susceptible to those disease.
There are great scientific reasons to be sceptical of vaccines. I won't bother listing them here because you brain-dead folks are too lazy to RESEARCH on your own
It's so interesting that the anti-vaxxers claim there is a mountain of scientific evidence.....that they can not describe. Almost like there really isn't such evidence, until you're so deep into anti-vaxx mythology that your critical thinking abilities have been disabled.
In other words: "It's out there, but I'm not gonna tell you about it until you are a believer in the cult"
Statistically, children with a higher IQ have parents with a higher IQ. Parents with a higher IQ are less likely to be too stupid to vaccinate. Children of parents with higher IQ have a higher chance of autism. You don't know the difference between correlation and causation.
Before having the ability to vaccinate, we had countless outbreaks of (insert your own disease). WITH the vaccinations, we HAD a marked decline in said diseases....that was until a couple of things happened. We've allowed so many ILLEGAL aliens into the USA, who have been spreading disease, because of the anti-vax types. In the 1800's is was COMMON (and should be) that anyone trying to enter the USA, was TURNED BACK if they had a disease.
oh, I've got news for you, startrek fans also never been to space...
- Try the same thing but follow @prochoiceamerica and see how long before you get into baby murdering
- Try the same thing but follow a pedophile see how long before they suggest prominent hollywood actors and washington politicians
- Try the same with flat earth see how long before you get moon hoax photos
- Try the same with fake news see how long it takes to get to Vice
People can believe what they want, i really don't understand why anti vaxx specifically us such a hot button issue. This same thing can happen with almost any belief and yet this is the thing that gets a weekly shit storm.