User self-selection reduces cross-cutting political exposure more than algorithmic ranking does, limiting the scope for algorithmic effects
User self-selection reduces cross-cutting political exposure more than algorithmic ranking does, limiting the scope for algorithmic effects on any downstream polarization outcome.
Bakshy et al. (2015) measured ideological exposure for 10.1 million US Facebook users and found that individual user choices reduced cross-cutting exposure more than algorithmic ranking did.
The study quantified that algorithmic ranking reduced potential cross-cutting exposure by approximately 8%, while user click choices reduced it by approximately 15%.
Argument from Sample to Population (Statistical Generalization)