You Do It Automatically. And Yet, You Fall Into the Algorithm Trap

What affects our choices on the web?

I use a certain popular streaming platform to watch movies. It’s very nice, but it has one flaw. I wanted to watch a specific film, and once I did, the service started sending me suggestions only from that category. It’s hard for me to find anything new or different,

– Ola, a resident of the Podkarpacie region, tells Holistic News. Aleksandra’s story is not an exception. We increasingly allow the internet to suggest what to choose, often without even noticing it.

The growing impact of technology on daily choices is difficult to dispute today. We opt for fast and convenient solutions, often without deeper thought.

This is how the trap works: Simple and effective

American researchers described a common situation similar to what happened to Aleksandra. A user accesses a streaming platform for the first time. A suggestion for a single movie immediately appears on the screen—a popular thriller at the top of the list.

The user chooses exactly that title. After the screening, the service suggests more films from the same genre. Consequently, the viewer begins to choose only from among them, even though there are hundreds of other productions and completely different categories in the catalog that they will never discover this way.

Someone is deciding for you—and it isn’t a human

The conclusion from a study published in a scientific journal of the American Psychological Association is simple: although users have a full range of available productions at their disposal, they choose the one that was presented to them. They unconsciously give up the full potential of other films.

The influence of algorithms on decisions: An intriguing experiment

In another experiment, participants were divided into two groups and asked to learn how to identify fictional characters with various traits. However, they did not know how many such “types” existed or exactly how they differed.

One group had to check all the possibilities independently, building a complete picture step by step. The second group used system prompts that indicated what was worth paying attention to first. The problem was that these prompts constantly led to the same place—the most frequently chosen traits.

How do algorithms limit us?

People using the prompts based their knowledge on a very narrow fragment of information, made mistakes more frequently, and incorrectly assessed new cases. Furthermore, they were much more confident in their answers, even though their knowledge was clearly limited.

Our study shows that even if you know nothing about a topic, algorithms can immediately start building biases and lead to a distorted image of reality,

– said Giwon Bagh, quoted by the Ohio State University portal.

Is something suggesting your choices online? Ignore the hints

Internet prompts can be helpful. The problem begins when we stop controlling them. In such a situation, we are not the ones making choices; instead, we allow a system that only sees a fragment of the whole to do it for us. Awareness is the first step in reclaiming our independence, as the influence of algorithms on decisions becomes more subtle yet more powerful with every click.

How to break free from the algorithm trap?

To minimize the influence of algorithms on decisions and see more diverse content, consider implementing these practical steps:

• Use Incognito Mode: Browsing in private mode prevents algorithms from linking your search history to your permanent profile, allowing you to see “neutral” results.
• Regularly Clear Cookies and History: Algorithms build your digital persona based on historical data. Deleting cookies forces the system to start learning your preferences from scratch.
• Search for Contrasting Perspectives: If you are interested in a specific topic, intentionally search for opposing arguments. This confuses the algorithm and forces it to display more balanced content.
• Disable Autoplay: On platforms like YouTube or Netflix, autoplay is what often traps us in a loop of “more of the same.” Manually choosing the next video breaks this cycle.
• Manage Your Watch History: Most platforms allow you to remove specific items from your history. If you accidentally clicked on something you don’t want to see more of, delete it to avoid “poisoning” your recommendation profile.
• Use Alternative Search Engines: Services like DuckDuckGo do not track your activity or personalize results based on your “information bubble,” providing a broader view of the web.

Read this article in Polish: Robisz to automatycznie. I tak wpadasz w pułapkę algorytmów