Advertising in mass media is powerful. Right ads help create demands of products, campaign for political candidates or ideas and historically, even start wars. Detailed files the social media Companies build for each user, however, make advertising even more powerful by enabling advertisers to tailor their messages to individuals. These files even include your family size and whether you buy a lot of beer.
Consequently, social media has greater abilities to expose people to ideas as fast as they’ll individually accept them. The same ticks that can commend products to just the right person or suggest something addictive just when someone is most fragile can also suggest an extreme Conspiracy (阴谋) theory just when he is ready to consider it.
It’s increasingly common for friends and family to find themselves on opposite sides about important political issues. Many recognize social media as part of the problem, but how are these powerful customized advertising techniques contributing to the divisive landscape?
One important part is that people associated with foreign governments, without admitting that, take extreme positions in social media posts with the deliberate goal of sparking division and conflict. These extreme posts take advantage of the social media algorithms (算法), which are designed to heighten engagement Meanwhile, people seeking to influence others put things to more and more extreme positions. The result is apparent. Rather than most people having balanced views with fewer people holding extreme views, fewer and fewer people are in the middle.
What can be done? Skepticism about social media recommendations matters. Keep on a more deliberate path to information and avoid just clicking on whatever is recommended. Second, consider supporting efforts to require social media platforms to offer users a choice of algorithms for recommendations. Most importantly, invest more time in interacting with friends and family off social media. Probably, you’ll be far off a constructed track toward extremes.
【小题1】What does the passage mainly talk about?| A．Social media can put people’s privacy at risk. |
| B．Advertisements in mass media can influence people a lot. |
| C．Social media advertisements can drive people to extremes. |
| D．Advertisements account for damaged relation among family and friends. |
| A．Advertising on TV to promote the sales of a new product. |
| B．Advertising on apps to sell tailored political ideas individually. |
| C．Advertising in the newspaper to publicize a government policy. |
| D．Advertising in elevators to raise the public awareness of safety. |
| A．Refuse to get exposed to all the social media. |
| B．Manage to master the social media algorithms. |
| C．Interact more with family and friends for their advice. |
| D．Hold a careful attitude to what is proposed by social media. |
