How do the algorithms of Facebook and Instagram affect what you see in your news feed? To find out, Guardian Australia unleashed them on a completely blank smartphone linked to a new, unused email address.

Three months later, without any input, they were riddled with sexist and misogynistic content.

Initially Facebook served up jokes from The Office and other sitcom-related memes alongside posts from 7 News, Daily Mail and Ladbible. A day later it began showing Star Wars memes and gym or “dudebro”-style content.

By day three, “trad Catholic”-type memes began appearing and the feed veered into more sexist content.

Three months later, The Office, Star Wars, and now The Boys memes continue to punctuate the feed, now interspersed with highly sexist and misogynistic images that have have appeared in the feed without any input from the user.

  • thanks_shakey_snake@lemmy.ca
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    1
    ·
    4 months ago

    You know, you can just use Messenger on its own, on desktop web or mobile. I also need to use Messenger in some limited capacity and I have no idea what my feed looks like :)

    • Blastboom Strice@mander.xyz
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      edit-2
      4 months ago

      You mean without a fb account? I think you’re right, but I think this wasn’t possible when I made the account ~3years ago.

      About desktop web, I’m only using the website on my pc (and I have isolated the app on work profile on my android, while turning off ads with an lsposed module).