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.

  • BlackLaZoR
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    02 months ago

    I can’t take this model seriously - it assumes that economy is a zero sum game. If an economy actually was the zero sum game, then where all the wealth came from???

    To be clear, I absolutely agree with the title - inequality is 100% unavoidable, but for completely different reasons.

    • @jpreston2005
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      2 months ago

      then where all the wealth came from

      are you being serious right now, is this a real question? In the age of cryptocurrency you’re asking this question.

      • BlackLaZoR
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        2 months ago

        is this a real question?

        I’m trying to point out the massive hole in the reasoning behind linked paper

        In the age of cryptocurrency you’re asking this question.

        Cryptocurrencies are barely relevant here

        Edit: Wait. Are you a university student? What did they tell you about where the wealth is coming from? I’m genuinely curious to know.

        • @jpreston2005
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          02 months ago

          you’re wrong. I’m not interested in explaining why you’re wrong, maybe someone else will.