Down the Internet Rabbit Hole
The internet is changing the world and the people in it in unimaginable ways. It has affected the way we communicate, socialize, express ourselves, create meaning, decipher culture, and entertain ourselves. It has affected who we are as people and how we interact. It has affected the way we seek out the truth and who we believe. In short, the internet has changed everything.
Part of the reason why the internet has and continues to change the world around us is because we are unable to avoid it. More and more, it seems like people can’t set their phones down and experience the world for what it is. Instead, we are being sucked down “rabbit holes:” places where people are lured deeper and deeper into the internet.
So how exactly do we get pulled into these rabbit holes to the point where there is no escape? The answer falls within algorithms and search engines. Algorithms are computer programs that analyze an individual’s behavior on the internet and subsequently recommend more digital culture that it predicts you will enjoy. As an algorithm better recommends things to its victims, they are inclined to click on it. And then they will click on the next recommended item… and then the next… and then the next. And without even realizing it, the user has been affected by an invisible force on the other side of the screen designed to pull people in.
Most users aren’t aware of this, however, and yet they keep wanting more and more. And that’s because people online often seek out what they can’t find in real life: community, acceptance, obscure topics, and more. Platforms such as Youtube, Tiktok, and Instagram are designed for just that — to bring people together and give them a sense of purpose. However, when people are sucked down these internet rabbit holes, they are often sucked so far in that they end up in places they never intended to go.
The reality is that as someone gets consumed more and more by the content they’re recommended and they fall down this trap, they end up at some pretty deep, dark, and scary places. On these sides of the internet lies extremism, conspiracy theories, and distrust in normal societal ideas and institutions. For example, The Rabbit Hole, a podcast exploring these sides of the internet, takes a look at multiple people who have ended up in places they never anticipated going. One person, who first used the internet for gaming and psychological help, ended up first on the extreme political right side of the internet before being led down another rabbit hole to the other side of the extreme. Another person reveals that she was manipulated by the internet and found herself believing conspiracy theories, specifically Q Anon which spreads ideologies that go against conventional thought. The scariest part is that most people don’t know they’ve been sucked down these rabbit holes or how to get out.
When people end up this far into the extremes of the internet, they tend to genuinely believe what they are hearing and adapt their thoughts. This is because everything they hear or see through their screen they take to be as truth, despite that not being the case. This is the result of our society moving into a post-truth era due to the rise of social media and inaccurate information it curates. In the past, “the truth” was established by institutions based on research and evidence and was typically accepted by the general public. In contrast, post-truth is “the growing influence of fake news, propaganda, and the general breakdown of shared consensus among the public on “facts” or what is factual,” which probably sounds familiar to you because it’s the reality of our current digital sphere, or at least in my opinion it is.
I feel like growing up with technology, I almost watched first-hand the switch into this new post-truth era. In my younger years, I remember everyone getting their information from the television or respected officials. As time went on, especially since the 2016 election, I feel like I have seen more and more inaccurate information on the internet and more people subscribing to those theories. At the end of the day, I can only control my own interactions with this new information environment. To navigate through this, I will be sure to form an opinion based on multiple credible sources and keep in mind that anything I read could be falsified. Managing this crisis as a society is a much bigger issue, which will take an intervention from media companies and government officials to reduce the spread of fake news, propaganda, and conspiracy theories. Maybe then, we will stop seeing so many innocent people falling down the rabbit holes of the internet.
