The Algorithm and the Ballot Box: How Social Media Companies Profit from Political Rage

The engineers knew. The product managers knew. The executives knew. And for years, they chose profit over democracy.

Across three of the world’s largest social media platforms — documents from which have been obtained by this publication — internal research consistently showed the same alarming finding: the recommendation systems that decide what billions of people see every day are systematically calibrated to amplify content that provokes anger, fear, and outrage.

Not because this content is true. Not because it serves users’ interests. But because it generates more engagement. And more engagement means more advertising revenue.

The cost of this business model is being paid in democracies around the world.