Scroll The Bias

https://scrollthebias.netlify.app

Inspiration

Scroll The Bias was inspired by the extremely ubiquitous experience of endlessly scrolling through social media on a daily basis. This constant act of scrolling, often labelled as "doomscrolling," is driven by algorithms which contain inherent systemic biases. By engaging with this content, we drive the algorithm to recommend similar videos and silence other content, which may expose us to diverse views. These algorithms unintentionally reinforce one's existing beliefs, which fosters an environment filled where the user often experiences confirmation and anchoring biases.

Many users view platforms, such as TikTok and Instagram, as sources of entertainment, making it difficult to realize the adverse effects. However, countless youth gain critical knowledge on state affairs through social media. This is why it is vital to recognize the inherent biases present in social media. It is crucial for all social media users to understand, not only what they are silencing, but also how to push through the noise that is created by their engagement in order to stay educated.

What it does

Through Scroll The Bias, social media users can undergo a "doomscroll simulation." Scroll The Bias is not intended to be a replacement to the TikTok for you page, or Instagram reels. The simulation ends within 10 minutes. Using algorithms that work similarly to other social media platforms, the user will experience a more personalized video feed as they scroll. Through the personalization of one's feed, countless voices and perspectives are silenced in favour of the content the user engages with. At the end of the simulation, the user will receive a report, similar in fashion to that of Spotify Wrapped, clearly showcasing how the algorithm creates an environment that sustains confirmation and anchoring bias. Scroll The Bias will showcase snapshots in time, to truly demonstrate how a "random" assortment of videos slowly morphs into a filter bubble that discretely hides diverse perspectives.

How we built it

To build Scroll The Bias, we embedded Youtube shorts into a website. We then integrated various appearance changes to make the experience feel familiar. This included adding a like button, fake comments, share button, smooth scrolling, and automatic video looping. We created an algorithm that places weight on various engagement forms such as liking the video or rewatching it. Lastly, we locally collected data from the simulation to create a wrapped experience at the end. Using data collected from the algorithm and statistics we provided valuable data that aims to give the user insight on their biases.

Challenges we ran into

During the development of this platform, we struggled to seamlessly integrate videos into a webapp. For this simulation to work as intended, we aimed to create a platform that feels familiar to most users, taking inspiration from other popular apps such as Instagram. Creating a nearly authentic experience of "doomscrolling" came with some sacrifices. We had major issues implementing the feel of an endless feed. The most feasible method, considering our constraints, of displaying videos to the user was through embedded videos. However, this cause the website to crash on multiple occasions. Due to this, we had to pivot and remove the ability to scroll back upwards on our simulation. This allowed the website to run more smoothly and without crashing.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

One thing we are very proud of is tackling an issue that is rarely talked about. Everyone in our age group has, at some point in their life, fallen victim to the phenomenon of doomscrolling. It is important for everyone to address their biases because although most of us use it as a simple source of entertainment, it plays a significant role in how we absorb information. The algorithms behind doomscrolling often amplify certain voices and viewpoints while silencing others. Through Scroll The Bias, people in our age group gain the opportunity to better understand how the biases are shaped by what we watch.

What we learned

The members of this team learned a lot of individual technical skills through this project. This includes many things from simply making the webapp look better to learning how to implement intersection observers for smooth scrolling between videos. Through this project, we also learned that it is unnecessary to integrate AI into every app ever made. In recent times, there has been a rise in apps that only boast of their AI features. This project taught us that though AI is great for improving on certain features, but it doesn't have to be the centerpiece "wow" factor to make us proud of our project!

What's next for Scroll The Bias

In the future, Scroll The Bias can be scaled and widely promoted as a tool to help users confront and understand their own media biases.. By showing people their biases at face value, we hope that everyone can become more aware of the media they consume, and how it shapes their view of the world. Scroll The Bias also has the potential to be advanced through research studies that implement more advanced algorithms. These algorithms can be made more similar to those of Instagram or TikTok, or use further instrumentation such as eye tracking. The potential for further research with advanced instrumentation and algorithms can provide priceless insight on the biases enforced through social media. Furthermore, the wrapped feature can be integrated into popular social media platforms, such as TikTok, Instagram, and Youtube Shorts, making it more accessible.