Why do we stay inside echo chambers?
a walkthrough with stand-ins — a demonstration, not a finding · 22 certified links · outlined boxes are the roots · tap a claim to read it in full
Showing every action the room judged: it acts directly on 1 of the 4 root causes. It does not act directly on 3.
Regulation asks for transparency reports nobody can verify → People choose the sources that already agree with themThere is no reviewer who speaks the language of half the reports → Automated removal is cheaper than being rightRanking optimises for time spent, not for being informed → Researchers ask for data and legal says noRanking optimises for time spent, not for being informed → A moderator sees the worst of it for the wage of a call centreWe built for a scale nobody had governed before → Nobody agrees on who should decide what is trueEvery fix ships to the users who complain loudest → We cannot publish what we remove without teaching people to evade itEvery fix ships to the users who complain loudest → The people affected worst are in markets we do not staffEvery fix ships to the users who complain loudest → Ad money rewards volume of attention, not quality of itThe metric was chosen because it was easy to log → Ranking optimises for time spent, not for being informedThe rules are written in one country and applied in forty languages → There is no reviewer who speaks the language of half the reportsResearchers ask for data and legal says no → Recommendation systems are not inspectable from outsideResearchers ask for data and legal says no → The rules are written in one country and applied in forty languagesThe rules are forty pages and the decision takes twelve seconds → Recommendation systems are not inspectable from outsideThe rules are forty pages and the decision takes twelve seconds → Automated removal is cheaper than being rightPeople choose the sources that already agree with them → Every fix ships to the users who complain loudestA moderator sees the worst of it for the wage of a call centre → The rules are forty pages and the decision takes twelve secondsNobody agrees on who should decide what is true → Ad money rewards volume of attention, not quality of itNobody outside can reproduce a single claim we make → Nobody agrees on who should decide what is trueAd money rewards volume of attention, not quality of it → We built for a scale nobody had governed beforeRegulation asks for transparency reports nobody can verifyRegulation asks fortransparency reports nobodycan verifywhat the shown actions do to this root causeNO ACTION ACTS ON ITDIRECTLYThe metric was chosen because it was easy to logThe metric was chosenbecause it was easy to log②what the shown actions do to this root causeREDUCED BY 1 ACTIONNobody outside can reproduce a single claim we makeNobody outside canreproduce a single claim wemakeRanking optimises for time spent, not for being informedRanking optimises for timespent, not for beinginformedwhat the shown actions do to this root causeNO ACTION ACTS ON ITDIRECTLYPeople choose the sources that already agree with themPeople choose the sourcesthat already agree withthemA moderator sees the worst of it for the wage of a call centreA moderator sees the worstof it for the wage of acall centreResearchers ask for data and legal says noResearchers ask for dataand legal says nowhat the shown actions do to this root causeNO ACTION ACTS ON ITDIRECTLYEvery fix ships to the users who complain loudestEvery fix ships to theusers who complain loudestThe rules are forty pages and the decision takes twelve secondsThe rules are forty pagesand the decision takestwelve secondsThe rules are written in one country and applied in forty languagesThe rules are written inone country and applied inforty languagesThe people affected worst are in markets we do not staffThe people affected worstare in markets we do notstaffWe cannot publish what we remove without teaching people to evade itWe cannot publish what weremove without teachingpeople to evade itAd money rewards volume of attention, not quality of itAd money rewards volume ofattention, not quality ofitpart of a feedback loop⟳Nobody agrees on who should decide what is trueNobody agrees on who shoulddecide what is truepart of a feedback loop⟳We built for a scale nobody had governed beforeWe built for a scale nobodyhad governed beforepart of a feedback loop⟳Recommendation systems are not inspectable from outsideRecommendation systems arenot inspectable fromoutsideThere is no reviewer who speaks the language of half the reportsThere is no reviewer whospeaks the language of halfthe reportsAutomated removal is cheaper than being rightAutomated removal ischeaper than being right
WHAT WAS PREDICTED TO FOLLOW
Each number on the map marks a root cause that action reduces.
① Give safety work a metric and headcount
no prediction about this action yet
② Independent audit access under a legal safe harbour
no prediction about this action yet
③ Publish a ranking change log anyone can read
we expect: a change to what people see is visible to the people who see it
measured by: % of ranking changes appearing in a public log within a month
due 24 Mar 2027
guesses: the room: 40 (median of 15, spread 15 to 70)
A map from True Causes: a group’s judgement, not a measurement.