Tricks of the Mind: Cognitive Biases and Social Media
How Social Media Amplifies Our Cognitive Distortions
Though we may not want to admit it, as we like, share, and scroll through our social media feeds to unwind, we enter a state akin to hypnosis. In this relaxed state, we become more susceptible to the content we consume. In the digital age, social media is more than just a tool for connection. It has become a potent force for influence.
At the same time, our brains rely on mental shortcuts to fill in gaps and make sense of the world. While these automatic processes are meant to simplify our thinking, they often lead to distortions that can be easily manipulated. In this suggestible state, social platforms exploit these shortcuts, subtly shaping our beliefs, emotions, and behaviors.
It’s crucial to recognize that no one is immune to these biases. They operate continuously in both everyday life and the digital world. Social media’s power lies not only in its hypnotic effects but also in how it activates these unconscious mechanisms. Together, cognitive shortcuts and social media can distort our sense of truth and make us think we see the full picture—when, in reality, we may only be peering through a narrow lens.
Inferences: You’re Your Mind’s Bitch
Our minds are designed to process information quickly and efficiently. The way we absorb knowledge, focus our attention, and filter information through our existing beliefs can result in perceptual errors. Well-documented mental shortcuts, such as inference, the Dunning-Kruger Effect, and inattentional blindness, are prime examples of how our minds attempt to simplify complex situations but often mislead us in the process.
For instance, we often make inferences about complex subjects based on our current knowledge and beliefs. Basically, we fill in information with previous knowledge, subject to our own cognitive biases—whether it’s confirmation bias, anchoring bias, or countless others. These biases shape how we perceive and interpret reality.
To make matters worse, social media posts are often brief and stripped of nuance, which means our minds are constantly called to fill in the gaps. This impulse is so automatic that, even without full understanding, our minds still respond. Moreover, when we lack sufficient knowledge about a subject, we unconsciously allow external sources—often biased or incomplete—to shape our understanding. As a result, we can become completely misinformed while feeling confident that we know the truth.
The Dunning-Kruger Effect: Overconfidence in the Age of Social Media
When you fill in your understanding with inaccurate information, you’re encountering a key aspect of the Dunning-Kruger effect—believing you know more about a subject than you actually do. Social media amplifies this effect by bombarding users with oversimplified information, which can give them the illusion of expertise.
The issue becomes even more pronounced when these users engage in debates or share content they believe to be factual but is, in reality, misguided or false. The ease with which bite-sized information can be shared enables misinformation to spread rapidly, often without the sharer realizing their own cognitive limitations.
Take, for example, a post claiming that a certain food is dangerous. It might lack solid evidence, but because it’s paired with a sensational headline or taps into a pre-existing fear, we might infer that the food is harmful, even without any concrete proof.
This skewed perception of reality can be hard to shake, just like the “war on fat” in the past. Remember how long it took for people to trust fat in their diets again? It’s a similar story with social media. Once a belief is entrenched, it can be difficult to undo the mental damage.
The Dunning-Kruger effect can also feed into unhealthy narcissism. Some users derive self-esteem from feeling intellectually superior. This “I know something you don’t” mindset encourages the sharing of triggering memes, reinforcing a sense of dominance through perceived knowledge.
Even highly intelligent individuals fall prey to the manipulations spread across social media. As humans, we tend to assume that we can know everything about everything and that if we’re educated in this area, we must be knowledgeable in all areas and that simply isn’t the case.
The Value of Experts in a World of Noise
While social media pieces information together in fragmented, sometimes misleading ways, there are actual educated political, economic, and other subject matter experts whose analyses are grounded in research, data, and deep expertise. Instead of relying on social media for full, accurate understanding, we can listen to credible analysts who dedicate their careers to studying specific fields.
Whether through academic publications, credible news outlets, or specialized reports, we can move beyond the superficial understanding that social media promotes and engage with informed perspectives. This doesn’t just enrich our understanding—it helps us avoid our own cognitive traps.
While traditional media may have its flaws, social media’s hypnotic grip makes it easier for manipulation to slip under the radar. Perhaps that’s why some people don’t trust legacy media—because it doesn’t conform to the algorithm-driven worldview that their social media feed creates. Ironically, they end up becoming zombies of the algorithm, influenced by every post, meme, and video that echoes their beliefs. This leads us to another important cognitive error known as inattentional blindness.
Social Media’s Algorithm: Inattentional Blindness
Inattentional blindness is the failure to notice critical details because your attention is absorbed elsewhere. As a result, even when new information is presented, we may fail to perceive it. Social platforms direct our attention based on past interactions, creating a feedback loop that strengthens specific neural pathways in our brains.
Through a process called synaptic plasticity, the neurons of these pathways become stronger and more efficient. This makes these pathways easier to activate, further reinforcing the concepts and beliefs associated with them.
This isn’t a matter of consciously ignoring what’s before us; rather, it’s a reflection of how deeply ingrained our neural pathways are. It often takes immense willpower and conscious effort to break free from these entrenched thought patterns and consider alternative viewpoints.
Inattentional blindness is widespread on social media, embedded within the platforms through algorithms. In this sense, an algorithm acts as a technological form of inattentional blindness, continuously filtering the information we’re exposed to and limiting our ability to see beyond what reinforces our existing views.
In simple terms, we end up perceiving what we already believe. Posts that feel “right” reinforce existing biases without a second thought, leaving other viewpoints eclipsed.
Unconscious Co-Creation: Choosing to Know Thyself in a Digital Age
If these points sound redundant, it’s because they are. Every cognitive error is a reminder that your mind is biased as hell—a maze of misperceptions leading you down paths of false certainty. It’s crucial to recognize that we create just as much from our unconscious mind as we do from our conscious one. What I’m addressing here, particularly in the context of social media, goes beyond discerning truth from lies—though that’s certainly part of it.
As we navigate the digital age, awareness of these psychological phenomena is essential. Without it, we risk getting trapped in self-reinforcing echo chambers, indulging in content that resonates with negative vibrations and aligns with dark realities. By acknowledging these biases, we can approach information on social networks with greater clarity and caution, empowering ourselves to associate with the highest possible outcomes.
For more of my perspective on conscious co-creation in the age of digital media, check out Awakening to Truth: Empowerment through Discernment.
You Are Your Own Medicine,
Devon
