Toxicity on Social Media – The Noisy Room | Hacker News

Hacker News commenters debated whether social media amplifies extremism through self-censorship, bots, and recommendation algorithms.

Some challenged the idea of a silent moderate majority, while others pointed to research on manipulation detection and prebunking.

Proposed fixes ranged from chronological feeds and bot resistance to making algorithms “dumber” or banning recommendation engines.

The discussion underscored how platform design can distort public opinion, suppress moderate voices, and intensify polarization.