Is social unrest caused by people or by algorithms?

“People are looking for information that matches their beliefs”

Van Belkom says, “If we want to solve the problem of disinformation, we must first realize that it is in our nature to want to believe in this information. He states that people often seek information that matches their beliefs. The problem lies even more complex for him: “Brain research shows that people with polarized views, both far left and right on the political spectrum, have an intolerance of uncertainty.”

If you want to solve misinformation, according to van Belkom, you have to do something about this uncertainty. “Restlessness and dissatisfaction are social issues that also happen outside of social media. You can’t remove restlessness from society by tweaking an algorithm a bit.”

Van Belkom emphasizes once again that technology is not right or wrong, but how it is used is what matters. He also discusses the algorithms used by the tax authorities during what became the allowance scandal. “The algorithm that was used programmed the tax and customs administration on certain targets and variables.”

According to Van Belkom, one of these variables was dual nationality. “If you have dual nationality, you were more likely to be classified as a fraudster.” Van Belkom thinks it makes sense that things went wrong. “You don’t need to have studied higher math to feel that people with dual nationality are at a disadvantage. But it’s important to realize that it was a human choice to program the algorithm this way.”