DUMONDE
Part of: Digital Nationalism and the Fragmentation of European Identity
Essay 4 / 7Working Paper19 min

The Algorithm of Polarisation: How Platforms Amplify Division

|Updated February 4, 2026|Introductory
In 2021, Frances Haugen, a Facebook engineer, leaked internal documents that revealed something the company already knew: its algorithm optimised for division. The company's own researchers had documented it. It was not a bug. It was the product working as designed.
algorithmspolarisationfacebookyoutubedisinformationhaugen

Abstract

In 2021, Frances Haugen revealed that Facebook's algorithm optimised for division. This essay analyses how recommendation algorithms amplify divisive content, why false news travels faster, and YouTube's rabbit holes.

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