Confirmation Bias in Our Opinions on Social Media: A Qualitative Approach

Abstract

Personal opinions are shaped by several factors, such as social, political, and economic issues. Subconscious bias is caused by factors such as the socioeconomic environment in which a person was raised, information gleaned from a network of friends, acquaintances, co-workers, as well as information from all other information sources. Confirmation bias is the propensity to look for evidence that supports one's preconceived notions rather than contradicts them. Due to its pressure on influencing personal opinions, confirmation bias has recently come back into focus as a topic of discussion, and social media today seems to have the biggest impact on the creation of confirmation bias in personal opinions on a variety of issues. Owing to social media's immense fame and popularity today, it has turned into a source of confirmation bias. Therefore, what are the factors that contribute to confirmation bias in our opinions on social media? How does confirmation bias shape our opinions on social media? A semi-structured interview was conducted with six (6) informants to seek answers to what and how confirmation bias shapes our opinions on social media. This study produced four themes, which are education level, algorithm, conformity, and self-control. Briefly, social media does shape confirmation bias in internet users' personal opinions. Finally, the current study has a limitation in that it only looks at social media, personal opinions, and confirmation bias.