What surprises me is not that there are young people who genuinely think social media algorithms are helping them, but that there are young people who have never heard any other opinion. Complaints about "the dreaded algorithm" are so prevalent across so many different online spaces I've been in, both fannish and not, that I can't even imagine where they're spending their time online that they've literally never seen it, even if they disagree with it.

But then again, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that the algorithm isn't showing them any content they disagree with, because that is exactly how it's intended to work, after all.

(As an aside, I'm proud to say that my kid is among the Young People Who Get It and so are their friends. I am sure there is a massive range of savviness levels among the youth of today depending on what their social circle is like.)