Les dérives de la pensée à l’ère du digital : cas des réseaux sociaux et des biais cognitifs

Cognitive biases are distortions that information undergoes when entering or exiting an individual's cognitive system. Once confined to direct interactions between individuals, these biases have become more pronounced in the digital era, particularly through social media channels. Consequently, recommendation algorithms on platforms tend to present users with content similar to what they have previously consumed, creating information bubbles and reinforcing pre-existing biases. Furthermore, the relative anonymity on social media can foster disinhibition and rapid dissemination of misinformation, thereby amplifying these biases, with manifold repercussions on individuals and society: distorted perception of reality, reinforcement of prejudices, and difficulty in making objective decisions, public opinion polarization, spread of misinformation, and the formation of isolated opinion communities, negatively impacting democracy, social cohesion, and even collective and individual well-being. Therefore, understanding these biases, how they manifest on social networks, and how to mitigate them if possible, is essential for promoting responsible use of social media and fostering a healthy and balanced public discourse. This research, which revisits and intersects a body of significant works on the subject by Kahnemann, Sibony, Denault, Meier, and others through content analysis, aims to achieve precisely that.