LnRiLWhlYWRpbmcuaGFzLWJhY2tncm91bmR7cGFkZGluZzowfQ==
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
Stephanie Pilla
The Architecture of Polarization: Algorithmic Curation and Political Tribalism on TikTok
Biography
Stephanie is a 2025 ProCom graduate with a strong passion for visual marketing, interdisciplinary research, and science communication. During her academic journey, she cultivated a deep interest in the study of media bias and its broader societal impacts. This curiosity led her to produce several scholarly works exploring systemic inequalities, cognitive dissonance, and the psychological influence of targeted advertising.
Her coursework and independent research often intersected with topics such as media literacy, sociopolitical framing, and the role of communication in shaping public perception. These experiences challenged her to critically reflect on her own political beliefs and consider how the media she consumed was actively shaping her worldview—ultimately inspiring the focus of her capstone project.
Steph is especially interested in using visual storytelling and data-driven communication strategies to promote awareness, foster equity, and drive meaningful change.
Connect with Steph on Linkedin
Details of Project
In today’s digital world, political opinions are increasingly shaped by what people see online—but what if that content doesn’t tell the full story?
This research set out to explore how social media algorithms, particularly on TikTok, influence political beliefs and fuel polarization. Two fake accounts were created—one left-leaning, one right-leaning—to observe how the platform would respond to their existing ideological beliefs.
The results were striking: both accounts, regardless of political orientation, were fed content that was often misleading, sensational, and tribalistic. Right-leaning content was prioritized more heavily, and the right-wing account experienced significantly less exposure to opposing viewpoints than the left-leaning one.
If you’ve ever wondered whether your “For You Page” is really for you, this study might make you think twice.
Lightning talk
