Australia's concentrated media landscape and the rise of tech giants have created a complex hierarchy, influencing the kind of information we receive online. Experts say it's changing society, and negatively impacting our sense of hope.
Big tech's digital mediaries, such as Instagram and Facebook, have increased the incentive for media organisations to sensationalise headlines and stories for clicks and engagement.
Associate Professor Michael Noetel from the University of Queensland's School of Psychology told SBS Examines it's causing a lot of us to experience "learned helplessness".
"Given we can't do much about [war and conflict], the way that we feel like we're doing something is by staying up to date," he said.
It can feel like some of the problems facing humanity are too big for us to do anything about. And that means that we don't act. I think that's a real tragedy.
"You can sort of feel like there's nothing that you can do, when there are important things that we can do," A/Prof Noetel added.
This episode of SBS Examines asks: how are big media and big tech influencing the news everyday Australians are receiving? And how is it impacting the way we see the world?
