EDMO Ireland is taking part in the Be Online Smart campaign, a Europe-wide initiative led by the European Digital Media Observatory (EDMO) and its network of 14 national hubs. Running from May 12th to 30th, the campaign aims to help the public understand how algorithms shape what we see online — from social media feeds to news recommendations.
While recommendation systems help users discover relevant content, they can also narrow our information exposure, amplify disinformation, and reinforce existing biases. Be Online Smart encourages people to learn how these systems work so they can make better-informed choices, spot misinformation, and resist algorithmic manipulation.
EDMO Ireland will roll out the campaign through local media literacy outreach events in partnership with DCU in the Community and the MIL CC training programme for librarians. The initiative will include workshops, talks, and practical tools designed to empower people of all ages to take more control over their digital lives.
The Irish Context
Recommendation systems help us discover content we enjoy, but they can also limit what we see, amplify disinformation and extremism, and reinforce bias.
A DCU study has shown that social media algorithms rapidly push misogynistic and male supremacist content to users — often within minutes. Researchers created fake male accounts on YouTube Shorts and TikTok, and found they were quickly flooded with anti-feminist and extremist material, even without searching for it.
The findings have fuelled growing calls for stricter regulation of recommendation systems, with new research from ICCL and Uplift showing that 74% of the Irish public want tougher controls. ICCL has also criticised Ireland’s national disinformation strategy for ignoring the role of these powerful algorithms.
Media literacy alone can’t fix the problems of digital technology, but knowing how recommendation algorithms work is key to taking control online and joining the debate. The more we understand how algorithms shape what we see, the better we can spot misinformation, make informed choices, and stay in charge of our digital lives.
