Social Feeds Empower a Vocal Few

Platforms concentrate attention so that a small number of hypervisible accounts and viral moments shape perceptions of public opinion and policy priorities. That distortion causes the public and officials to overestimate polarization, amplifies fringe demands into policy pressures, and drives ordinary citizens to withdraw from debate. — If a handful can set perceived 'public will', then democratic responsiveness, institutional trust, and policymaking incentives change—requiring new civic remedies beyond content moderation.