We have a problem in our world. We place blind faith in the internet to provide us with an objective view of the world, but it is getting more difficult to find places where information isn’t pre-organized for us into bubbles based on our existing beliefs and ideologies. Eric Schmidt, the Executive Chairman of Alphabet Inc., with regards to this problem, said:

“It will be very hard for people to watch or consume something that has not in some sense been tailored for them.”

Day by day, our world is becoming more consumer-based and more highly connected. We spend so much time on the platforms that provide us these daily connections, such as Facebook, Twitter, Google, Netflix, and Youtube. We forget that these platforms are consumer based too. Like any other product, they want their consumers to be happy and to continue using their product. Their concern is not for the development of a learned society, just for one with high engagement.

To this end, platforms like Facebook and Google tailor the information you have available to you using engagement-driven algorithms. This way, two people can use the same search phrases but receive different information. At this point, people may expect this filtering from Facebook, but many people implicitly trust Google as the gateway to the world of information available on the internet. Google will filter your results even if you aren’t logged in, using a combination of 57 signals from your computer to discern your identity and filter your information anyway.

When acting alone, this may not be that detrimental. However, when all of the platforms you interact with push you towards content you agree with, and away from any other opinions, it leads to a severe problem. This kind of omnipresent information tailoring is dangerous. It contributes further toward the isolation of people inside their ideological bubbles, and further dividing people of differing opinions.

Another problem with this system is that it provides us with a poorly balanced information diet. Our bubbles prevent us from seeing important news or thought pieces, showing us entertaining content instead simply because we will enjoy it more.

It is important to acknowledge here that bubbles and algorithms aren’t entirely to blame for these problems. As consumerism becomes a more significant part of our culture, its influence on how we interact with the world becomes more impactful. We are growing so used to having everything made explicitly for our satisfaction and use, that we have started to look at the world the same way.

We need to work together with our platform providers. While they need to give us back control of what we view on the internet, we need to work on being less sensitive to things that we don’t like. This way, when we interact with people or things we disagree with in everyday life, we can more maturely react to them.

So next time you search for something, remember you’re only getting half of the story.

Sources:

https://www.adweek.com/digital/arvind-raichur-mrowl-guest-post-filter-bubbles/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/kalevleetaru/2017/12/18/why-was-2017-the-year-of-the-filter-bubble/#3d7df062746b

https://www.ted.com/talks/eli_pariser_beware_online_filter_bubbles#t-226705