The Internet Filter Bubble

The Internet is showing us what it thinks we want to see, not necessarily what we need to see.—Eli Pariser

I am reading Eli Pariser’s The Filter Bubble: What the Internet Is Hiding from You.

It’s a compelling read for anyone active on the Internet and, perhaps, a little complacent about the increasing personalization that’s occurring in that realm.

We all know ads are tailored to our interests and previous clicks, but did you know that Google’s search results will differ wildly from one person to the next? If searching for Egypt, I might get vacation spots and quaint fauna; you might get civil unrest and business opportunities. The so called-personalized algorithmic filters that make this discrepancy possible are in effect deciding for you what you might be interested in seeing.

Even when you’re logged out, Google uses 57 signals—such as browser, device or location—to decide things about you. What’s more, the opacity of this practice has many of us mistakenly believing we have access to a common Internet.

Let’s bring this back to a simpler context. What happens when you spend prolonged amounts of time by yourself, with no one to contradict you or challenge your beliefs, knowledge or habits? You get set in your ways. You become a little self-righteous and a little inflexible. You become leery of otherness because you are rarely asked to exercise your ability for tolerance, understanding and learning.

Eli Pariser contends that what he terms the You spiral—the potentially ever-narrowing circle of personal biases—is a threat to democracy. I agree. Code should not decide what each individual needs to know. I’m not opposed to personalization if I am included in its control but filters to information must be visible. Anything else is censorship disguised as convenience.

In a world where democracy is eroding and the notion of Welfare State an anachronism, it is crucial for us all to better understand or at least acknowledge one another. This requires being exposed to conflicting points of view because it is that constant challenge to our propensity for certainty that makes being human worthwhile.

Is this an over-reaction in your view?
Here is an introduction to Pariser’s stance.