Filter bubbles: to be(lieve) or not to be(lieve)

In the previous week, my thought blog already discussed the terminology of algorithms. Related to algorithms' consequences, internet users should know two more concepts called echo chambers and filter bubbles. Bruns (2019a) argues these two concepts have some home overlap, and the echo chamber is somehow already deeply studied, while filter bubbles is a kind of new emerging term, from my point of view. In this week's thought blog, I will study and present to you some points that I think we should be aware of and decide to believe or not to believe.

Digital Media Literacy explains the concept of filter bubbles in an easy-understanding way. If you think about algorithms tailoring and choosing what you see online, it might seem like a good thing at first. Of course, you could not read everything online, even if you had all the time in the world. Also, we all have different interests, so why not focus on things we're likely to enjoy? A filter bubble is a problem that these algorithms can cause. Eli Pariser, an Internet activist, came up with the phrase "filter bubble." If you're in a filter bubble, these algorithms have cut you off from information and points of view that you haven't already shown interest in. This could mean that you miss out on important information. A social media site might hide posts from friends who have different opinions, or a news site might show you stories that it thinks you'll like. These algorithms don't ask for your permission, let you know when they're working, or explain what they're hiding from you, so you might not even know you're in one. These ads have become so common on the Internet that it's almost impossible to avoid them if you want to use them.

Video "How Filter Bubbles Isolate You". Source: www.youtube.com/@GCFLearnFree

Things only get worse when everyone is inside their own bubble. As an example, if everyone thinks they know the whole story about a current event but only know part of it, no one can make an informed decision, and it's hard to have a meaningful conversation about the facts. In this way, filter bubbles make it harder to understand things and make people unwilling to look at different points of view and negative information.

Video: "Beware online 'Filter Bubbles'. Source: www.youtube.com/@TED

The next question you should ask is whether it exists for real.

Until now, there is a variety of independent evidence showing that people use online news on search engines and social networks in diversified ways. Some people may think that this variety is leading to a split in opinions and how things are used. It's interesting because this goes against what the filter bubble hypothesis said would happen (Fletcher, 2020). The idea behind the hypothesis is that we'll get less diversity, which will have bad effects. That means the end result could be the same. However, the hypothesis doesn't explain how the mechanisms work (Fletcher, 2020).

The Senior Research Fellow of Reuter institution, Richard Fletcher, suggested that

Paying too much attention to filter bubbles might lead us astray and take our attention away from more important issues that need our attention. Why is this important? Because some of these issues are linked to the use of platforms in some ways. The platforms are not the cause, but they do play a role. We all know that platforms are always changing how they give people news, and people are also always changing how they get news. Because what was true a few years ago might not be true in the future, we need to take a close look at how algorithmic selection affects how people read the news. The most important thing is that focusing on filter bubbles might keep us from facing the real reasons why people are divided in politics and society. While we keep looking at platforms and how they affect how people get their news, it's important that we don't miss some of the bigger issues that may be causing some of the problems we're having (Bruns, 2019b).

References: Bruns, A. (2019a). Filter bubble. Internet Policy Review, 8(4). https://doi.org/10.14763/2019.4.1426

(Digital Media Literacy: How Filter Bubbles Isolate You, n.d.).

Bruns, A. (2019, August 27). Are Filter Bubbles Real? John Wiley & Sons. http://books.google.ie/books?id=rcOrDwAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=Are+Filter+Bubbles+Real%3F&hl=&cd=1&source=gbs_api.

Digital Media Literacy: How Filter Bubbles Isolate You. (n.d.). GCFGlobal.org. Retrieved February 20, 2024, from https://edu.gcfglobal.org/en/digital-media-literacy/how-filter-bubbles-isolate-you/1/.

Fletcher. (2020, January 24). The truth behind filter bubbles: Bursting some myths. Reuters Institute. Retrieved February 20, 2024, from https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/news/truth-behind-filter-bubbles-bursting-some-myths.