You are trapped in a bubble, here is how to get out
Few of us sit down and make a conscious decision to inform ourselves about the world around us. Instead, most of us get our news casually. We open up our Twitter or Facebook feeds, we browse through the flow of information, and tap on the titles and stories that catch our eye. We are probably waiting for the subway, in line at the supermarket, or in the bathroom — that’s right, 75% of Americans use their smartphones in the bathroom. Today, 61% of millennials use Facebook as their primary source for news.
In our Facebook and Twitter flows, we see news articles from sources that we’ve ‘liked’ ourselves or that friends have ‘liked’ and shared. This gives us a one-sided perspective of the world, especially when it comes to political issues, as we tend to surround ourselves with like-minded people. This phenomenon is often referred to as our so-called “filter bubble”. All the information and news that we consume has gone through this filter before we finally absorb it for our benefit.
Facebook is your filter, but so are your group of friends, the television channels you choose to watch, and other websites you choose to visit. In fact, more and more websites aim to show you content that is specifically tailored for you. When you do a search on Google, the results will be created specifically for you, based on which device you are searching from, your location, IP-address, language settings, time of day and year, but also your search history, which sites you have visited in the past, and which ads you have clicked.
Eli Pariser, chief executive of Upworthy, activist, author and prominent authority on filter bubbles, makes an interesting observation:
Your computer monitor is a kind of one-way mirror, reflecting your own interests while algorithmic observers watch what you click.
Each time we search, browse, like, or comment, the social platforms we spend our time on collect more information about us. At the same time, it limits which information we see ourselves as it caters to the tastes and preferences it has picked up from the information it receives about us.
The effects are real
Today, the divide between conservatives and liberals has never been wider. The Pew Research Center has an interesting study where they have monitored American’s values over time. In the past ten years, the the divide has grown significantly. A large factor behind this change is the the growing influence of filter bubbles.
Taking a peek outside of your bubble may feel like falling down a rabbit hole full of deception and lies. But, it will also give you insights that you would not otherwise get. Even if you do not agree with what you read, you will gain an understanding of why people think in different ways than you do. If you are a liberal or progressive, visiting Inside Trump’s Bubble will show you the world through President Trump’s eyes. It may be shocking, but your own bubble might be just as biased, just with a different bias.
We started Newsvoice.com to battle filter bubbles and to democratize the news. Ideally, we would have wanted to show completely unbiased news, but there seems to be no such thing. We figured the second best way would be to always show you the different sides to the stories. Whether you like it or not. (We hope you do.)
