Filter Bubbles Are Here To Stay

I often find myself procrastinating my homework and getting lost in the endless posts shared on my social media feeds. Videos of dog fails and funny, relatable memes can keep me entertained for hours. Most news articles that show up on my feed, based on my interests, focus on pop culture and mainstream media. The idea that content, which has no relevance to my interests, is filtered off my social media feeds keeps me at ease. I enjoy opening up my feeds to relatable, satisfying content. However the concept of filter bubbles has lead me to focus on the systems and techniques that these companies use to create them. Although I enjoy and am pleased with the content that is displayed on my feeds everytime I sign into Facebook or open Instagram, the idea that these platforms track all of my activity leaves me dissatisfied. With a simple search of my name, Facebook, Instagram and a variety of other social media companies can formulate a fairly accurate representation of my personality, interests and a general idea of who I am, based on content that I’ve ‘liked’ or ‘shared’. I have also come to the realization that being exposed to content catered for my interests and passions can very easily lead me to become ignorant and unaware of the world around me. The use of filter bubbles essentially makes my social media experience an unrealistic view of the world as a whole. Although my interests fall in pop culture and mainstream media, being educated on other aspects of today’s world is necessary. Like many young adults in Toronto, I spend a lot of time on both my phone and, most often, social media. As a result, these social media bubbles stick with us and move with us through our everyday activities and interactions. Although social media filter bubbles have their advantages, their practices leave me feeling somewhat unsettled. I worry that too many young adults, such as myself, are indulged in social media bubbles that give them an inaccurate view of their lives and the lives of the world’s population. I worry that social media is spoiling us in order to keep us as users; I worry about being tracked with every hashtag posted or clicked on, every link opened or like made on Facebook, or every search on Google. On the other hand, I wonder if social media were to burst filter bubbles, many of us would eventually become disinterested with the content that is being displayed on our screens. I am fearful that it is too late for social media to revoke the filter bubble. As we grow more accustomed to seeing content catered to our very interests, the idea of going back will just upset us, and lead us to blocking out stories, images and videos that are not suited to our interests. I worry that we have become so ignorant about the reality of social media filter bubbles and fail to acknowledge their power that we have come to a point of moral defeat and acquiescence. So, should social media companies burst filter bubbles? In a perfect world, I would confidently say ‘YES!’ Then again, in a perfect world, there would be no need to be exposed to the ‘ugly truth’ seeing as it wouldn’t exist. But in a more realistic world, I am ashamed to say no, they should not. These social media companies have simply catered to their consumers. Is their technique or intention in doing so both ethically and morally right? Most likely not. However, in today’s competitive market, they must remain innovative. It saddens me to say that their approach was and still is successful. The concept of social media filter bubbles both saddens me and keeps me hooked at the same time. I believe the more crucial question at hand is: “are we capable of opening our view of the world after being accustomed to social media filter bubbles, which have created a pampered vision for each individual user?”