Social Media and Filter Bubbles
Following last week’s class, filter bubbles have been very prominent in my mind. Each time that I search through my social media channels I am becoming more and more aware of what sits at the “top” of my feeds. When I first started using social media the top of my newsfeed was actually the most recent posts- ones that were not filtered by some algorithm based on what my apparent interests are. These algorithms have come to seriously alter what we see online. Rather than seeing what is current and happening in the world from all perspectives, we get it from one that is tailored specifically to our own interests as determined by an algorithm. These specialized posts, photos, advertisements, etc. cause us to be stuck in a filter bubble. Instead of providing us with opposing ideals, cultures, political standpoints, and more, we only see what we “want” to see. This leaves many of us with a very specific, one-sided view on what is happening in the world. The real question here is if it is up to the social media companies to burst our filter bubbles by changing or getting rid of these algorithms all together.
I would never sit here and argue that filter bubbles are something that are beneficial to our knowledge but I’m not going to sit here and say that filter bubbles are entirely at the fault of social media companies either. Social media is something that most of us use on the daily and just because it is a huge part of where we receive our information does not mean that we shouldn’t think critically about it.
Social media companies are companies after all. They way that they build their sites is purely to enhance user experiences. The best way to keep people coming back is by having something that is interesting that they will want to see, read, comment on, whatever. Yes, they should have some social responsibility but again we have to think critically about what we see on social media anyways. Even if filter bubbles did not exist, one should still be questioning and digging deeper into what they read. We can’t take every story we see for face value.
While I don’t believe that social media companies should necessarily be held responsible for bursting the closed off bubbles we live in, I do think that they should help us burst our own bubbles. Social media companies should alter their algorithms or get rid of them all together so that the information we receive is more diverse. It would allow for more enrichment, allow for us to challenge our preconceived notions on what we thought we already knew. Not only that, but we as individuals should challenge ourselves by looking beyond what we already think. We should not rely on Facebook as our predominant source of news.
In today’s world so many of us have unlimited access to incredible amounts of information. We don’t always use this access wisely, nor to the fullest of its potential. Social media sites don’t help us either. By filtering what we see, social media sites close the door on the room we put ourselves in. If we choose not to open that door, that isn’t only on social media sites, it is on us too. Though I am probably not the best example of someone who opens my door (my filter bubble hardly even has news. Its all Buzzfeed, cute animals and Tasty videos[I KNOW]), it is still important to push and look beyond what we see on social media sites.
