Filter Bubbles

Filter bubbles are internet logarithms that control the presentation and availability of data to users based off of past searches and activity on the world wide web. This tailored version of the web comes from tracking numerous, personal details of each user, whether that is the first link one clicks on a search, or even what type of computer is used in the search. Google and Facebook, in particular, are known for their personalization algorithms. The two sites take data from users’ posts, searches, and “clicks” and upload this to their respective corpus. This ever-evolving set of data then uses algorithm to present relevant information to users based off of past activities, filtering out items that may not interest users (Rader, Gray).

This system is a modern form of gatekeeping. Gatekeepers control the information that is available or portrayed to the public, granting these entities with immense powers of influence. Historically, gatekeepers have always been groups with control, most commonly the government and the media. The major concern with the presence of powerful gatekeepers is that they have unparalleled influence on public opinion and knowledge. In the United States, the media has influenced public opinion, notably and controversially with political elections. There are ongoing gripes of the partisanship of news stations and their reports of politics. With this example, it is easy to see the power that news stations have, controlling headlines, interviews, anchors, etc. Before televisions and radios, the government was arguably the most powerful gatekeepers. With the omnipotence of the law and military to enforce it, established governments across the globe have influenced public opinion to be content with rulers, wage hatred and war, and sway the minds of its citizens in general. Today, the internet has tremendous power as a gatekeeper, highlighted by filter bubbles and the algorithms that enable them. The government acts as a gatekeeper still, but in big picture ways concerning national security and other things that might put its citizens at risk. The media certainly still acts as a major gatekeeper today with its power to inform its viewers with whatever it chooses. Sometimes the news will show tragedies happening domestically and overseas, and sometimes it will show videos of cute kittens. The main difference is that with the internet and filter bubbles, they can see which one you want to see first. Here lies the irreversible nature of filter bubbles’ gatekeeping: once a user clicks on one type of web page, said page will gain priority in searches, suppressing sites that aren’t closely related.

With such enormous influence of information, the search engines of the internet must be asked about the realm of their responsibility in controlling the data is presents to its users. As illustrated in Eli Pariser’s TED Talk, two people can search the exact same thing and receive completely different search results. Some argue that tailored searches from harnessed personal usage is an overstep of power by the internet, as it makes users’ experiences online one defined by uniformity and ignorance, rather than exploration and unlimited knowledge (Praiser). With this in mind, users must be aware of their current situation with the internet. It is within the responsibility of the user to diversify their searches and to be conscious of the fact that they may have to take further steps to reach information that they may not see on the front page of a search.

This leaves Google and Facebook in an ethical predicament. Even with accusations of propaganda and undemocratic algorithms, it is hard to convince technologically progressive companies to devolve. Ideally, each user would be presented with all of the most relevant information possible, but as far as these major engine’s future decisions, they should keep ethics and user rights as the priority, especially surrounding the controversy that already exists with filter bubbles.