Microtargeting
The heart of intellectual inequality
So, we’ve all heard about microtargeting; and most of us have witnessed it in action on Facebook. Those ad’s we all see in our news feeds, and on the side-rail of the site are different for everyone. It’s based on a formula that considers browsing and search history, what you like, what you don’t, etc.
Some microtargeting can be useful. The more I shop on Amazon, the smarter they are at making suggestions. However, when content producers and media distributers start implementing microtargeting, we risk creating a new form of intellectual inequality.
There was a time when the media prided itself on being a trusted source of unbiased news. Over the decades we’ve witnessed a congealing of media holding companies, and a subsequent diluting of legitimate debate. There are still a handful of trusted news sources, but the landscape has changed enough to include untrustworthy sources within long-trusted organizations. Some say that news has changed, it moves faster now that we have social media. The fact is, news has been a fast-moving animal since the beginning of time. We’ve been figuring out better, faster, ways of covering it for decades. I don’t see the value of hearing rumor, opinion, and 1/2 thought through ideas from some junior contributor to @CNN. Seems like unnecessary noise.
The big issue is that the more people avoid the news they don’t like to read, hear, or watch; the better microtargeting formulas will be at filtering out those stories before you ever see them. At some point, everyone who wants to see the world through rose-colored glasses, will. It’s already started with the ads & recommendations we see. It’s already started moving toward content curation too. Linkedin is recommending content producers I should follow. Flipboard & Pulse both have the ability to feature & prioritize content they believe I’d like. With the degradation of quality news, and the congealing of the media, many people are turning to the internet as a legitimate alternative source.
I’m surrounded by crazy smart people who are tapped into different industries and have very different perspectives on life. I’m not worried about microtargeting infecting the quality of information I’m receiving. (Although, I think we need to be vigilant about it. Those who control the microtargeting formulas will eventually control the messages we receive.) I think the immediate concern should be for those already suffering intellectual inequality. It’s kind-of like asking a 600lb man to loose weight while continuously shoving doughnuts under his nose. For the intellectual health of our society, there are certain things we need to read, see, and hear. It’s why we send our children to school, make them watch Sesame Street, and listen to Sharon, Lois & Bram.
I believe good ideas, smart policies, and more empathetic people begin with sharing important information, and stories. Just because I like intellectual cake & candy, doesn’t mean I don’t need the intellectual fruit & vegetables in order to be healthy. I’m concerned that the new organ we’re fattening-up is our brain; we’re fattening it up with unhealthy information. At some point, we risk being so entrenched in our own perspective, it becomes hard to understand anyone else's.
My hope is that we develop an open-source, transparent, microtargeting formula over time. Something that will help you get information you want, while exposing you to information you need.
