Ever heard someone use the term “cyber bubble?” How about “filter bubble?” Even more important, have you ever considered that you exist in a “filter bubble?”
Well, I’m here today to tell you that you DO. So do I. And we all need to start popping our filter bubbles. Now.
An important term to recognize: Filter Bubble
Internet activist Eli Pariser coined the term “Filter Bubble“ over a decade ago. According to Pariser, filter bubbles exist because search engines and social media platforms use algorithms to personalize the information we see. That seriously limits our vision of the world. While having a personalized internet experience can be nice, that means the Internet is showing us what it thinks we want to see, or what it wants us to see. It is not showing us what we need to see. And what we need to see is the whole picture. Not just the picture we agree with or are comfortable with. We need to engage with ideas and information that contradict what we already think. And to do that, we need to get outside of our filter bubble.
Another term to know: confirmation bias
According to Psychology Today, confirmation bias happens when we seek out information to justify our stance on something. Because of this, we tend to find information that backs up our ideas. This partially explains why people will believe fake news – because it supports what they already believe or want to believe.
When people would like a certain idea or concept to be true, they end up believing it to be true. They are motivated by wishful thinking. This error leads the individual to stop gathering information when the evidence gathered so far confirms the views or prejudices one would like to be true.
Psychology Today website
Dr.Shahram Heshmat Ph.D suggests that a great way to combat bias and filter is to look for information that proves your idea wrong. He says, “This is perhaps a true definition of self-confidence: the ability to look at the world without the need to look for instances that please your ego.”
Simmons University has more suggestions for combating filter bubbles, including:
- Use the search engine Duck, Duck, Go which does not store your search data and therefore does not affect your search results like algorithm driven models
- Check out the site All Sides to get more balanced news.
- Read articles and follow podcasts that present differing opinions and information on the same subject. I’m a fan of The Argument, a podcast hosted by Jane Coasten that usually features debates between at least two people who have different viewpoints on the same subject. Not only does it give me valuable ideas to consider, it also serves as a model for respectful discussion.
Why it’s important to know and understand filter bubbles and bias
I realize the concept of bias isn’t a huge revelation for many of you. But consider this: Eli Parisier gave his TED Talk in 2011. Way back then he was warning us about the dangers of bias, and we (and the media companies) didn’t do much about it. Eleven years later, we find ourselves in a very hostile and tribal social climate that is dysfunctional at best. To function as an effective democracy, we must be able to discuss different ideas. We must explore and accept multiple possibilities about what might work best for the people of our country. We cannot control what happens in Congress, but we can control what happens in our own homes and our own minds.
We must fight our natural tendency toward bias, and we need to get out of our individual filter bubbles as soon as possible. You probably knew you had a propensity for bias, now you have a way to name it. And do something about it. We can and must take control of the content we consume to be responsible citizens and consumers of media.
What things do you do to avoid the filter bubble and confirmation bias?
Thanks for getting nerdy with me!
Julia,
As always, I appreciate your posts especially since, like this one, they usually inform me of something I need to know!!
Thanks,
Jane
Aw, thanks Jane! Glad you gained something from it! 🙂
I read that Mark Twain said something to the effect of, “Common sense is nothing more than the sum of biases a person has collected during his life.”