Internet Filter Bubbles

The other day I shared in class a video about "filter bubbles." Essentially what filter bubbles are is invisible methods of filtering information that is presented to us online. An example of this is Google, who uses our location, web browsers, previous searches etc, in order to display to us what its algorithms thinks is most relevant to us.

It sounds great in theory, but in practice it is extremely disconcerting. These computers show to us what it thinks is important to its users, when in actual fact, it may be doing more harm than good.

Unfortunately Google doesn't let us turn off its screening algorithms; possibly even worse is the fact that not many people even know they exist!

But does a machine really know what I want to see? Maybe I don't want to see things I've seen before, or find things which confirm my own stance on an issue - in fact I want completely the opposite! I want my views challenged, I want information which is not just on one side of the political spectrum, I want to see the other side of every coin.

People need to know that many search engines and other popular sites filter our searches for us, without us even knowing. People need to be outraged that they do not have the option of turning off this automatic function. People need to be aware that something very powerful connecting us and giving us access to the world - called the internet - can be controlled so easily.

With so much information out there - the threat the internet possess is not so much being uninformed -but being misleadingly informed.