In my previous post, ‘Is Facebook the Real Big Brother’, I talked about Facebook and manipulation. Here, now, is a TED talk from 2011 about the ‘personalisation’ of the internet, and how it locks us in rather than freeing us up.
I have to say I was shocked when I watched this TED talk, especially as Eli Pariser foresaw the problems we’re now facing…6 years ago. I was also shocked because I had no idea that even my searches were being ‘tailored’ for me by Google.
“From human gatekeepers to algorithmic ones.”
When I do a search, I want it to be relevant, yes, but I also want to see what’s out there. I want to choose what I see, because if I can’t see the things that I may not like, I may be manipulated into seeing things that are skewed for someone else’s benefit.
Cambridge Analytics already boasts that:
- it knows us better than we know ourselves and
- used that knowledge in both the Trump election and Brexit.
Truth or bullshit?
Given the company’s connection to billionaire software genius Robert Mercer*, and Mercer’s connection to Breitbart and Bannon, I can’t shrug it off as bullshit. But if Trump and Brexit are possible, then Eli Pariser’s filter bubble could turn out to be more like a noose.
My thanks to Honie Briggs for the link to the TED talk.
Meeks
*The Guardian expose is here and you can Google the details to check their validity:
Meeka's Mind 
March 11th, 2017 at 2:48 am
Online filter bubbles seem to be a tremendous problem to my way of thinking. I think the Internet really is a double-edged sword when it comes to democracy and the (in theory) free spread of ideas.
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March 11th, 2017 at 8:21 am
It’s a double edged sword, isn’t it? On the one hand it gives us humans what we want – inclusion and a sense of ‘belonging’ – but on the other hand it is also very good at shielding us from unpleasant realities.
I consider myself to be a fairly open minded person, but now I wonder how many times I actually step outside my comfort zone/bubble? Not that often, methinks. 😦
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March 11th, 2017 at 9:15 pm
I think part of the problem is that the technology does so much of the shielding for us without our even realizing it.
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March 12th, 2017 at 9:28 am
Yes. Agree completely. If I am going to live in my own little bubble I’d like to make that a choice. Plus I’d still like to look out the window every now and then. 😦
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March 6th, 2017 at 10:40 am
Have you seen this: https://www.channel4.com/news/fake-news-google-searches-and-what-they-tell-us
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March 6th, 2017 at 8:49 pm
Is there more than just one paragraph? Or is it behind some kind of paywall?
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March 6th, 2017 at 9:00 pm
Click to watch the video! That’s where the important info is.
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March 6th, 2017 at 12:30 am
We occupy our own echo chambers unless we make a big effort to take a peek outside. The first time this hit home was when I e-published The Mary Shelley Game and it kept surfacing as a book I would find interesting. Was this message going to other mystery readers? Nope. Just to me. LOL…
I now make a serious effort to explore sources of information OUTSIDE my comfort zone. Sometimes it’s a terrible experience, but I think it’s important.
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March 6th, 2017 at 6:32 am
lol – I’ve had some of that too! And yes, pushing outside of that comfort zone does take a conscious effort. Luckily the really ‘social’ part of social media – people- keep surprising me. They also make me reassess my world view from time to time. They’re good at that. 🙂
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March 5th, 2017 at 9:42 am
The future is now and now is looking damned scary.
xxx Huge Hugs xxx
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March 6th, 2017 at 6:36 am
Yes. I stuck my little toe outside my own filter bubble and discovered the world is a much nastier place than I’d thought. 😦
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