2.2 Filter bubbles and echo chambers

People use information every day to make decisions. One of the main sources of information is likely to be social media. Yet, have you ever noticed how the information and social media messages you see online are often personalised to you, from adverts about the brand of trainers you like, to the sports clubs you support, to the political views you or your friends tend to know or already agree with? This is called a filter bubble or an echo chamber (where the same views as your own are echoed back to you).

Filter bubbles narrow the range of information you have access to, which has its benefits if you always buy a particular brand of jeans or trainers, but is not so helpful when trying to understand important issues or if you need to make informed decisions. You may also find it harder to identify false information as you are not exposed to other sources of information or ideas that may challenge you or make you question what you are reading or hearing.

Activity 6: Understanding filter bubbles

Timing: 20 minutes

Select the answer for

Question 1a

here

Take a few minutes to watch Video 3 before answering the following questions.

Download this video clip.Video player: Video 3: Filter bubbles and fake news

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Transcript: Video 3: Filter bubbles and fake news

SPEAKER

What are filter bubbles? What do they have to do with fake news? Or Filter Bubbles and Fake News. Language is central to the way we understand the world. It mediates everything from the way we see world events to how we understand the big issues of the day.

But it’s not only newspapers and television programs that shape our understanding of society. Our friends also play a part. We tend to be friends with people who have the same views as us. And this creates an echo chamber effect where we mainly just get to hear opinions that we already agree with.

This issue has become very noticeable in the era of social media. And it’s further reinforced by the way personalisation algorithms on sites like Facebook feed us stories based on what we’ve shown a preference for in the past. These algorithms create what are known as online filter bubbles, which can have the effect of shielding people from opposing viewpoints.

And from the comfort of our filter bubbles, it can come as quite a shock when large groups have very different opinions to our own. But judging by Frank’s experience, these algorithms don’t always work. This is because most people’s friends on Facebook come from a wide range of backgrounds, so there’s always a lot of diversity in our online networks and lots of different opinions.

But people don’t usually want to get into arguments on sites like Facebook. After all, they’re supposedly friends with the people they interact with. When they realise someone’s regularly posting views they disagree with, the tendency is not to engage with them in debate but to quietly unfriend them or block them.

One of the big implications of filter bubbles is the spread of misinformation or fake news. Fake news refers to stories which are purposefully circulated for money for propaganda or just for fun. Fake news can spread very quickly on social media because of its culture of sharing and the fact that there are no editorial checks to slow things down. And if people only get one side of the story and only speak with people who share their views, they’re unlikely to spot or challenge these inaccuracies.

So Frank, what have we learned? The only real way to deal with fake news is to be aware that it happens and to look at more than one source. And just as language mediates the way we see the world, so does technology. It’s crucial to understand how social media can distort the information we receive before we make up our minds.

End transcript: Video 3: Filter bubbles and fake news

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Video 3: Filter bubbles and fake news

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1. You are in a filter bubble when:

Computer algorithms use your online search history and preferences to make assumptions about what you want to heard and filters the information it feeds you.

Computer algorithms use your online search history and preferences to expand the range of ideas and perspectives it feeds you.

 

a. 

Computer algorithms use your online search history and preferences to make assumptions about what you want to heard and filters the information it feeds you.

b. 

Computer algorithms use your online search history and preferences to expand the range of ideas and perspectives it feeds you.

The correct answer is a.

Select the answer for

Question 1b

here

2. Which of the following can happen when you are in a filter bubble?

It isn’t always obvious you are in a filter bubble!

You may only see the opinions of those who think the same way as you.

You may be surprised by or become much less tolerant of other viewpoints.

 

a. 

It isn’t always obvious you are in a filter bubble!

b. 

You may only see the opinions of those who think the same way as you.

c. 

You may be surprised by or become much less tolerant of other viewpoints.

The correct answers are a, b and c.

3. Fake news is ___________ that is purposefully circulated.

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Answer

misinformation

4. List three reasons for why people might circulate fake news.

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Answer

• For money (for example fake reviews may influence you into buying a product).
• For propaganda (information may be designed to influence you politically).
• For fun (false stories can become viral videos for sharing and entertainment).

5. Why do you think misinformation or fake news does well in filter bubbles?

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Discussion

In your reflections you might thought about how only reading the views of those who agree with you means you have nothing to compare or check this information against. You may not be exposed to different views which raise question or alarm bells. Something might sound very believable because it uses the same language you do. Or you may think that it must be true because no one else in your circles has stopped to check the information or flagged it as an issue.

Figure 8: Fact or fake?

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An image of 4 cubes in a line. The first two have an ‘F’ and ‘A’. The second two are being held at an angle. One side shows a ‘K’ and ‘E’, so spelling out ‘FAKE’ and the other side shows ‘C’ and ‘T’, spelling out ‘FACT’.

Figure 8: Fact or fake?

So, how can you protect yourself from filter bubbles and false or misinformation? In short, you can’t. If you use the internet and social media, computer algorithms will analyse what you say and do online and filter the information you see. This can be helpful for some tasks, but it will also limit what you see and hear. The important thing is for you to be aware that you might be isolated from wider society in your thinking (in a filter bubble), so ask questions about the information you receive and expand the range of information you are exposed to.