Every time more voices join the digital universe who try to draw attention to the so-called bubble filter. The issue is not without controversy, since some see it as beneficial for its purposes, while others believe that it has come to control somehow to Internet users.
Starting in 2011, the year in which the cyberactivist Eli Pariser published his book “The Filter Bubble”the concept has not ceased to haunt the minds of many, putting the giants of the ICTs.
However, if we all agree with what is expressed in said book, we would be falling into the ‘Pariser bubble’, so it is necessary to see all this from different perspectives. That is why we invite you to read our article on the subject, so that you can get your own conclusions.
What is the filter bubble and how does it affect my digital experience?
Pariser being the creator of the term, it is necessary to say with him that the filter bubble is the personal ecosystem of information that has been provided by algorithms. This means, according to his vision, that in said ecosystem Artificial Intelligence has the leading role.
Although such a concept may seem irrefutable to some, Pariser leaves aside the improvement of the user’s browsing experience, through the personalization of Internet searches. In this sense, it is necessary to show how important it is to have the option to filter the information in a personal way, in a digital world increasingly saturated with content of all kinds.
How does the filter bubble work? This is how you create your personal virtual universe
We take it for granted that there must be any method to create a filter bubblethat taking into account the thousands of millions of sites present in the online universe. In this case we are talking about in charge of selecting, after a predictive analyticswhat the user would like to see on a particular topic or product.
It is clear that, for this to be possible, it is necessary that the user always do your searches from the same device, since otherwise the aforementioned analysis would be impossible for the algorithm to perform. To say it with an example, if you search from your computer over “my good friend Pedro” a significant number of times, you’re not going to get the same results as doing it using your neighbor’s computer. At least that’s how it will be the first times.
It’s all because the big websites and thein an attempt to simplify the use of the Internet for the user, they take note of the preferences of each one based, of course, on the information they are collecting about your likes based on the number of clicks on certain sites. Said in simpler words, each one of us is creating his own virtualized personal universe in the form of a bubble, being the work of the algorithms help us with the task by lending us your filters.
Facebook and Google algorithms How do these bubbles work?
Going back to what was said in the previous section, it is good that we all know how algorithms work. Google and of Facebook, namely the most used search engine and the social network with more users around the worldrespectively.
In the first case, Google, it personalizes your searches using as a reference the history that is formed with the type of pages What do you visit most often? It also takes into account other information, such as the location of the connection site or the type of browser we use, with which we will begin to get results based on data about us collected on the platform.
Facebook, For his part, he bases his predictions on the profiles from our friends, family, and the kind of opinions or comments we like. In this way, the algorithm of the social network predicts the type of news that interests us the most, the products on which to show us advertising and also the best times to send it.
Bubble filter problems What are the risks of this phenomenon?
We must understand that We are all free to create our own personal universe.be it in real life or in the sphere of the Internet, marking our preferences as for the type of information we are interested in.
The problem is, according to the point of view of Pariser and others, that this makes the world increasingly polarized, which suggests that their greatest concern comes from the political point of view. We reach that conclusion when it is said that someone of thought freesl, only news related to his vision of the world will reach him; The same is happening for those who lean towards conservative current to see things.
What are the tools used to create this phenomenon?
Various platforms, ranging from the two mentioned above, to others such as Amazon, Twitter and websites of different sizes, they use some tools to facilitate and improve the navigation of their users.
Let’s see what they are:
cookies
These files capable of saving small amounts of informationare used by websites to store data on the activities of a user when visiting one of these specific sites, thus achieving greater customization.
Algorithms
Search engines, social networks, and in general most of the platforms, use the machine learning algorithms. These are programmed in such a way that they help the user to find what they are looking for when browsing the almost infinite virtual world.
Histories
If there is something that clearly configures what interests each user the most, it is nothing other than your internet search history. Through time we are leaving a digital footprintwhich is used by search engines and social networks to present us with results and suggestions.
The Good Side How does using these filters improve the user experience?
Despite what has been said so far, not everything is a problem when it comes to talking about the bubble filters. This taking into account the series of advantages associated with personalized use of the different Internet platforms.
This begins by recognizing the great saving of time and resources when searching for content in the immense ocean that is the great Net, where we know that billions of all kinds of data coexist. Not counting on that possibility would turn into a herculean task find what we are looking for, at least in the easy way in which we do it today.
Tips to prevent Bubble Filter from taking over your devices
Nowadays there are many movements dedicated to demanding companies like Google, Amazon, Facebook, among others, an explanation of the operation of its algorithms. Meanwhile, it is up to each user to find a way to break the bubble.
For that we leave you with some useful tips, which we hope will help you:
Expand your range of information
This is mainly when you are looking for information with political content, trying to read online media focused on as many trends as possible. Many experts agree that this is a way of fool the algorithms.
Clear your browsing history
Surely you have noticed that when you clear the history, the shortcuts will no longer be seen in the new tab. That is because the algorithm will no longer be able to make predictions to display them in the address bar.
Browse the Internet anonymously
Take advantage of the tools of your browser to protect your personal data, since if the platforms do not have them, they will hardly be able to lock you in a bubble. Another way to do it is using a VPNwhich does not record traffic in a personalized way.
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