In our digital age, a lot of importance is placed on staying connected with each other. With the technology available these days it’s even possible to stay in touch with people we otherwise would not have access to. However, with filters in place on the internet and websites like Facebook, people don’t really get the chance to access all of the information they might want to, which hinders the progressive nature of the internet.
Facebook has arguably grown to become the world’s largest social media platform and has gained popularity amongst people from all across the globe. Facebook can be a great tool for staying connected with friends and family, and for keeping up to date with current events. However, there is a system in place which only shows users the posts that Facebook thinks they might be interested in, rather than showing them everything there is to see.
I’m referring to the new-age online gatekeepers that Facebook has custom made for each user, which only allows certain things to show up on that person’s newsfeed. This filtration system, also known as EdgeRank, follows an algorithm which uses factors such as affinity, weight, and time decay to sort out bits of information that are connected to other posts that user ‘liked’ or came across. This explains why the majority of suggested Facebook pages are related to the users current interests, and even narrows down which advertisements are included on the sidebar. Facebook is then able to deliver a completely personalized version of their site to each individual user that they think will best suit their interests or needs.
When first hearing this, it sounds like a great thing – like Facebook is doing you a favor by catering to your personal preferences and keeping you from having to scroll through pages of drivel. However, if you really think about it, these filters are actually doing you a disservice. Eli Pariser expands on this idea in his TED Talk about how filter bubbles keep us from truly being connected, which is what the internet is all about.
Pariser states that the filtration system keeps each of us in our own static, personal ‘bubble’ of information, and doesn’t allow us to read about other events happening in the world or even in our communities, keeping our newsfeeds cluttered with information related only to the posts we ‘like’. Friends that show up on our newsfeeds also tend to be the ones that we connect with online the most (friends we search for, message and talk to, and tag in posts).
This does not mean that we should boycott Facebook. Rather, this is food for thought, especially if you’re finding that the same friends or posts are constantly showing up on your newsfeed. Expand your social circle by connecting with your other Facebook friends, and your newsfeed should become a little more diverse than it previously was. End the cycle and ‘break the bubble’!