Filter Bubbles

Filter Bubbles:

There are both good and bad points about the filtering of information done by the algorithmic formulas on the internet.  The fact that “Big Brother” is watching to see what I click on and then tailors what I see next is beneficial- but at the same time kind of disturbing. 

One personal example that I can think of is how I found my daughter’s last preschool.  I know that I was looking to move her from her current baby sitter to a more traditional school setting. Some of the topics that I searched were for nannies and preschools.  I remember putting in my zip code when I searched.  I searched a few days and when I was doing some kind of search- not for preschool- down in the left corner of the page was an ad for Kids Depot.  I generally don’t look at ads purposefully, but I noticed this one probably because it was in my need of reference. I did something I normally don’t do. I clicked on it, read the information and ended up going for a tour of the school.  After watching the video, the internet formula worked well for me.  I found what I needed  and it lead me down the tunnel for where I wanted to go.  This is good.

On the other hand, what information am I missing based on my clicking patterns?  Sometimes I read the news to see what’s happening in the world, and sometimes I want to know what my current addiction reality show personality might be doing.  So based on this, my news might be skewed?  I’m not pleased with that aspect.  My mindless pleasure (sometimes I need a break from the textbooks)  should not determine what information I receive.  There needs to be some balance, and I would like to somehow have a little more control over this.