It's an interesting dilemma: to filter, or not to filter? I've been saying for years that you really have no choice; if you don't filter, you're guaranteed to be overwhelmed by the sheer volume and clutter of your social networks and the digital news cycle. However, Eli Pariser makes some extremely valid points in his fascinating interview about the risks of filtering everything: privacy implications, monotony, advertising implications. I suppose the key is to find a way to filter our filtering, allowing for the serendipitous discovery and identity-less (at least somewhat) browsing experience that allows us to truly discover again. It's only going to get more complex as time goes on, so we all should be experimenting now.

Why a hyper-personalized Web is bad for you (Q&A) | Geek Gestalt - CNET News

We all like having things tailored to our specific needs and interests. But Eli Pariser thinks we should beware of the substantial risks inherent in the increasing personalization of the Internet.

Better known (so far) as the executive director of the progressive political action committee MoveOn.org, Eli Pariser is making noise these days as the author of "The Filter Bubble: What the Internet is Hiding from You." His new book, which was released yesterday, argues that the latest tools being implemented by the likes of Google and Facebook for making our Internet experiences as individual as possible are taking us down some very unsavory paths.

First, of course, Pariser explains the dynamic we all face online today: that no two people's Web searches, even on the same topics, return the same results. That's because search engines and other sites are basing what they send back on our previous searches, the sites we visit, ads we click on, preferences we indicate, and much more. Not to mention the fact that we are more and more shielded from viewpoints counter to our own.

But while the results are no doubt geared to what we're most interested in, they come at a price--in terms of lost privacy, more ads, and even being followed by certain types of ads no matter where we go online.

Yesterday, Pariser sat down with CNET for a 45 Minutes on IM interview about his book and the problems that come with increasing personalization, and why people should care.

I'm a big fan of RedLaser on the iPhone, which allows me to search for prices online, just by scanning a bar code. The Booly browser plugin (available for Chrome, Firefox & soon for IE), puts a layer on top of your product searches that ensures that you'll never miss a better price, coupon code or other deal that's available online. I love it when digital helps us be smarter with less effort. The video below provides a good tour of the tool.

What's your favorite shopping tool? Let me know in the comments.

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boo.ly enhances your favourite search engines by adding relevent shopping data to your search results.

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Note: A red tag

indicates that boo.ly has found price comparisons for the product, possibly with related deals and coupons for that merchant, a green tag

indicates that only deals and coupons have been found.

 

It's amazing how much of this I remember, from the launch of these services. I love living in a time where communication challenges are often solved soon after the clamor for them reaches an audible din.

I have a few bones to pick with it, though:

• Writing "The End" at the bottom seems pretty silly. We are FAR from the end...
• Where's location-based social networking, photo sharing, content social networking and the myriad other social networks that have gained significant prominence? This presents a rather limited view.

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