This is an important and poignant discussion about how social and search algorithms have begun to filter our content, based on what it thinks we want. While this might be great when you're shopping on Amazon, it has dangerous implications on our awareness and understanding about what's happening in the world and our communities, outside of our most immediate or most frequented spheres. Pariser makes the point that when the Internet first launched, we had human editors; the problem with algorithmic editors is that they don't have the ethics, the moral compass to ensure that people are seeing what they NEED to see, not just what they might want to see.
I have to agree. I geek out on what tech can do for us every day, but this is exactly why I curate all of my own feeds on my social networks - it lets me choose the voices I want to hear, rather than letting a machine decide which content I should see, based on my past behaviors. Consider that if you do not curate your own filters, you're not seeing posts from a number of your connections, but you're also probably not seeing everything that the people you interact with the most are posting; you're only seeing the types of stuff you've interacted with from them before. That's a problem, in my opinion.
One of my favorite parts about the Internet has been serendipity, discovery and the expansion of my worldview. If we remove that, we might as well abandon the web and go back to insular, local communities.
Watch this TEDTalk and let me know what you think. It's only eight minutes, but it's eternally important.
How do we create a system whereby people can unabashedly share their opinions, use their subversive expertise (e.g. hacking) for good, and ignite crowdsourced creative zeitgeists...without creating a platform for illegal activity (e.g. child porn), hateful speech and the spreading of misinformation? There must be a way to develop a forum for anonymous expression that allows for a non-oppressive or threatening level of moderation and filtration.
I guess for me, someone who has very little to hide, I don't confront this dilemma personally on a daily basis...but I can respect those that do, since a lot of them are a lot smarter than i am. However, maybe because I can empathize with both sides, I can find the solution. I'll get right on that!
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