Being an avid user of the internet, I'm very involved in social media. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc., have been the top choices when I get the chance. I've never really been exposed to the concept of a "filter bubble" until recently. I've always thought that my social media feeds have represented a diverse variety of posts because of who shared them. But, it's not always been about the people that have shared and posts those statuses that contribute to my feed.
I tend to have contribution because of how I regulate it, I usually unfriend or unfollow people that have radical views on certain subjects. Aside from unfriending and unfollowing, I started to notice that I was not being exposed to posts by certain friends and kept seeing the same people show up on my feed. I just thought "hey, maybe my other hundred friends don't really post that often" but the idea of the "filter bubble" makes sense. I wasn't being exposed to certain things because I kept being exposed to other things that the networks thought I would be interested in. Honestly, it got to the point where I was sick of it because certain media outlets would constantly be the center of attention, where I didn't want them to be. I was being polarized and initiated the polarization to a certain point.
The idea of dissoi logoi really gets you out of your horizons and own personal mindset. I do agree that there has been an increase in polarization and a decrease in dissoi logoi because of how our internet network is set up and how we want to surround ourselves with people of the same views. To some degree, being surrounded by the same type of people that you identify with is very important in fitting in, but should not limit you to the difference. If we are only immersed into one side of things, it restricts our method of thinking and solving problems. If we are seeing multiple opinions, attitudes, and news, it helps up be more aware of many more current events.
With this being said, I will take different measures in engaging in dissoi logoi because I have been doing the opposite. Instead of reading a certain story form one media source, by going to multiple sources; I'll be able to see the differences in style. Not only will I see the change in reporting, but the audience change as well in the comments will be something to look towards. In terms of the filtered news-feed on my social media pages, by possibly clicking on things out of the norm; it will hopefully change things up and show a little more diversity. Polarization helps with feeling in place and a part of a certain group, but should not be what we aim towards. By separating ourselves and making an effort into engaging in dissoi logoi, it will keep us somewhat moderate.
I have found that in my own Facebook, the bubble has taken over completely. When I sign on, I see only posts made by my closest 6 friends, all else is conent from Facebook groups I am a part of. Because of this I have become extremely involved in those particular groups.
ReplyDeleteWhich leads to me to wonder how this has impacted the rest of my social life. If I were fully immersed in a fitness group and became friends with people who were extremely active- I would be inclined to do so as well. Which is exactly what is happening- I have made friends in my area based on a fitness group I am in on Facebook.
This leads me to wonder how the bubble can affect someone's relationships. If it were to constantly show particular people I would be more inclined to interact with those users- possibly making our connection in real life closer.
It is so fascinating that Facebook can alter our perspectives on issues as well. Without opposing views dissoi logoi won't come into play. If one only sees similar political views, they may find themselves wondering "how is this candidate winning?! I have never seen anyone say anything positive about them!" When in reality- they just aren't being shown those posts.
It's truly intriguing to see how personalized the media has become. When a person has over 1,000 friends on the site, filtering is a must. However, at what point does this become too much? I feel with the amount of content being dumped into social media by the second, this need for filtering will only increase.