Filter bubble exists and it is harmful to democracy.
What is a "filter bubble"? The term is coined by internet activist Eli Pariser. It is probably wiser if the concept is explained by the author himself in his TedTalk, Beware online "filter bubbles". It exists everywhere online, on every major websites, most importantly Facebook. Undeniably, Facebook is how most of us get the information nowadays. At its root, Facebook is just a company. Like any other companies, its goal is to make profit and it turns out our attention and our time on spent on Facebook is the product it is selling. That is where the filter bubble comes in, to filter out all the "unnecessary" and choose to give only what it thinks we want to see, to grab our attention, to make us linger longer. All of this has been explained by Vlogbrothers' video on the afro-mentioned testimony by Mark Zuckerberg, Who is in Control?
As a Penangite, it is no surprise that I am a supporter of the Pakatan Harapan. Living in Penang, I am surrounded by DAP (Democratic Action Party) supporters, praises to our beloved chief minister Lim Guan Eng, and critics to the federal government and party in power Barisan National. I must agree that DAP has done a good job on developing Penang state, but I am afraid that I have been living in an echo chamber. The same is happening with my Facebook feed. My filter bubble has determined that I should only see DAP and Pakatan Harapan's content.
I always think that ignorance is the poison to democracy. Only knowledge and transparency is the key. That's why I think filter bubble is harmful to democracy. By staying in our own filter bubble, seeing only one side of the coin, we are no different than those in the rural area without internet access, those we claim are being fooled by the BN. Any idea needs to be challenged and debated, in hope of the synthesis of a newer better idea. Staying in the echo chamber won't get us there.
To quote Hank Green: "If you don't control your feed, the feed controls you." So I figure, to burst out of the bubble, I need to tweak the system. I can't change the environment I am living in but I can regain control of my Facebook feed. I purposely follow Najib Razak's and MCA's Facebook pages, and like their contents, to let the underlying algorithm knows that I also want to see more of their contents. Although their contents might not be in line with our point of view, it is important not to be impulsive. We should go against our will and "like" the opposite views.
Yes, to save the democracy, we need to follow Najib.
