Filter Bubbles.

Humans are innate problem solvers and if there aren’t any problems to be solved, we fabricate them. We created the problem - "lack of time". Now everyone is in a rush, in a state of perpetual busyness. We want things convenient - not a bad thing. We have limited time and want to conserve energy and maximize outputs. However, convenience comes with limits in that most find themselves confined to options dictated by an external factor. In the realm of systems thinking, paradigm shifts are the second most effective point of leverage in a system(cultures). If the system shapes that paradigm, then be sure it will shape it within specific boundaries. Rightfully so to ensure its survival at the expense of autonomy. “The shared idea in the minds of society, the great big unstated assumptions, constitute that society’s paradigm, or deepest set of beliefs about how the world works. These beliefs are unstated because it is unnecessary to state them—everyone already knows them. Money measures something real and has real meaning; therefore, people who are paid less are literally worth less. Growth is good. Nature is a stock of resources to be converted to human purposes. Evolution stopped with the emergence of Homo sapiens. One can “own” land. Those are just a few of the paradigmatic assumptions of our current culture, all of which have utterly dumbfounded other cultures, who thought them not the least bit obvious.” Thinking in Systems - Donella H. Meadows People still go to universities because it provides them with a sense of certainty post-graduation. So the system exploits this innate desire for certainty by promising clarity and direction in an increasingly complex world. It looks for essential roles to keep itself running, then trains people for those specific jobs(teachers, firemen, policemen). Once employed these productive members of society contribute significantly to the system through taxation ensuring its continuity and sustenance.

Internet Personalization

I wrote about feedback loops and learned about positive feedback loops and how they are essential to the success of a business. Take Google for example, in its early days before personalization, it crawled the web and indexed sites. Users searched for information, but the results were the same for everyone. This also applies to the first versions of Facebook. Facebook was basically a phonebook. Users created profiles, connected with friends, and shared content. Everyone saw the same content regardless of their interests, users missed updates from their close friends and instead, were bombarded with irrelevant content. This limitation was addressed with personalization. Google now tailored search results based on individual user data. Data you wouldn’t share even with your closest friend.

“It will be very hard for people to watch or consume something that has not in some sense been tailored for them”

— Eric Schmidt, Google-

Facebook implemented the News Feed Algorithm that curates content based on user preferences and interactions. They created positive feedback loops where the personalized results allowed users to find what they needed quickly. A satisfying experience for users led to more user engagement amplifying data collection, making the product better over time. They managed to commodify time and attention to create an attention-driven economy.

Filter Bubbles

According to Eli Pariser - an internet activist who came up with the term filter bubbles, the algorithms used by social media and internet companies are intentionally designed to curate information for each user based on browsing history, demographics, and search terms among other data points. People are exposed to information that confirms pre-existing beliefs and shielded from opposing ones leading to the creation of a filter bubble. This hinders critical thinking and creates echo chambers of confirmation bias.

"The filter bubble pushes us in the opposite direction. It creates the impression that our narrow self-interest is all that exists." “Personalization filters serve a kind of invisible autopropaganda, indoctrinating us with our own ideas, amplifying our desire for things that are familiar and leaving us oblivious to the dangers lurking in the dark territory of the unknown.” “The filter bubble tends to dramatically amplify confirmation bias—in a way, it’s designed to. Consuming information that conforms to our ideas of the world is easy and pleasurable; consuming information that challenges us to think in new ways or question our assumptions is frustrating and difficult. This is why partisans of one political stripe tend not to consume the media of another. As a result, an information environment built on click signals will favor content that supports our existing notions about the world over content that challenges them.”

The Filter Bubble: How the New Personalized Web Is Changing What We Read and How We Think - Eli PariserEli Pariser

Internet Authority and Misinformation.

Never trust opinion because it comes from internet authority, mainly because those who truly understand a subject are often too busy applying the knowledge to teach it. For example, while some may claim ads don’t work, those running ads know otherwise and have no incentive to share this insight(there are exceptions). There are multiple truths based on different perspectives, and relying solely on people for accurate information to be used in key decision-making is unreliable because of conflicting interests and biases. Nowadays, it's common for people to use social media as the main source of their information. Rarely is this information well-researched and most times, it is out of context. You are having a conversation with somebody, and they give you some piece of advice. You ask for their source. They either read it somewhere(rarely) Or watched a 5-minute TikTok video - a Tips and ‘Tricks’ video that reveals the tip of an iceberg, a shallow perspective not painting the entire picture. Even more concerning, people use this information to make life-altering decisions, like where to live, and how to live without realizing that their life is a filtered version - the result of algorithmic editing of your web experience.

Who would appreciate such candor? No one. None of us really likes honesty. We prefer deception—but only when it is unabashedly flattering or artfully camouflaged. Groups seem to need to believe that they are superior to others and that they have a purpose greater than just passing along their genes to the next generation. Individuals seem to need similar delusions—about who they are and why they do what they do. They need heroes, however fraudulent. People ask actors who play doctors on television what they should do for their ailments, although they know perfectly well that the actors are just playing a role. Studies show that people are more likely to accept the opinion of a confident con man than the cautious view of someone who actually knows what he is talking about. And professionals who form overconfident opinions on the basis of incorrect readings of the facts are more likely to succeed than their more competent peers who display greater doubt.

Misinformation. Misinformation is particularly insidious because those spreading it are genuinely convinced of the facts. This might be true. In essence, they are lying to themselves and therefore to you and have managed to dupe themselves into believing it quite so. The politician is not lying when he tells you he is the right person for the job, he truly believes it. He must truly believe it for the con to work. Even a genuinely competent and credible person might be wrong, and this further complicates the matter. As a matter of fact, everyone is assumed wrong until their information undergoes rigorous testing. Consider this; If you ask a successful person for advice, and they genuinely tell you to follow a certain path. Chances are you might not have the same outcomes. Although they were telling the truth, circumstances change, and what worked for them may not work for you.

Monkey See Monkey Do.

This is a learning process without understanding. An imitation game as a result of limited knowledge and/or concern for consequences.

“Their delusions are self-reinforcing, like the delusions of a stock market bubble; the higher prices go, the more people come to believe they make sense.”

A madness of the crowd where the more people that hold an opinion the more credibility is given and later accepted as truth. A survival mechanism to conserve energy by relying on the wisdom of the crowd.

“This is how most humans live their lives, they walk out blindly in the streets pretty much with their umbilical cords hanging out just looking for something to plug them into.”

-Sam Ovens-

Building Information Filters

In a world where we are constantly bombarded with lots of information, an information filter is essential to guard your attention. When you first scroll on TikTok, Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter this filter has to be on. The truth is, most content online is opinionated - a result of spur-of-the-moment reasoning and confirmation biases. The solution is to become a strategic consumer seeking quality content.

Critical Thinking Muscle.

Behavioral economics tells us that our decisions are a product of underlying beliefs. 20% of your beliefs influence 80% of your actions. Identify those 20% and seek out information that might disprove your assumptions. Our brains naturally favor information that confirms existing beliefs. Algorithms exploit this by curating content aligning with past behavior, therefore reinforcing your worldview. Writing helps, once you write it down on paper, it puts your thinking naked on paper, this way you can stress test it. This is not achievable in the mind. In fact, you have not done any thinking until you have written it down. The image summarizes this blabbing;

I have a rule, if I haven't written 1000 words or more on the subject, then I truly don't understand it. Vigoursously try to invalidate your ideas, beliefs, and perspectives on different matters. Repeatedly ask yourself, why is this wrong, seek information that explains why it is wrong only then have you fully formed a thought - a product of clear thinking. In the words of Jordan Peterson;

People think thinking is, when you encounter something and thoughts appear in your head, and, those are your thoughts. You have to take those thoughts and then you have to critically assess them, and that's where the thinking starts. If you are writing to figure out what you think, then you’re going to use what you think to guide your actions and the consequence of that is going to be how your life turns out.

Talk is Cheap.

When it comes to ‘gurus’ focus on behavior rather than their words. People are emotional and self-interested, so their actions will reveal their true values and motivations more accurately than their spoken word. Ask the tough questions about the topic incessantly. Do they have the answers? Do they have skin in the game? Do they lose something of value if their advice goes out the window?

Hunt, Don’t Just Gather!

It's not in the system's best interest that you are educated. The education you receive from it has boundaries. This is why free thinking is severely condemned. Hunting for information in an information age is similar to hunting for food. Our ancestors could sit and wait for berries to fall from trees but this would have been a very limited diet. To get meat they had to hunt. Fast forward to today, hunting would involve getting out of our filter bubbles and hunting for information thereby enriching our information diet. The ability to discern valuable information directly translates to the quality of your decisions. Now this combined with the Pareto principle(80% of results come from 20% of efforts) allows you to focus on high-impact valuable information. The best information can be found in books. Well-organized, formulated thought that underwent vigorous criticism and analysis before publishing.

“In an age of infinite leverage, judgment is the most important skill.”

-naval-

Most people believe they need to juggle more businesses and investments to be abnormally successful. This often backfires in their face. In today's AI-powered world, our decisions have a higher opportunity cost tied to them. Focus is key.

Summary

The digital revolution changed how we access information. With a few clicks, we have access to an infinite wealth of knowledge. This abundance is double-edged as we are bombarded with filtered, opinionated, or even misleading content. A convenience that limits our exposure to diverse perspectives. The key to navigating this information overload is to shift from passive consumption to active information gathering. Seek out disconfirming evidence, identify potential biases, and question sources before forming an opinion about something. When it comes to internet authority figures, focus on their behaviors not words. Writing as a tool for thought is invaluable. It will force you to articulate your thoughts exposing inconsistencies and biases and the saying goes a fish don’t know they are in the water.

References:

Online Filter Bubbles - Eli Pariser ted talk Google Personalized Search Conformity Bias