Megan Phelps-Roper discusses the Westboro Baptist Church and the bubbles that form both on and offline. B.J. May shares his experience with the bubbles he encountered in his Twitter feed and how he broke free. The podcast explores filter bubbles, how social media can create and break them, and the power of mobilizing online communities. It also discusses leaving a religious group, changing beliefs, and the impact of social media.
Being in a filter bubble can be useful in certain situations, such as organizing protests and creating a sense of unity within a community.
Social media platforms like Google, Twitter, and Facebook may expose users to more diverse sources of news, despite accusations of contributing to filter bubbles.
Deep dives
Filter bubbles can be both isolating and useful
Filter bubbles are often seen as limiting and isolating, preventing us from seeing different perspectives. However, there are instances where being in a bubble can be useful. For example, in Ferguson, social media platforms like Twitter provided a space for people to organize and begin protests. While filter bubbles can be comfortable, they can also reinforce our own biases and limit our exposure to diverse ideas.
Social media's role in creating filter bubbles
Social media platforms like Google, Twitter, and Facebook, with their algorithms and personalized search results, have been accused of contributing to the creation of filter bubbles. The tailored content often leads us to only consume news that aligns with our existing beliefs. This phenomenon has been exploited by various actors such as advertisers, political campaigns, and propaganda bots. However, a study suggests that social media actually exposes users to more sources of news, including those from different political perspectives.
Breaking out of filter bubbles through intentional effort
Breaking out of filter bubbles requires intentional effort. By consciously seeking out perspectives different from our own and following accounts that challenge our beliefs, we can expose ourselves to diverse viewpoints. Engaging in self-study and being open to questioning our own beliefs can help broaden our understanding. It's important to be mindful of social media usage and to actively choose what voices and opinions we want to include in our online experience.
We’ve long heard that the ways the web is tailored for each user—how we search, what we’re shown, who we read and follow— reinforces walls between us. Veronica Belmont investigates how social media can create, and can break our filter bubbles. Megan Phelps-Roper discusses the Westboro Baptist Church, and the bubbles that form both on and offline. B.J. May talks about the bubbles he encountered every day, in his Twitter feed, and tells us how he broke free. Rasmus Nielsen suggests social media isn’t the filter culprit we think it is. And, within the context of a divided America, DeRay McKesson argues that sometimes bubbles are what hold us together.
IRL is an original podcast from Mozilla. For more on the series go to irlpodcast.org.
Read B.J. May's How 26 Tweets Broke My Filter Bubble.
To grab a cup of coffee and Say Hi From the Other Side go here.
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