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techtip: GO BEYOND THE FILTER

GO BEYOND THE FILTER

When people learn new things, they increase their capacity to learn even more.

Technology can help us explore new ideas, products, and opportunities. However, when we are on the Internet, our preferences are tracked. The more we use Internet technology, the more information we make available about our opinions. Our online experience is continually shaped by our past searches, likes, and preferences. Author Eli Pariser defines this effect as our “filter bubble,” which he describes as an unintended consequence of Web companies tailoring their services, including news and search results, to our personal tastes.¹ This effect causes us to miss all kinds of information that we might like or learn from—we never see it because it is being filtered away from us.

The Problem

You want to be exposed to new things, but past preferences are shaping your current online experience.

The Fix

Push back on the “filter bubble.” Be aware that it exists, and make a concerted effort to get exposure to information that could challenge or broaden your worldview. Shape your online research and reading so that you automatically receive a variety of sources of online information. And don’t restrict yourself to the online world. Get out and experience the diverse world in which you live, in person!

How to Do It

Join clubs or student groups to expand your interests. Check with your campus center for student services. Most colleges have student activities, clubs, and events. College can be a time for you to meet new people and learn about new things, and not all of this will happen in the classroom. You can develop new interests by talking to new people about new things.
Find ways to be of use. Volunteering or interning can help you meet new people, explore new interests, understand others, and learn new skills. It can be tempting to avoid these kinds of activities because of the existing demands of your schoolwork or job. But the people you meet, the interests you explore, and the skills you learn can be important to your future career and long-term goals.
When you are online, search in places other than Google or YouTube for new things to see, hear, or experience. As you saw in the chapter on “Information Literacy and Communication,” your college maintains access to a number of databases containing all kinds of cool information. These are not searchable by external search engines like Google or Bing, and your preferences and interests are not automatically tracked and mirrored back to you. If you take time to explore these databases, many of which contain unusual videos and music as well as text, you will become a better researcher and find new things to guide your professional interests.

Expand your world. Travel can be a great way for you to experience new people, music, food, history, and culture. No one will electronically track your interests if you explore the Camden Market in London or the Divisoria, a major market district in Manila. Travel will expose you to diverse ways of thinking that will challenge your ideas about who you are and what you have been taught—things you cannot learn in books or by watching television.