Theory of Knowledge - Course Companion for Students Marija Uzunova Dang Arvin Singh Uzunov Dang

II. Perspectives
argued that internet users can become
has
in their own cultural or ideological
isolated
effects have negative implications for civic
Both
as well as for democratic outcomes
discourse,
as elections, though the size of this effect
such
still debated. While activists such as Pariser
is
might this be the case? This section has
Why
how echo chambers and filter
considered
contribute to an increase in political
bubbles
and the spread of misinformation
polarization
political discourse. However, there is
in
side to the argument, that claims the
another
is with human behaviour, not our
problem
or offline environments but instead the
online
worked to raise awareness about them,
have
such as Elizabeth Dubois of the University
others
Ottawa believe that the influence of “echo
of
in social media has been highly over-
chambers
(Dubois quoted in Robson 2018). Still,
estimated”
observers agree that political polarization
many
increased and that media literacy is an
has
skill to develop for active citizenship.
important
case study considers two different
This
Eli Pariser warns us of the
perspectives.
isolation and potential for
intellectual
caused by filter bubbles. David
polarization
challenges this view, stating that social
Robson
will tend to increase the diversity of
media
that an individual encounters
perspectives
The extracts below are just a snapshot
online.
we recommend that you consider both
and
sources in full.
original
terms: Pariser Online
Search
bubble TED Talk
filter
asked a bunch of friends to Google
“I
and to send me screenshots
‘Egypt’
what they got … Daniel didn’t get
of
about the protests in Egypt at all
anything
his first page of Google results. Scott’s
in
were full of them. And this was the
results
story of the day at that time. That’s
big
different these results are becoming
how
. It’s not just Google and Facebook
…
Yahoo News, the biggest news site
either.
the Internet, is now personalized—
on
people get different things.
different
Post, the Washington Post,
Huffington
New York Times—all flirting with
the
in various ways. And this
personalization
us very quickly toward a world in
moves
the Internet is showing us what it
which
we want to see, but not necessarily
thinks
Source 2: Robson, D. 2018. “The Myth of the
2
bubbles of “likes”.
Case study
on echo chambers and
Perspectives
bubbles
filter
you look at any measures of what people think
If
people on the other side, [they] have
about
become vastly more hostile.
(Haidt quoted in Robson 2018)
Source 1: Pariser, E. 2011. “Beware Online
Filter Bubbles”.
friends we keep and the news we respond to.
what we need to see.”
Online Echo Chamber?”
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