Beware online "Filter Bubbles"

         The internet was created so it could connect people and bring people together. However, based on the information and issues raised in this PBS presentation, it has not been doing the job it was created to do. Instead of bringing people together, it has separated us to only be involved with ideas that are similar to ours, which limits ideas and does not give us the other perspectives in this world. The internet is deciding for us what we should pay attention to and editing out the things that they believe that we should not pay attention to. Eli Pariser provided a great example of this occurrence when he explained how the ideas from the conservatives were removed because most of the links that he clicked on were links from liberals. How can you have a better understanding of this country if you're only subject to your own opinions? 

          This needs to change because we can't improve as a country or society if every person is only limited to their own ideas. This country was built off of concepts such as cultural diffusion which is the concept of the spreading of ideas and cultural beliefs from place to another. It should not be decided for us what we should see and what we should not see. Eli Pariser references that we are only introduced to the ideas that are relevant to us. However, we need to be introduced to the ideas that are not only relevant, but uncomfortable, challenging, and show us other points of views. He also pointed out that there should be a balance of searches similar to your own ideas and searches that express ideas that are different from your own. This balance, would cause people to me more understanding of others ideas, teach the other perspectives of society and diminish ignorance in only believing and being accustomed to your own ideas.
          Compared to the article "Clive Thompson on High-Bandwidth Buddies", Thompson calls the idea of spending too much time on the ideas that we already believe in, "homophilly." Thompson mainly focuses on the sharing of ideas with people and not over the internet. He suggest that the ideas of homophilly can actually improve the diversity of the information that we receive. It is stated that though we may get information from people who share different ideas, this doesn't occur frequently enough for it to have an effect because we don't normally interact with these people. According to the article, there is a higher chance of someone who shares your ideas to tell you something surprising and unexpected than you talking with a person who does not share your ideas.