The document discusses how personalized search results and algorithms filter the internet content we see, trapping us in invisible "filter bubbles" that show us a limited selection of information based on our past searches and behaviors. This personalized filtering of content impacts democracy by limiting our exposure to different viewpoints and prioritizing what websites think we want to see rather than what we need to see. The document argues we must see more relevant, important, uncomfortable, and challenging information from other perspectives on the internet.

1. The Edited Web
Elaine Garcia
Plymouth College of Art
JISC RSC SW – Turbo TEL
13th June 2013

2. The Filter Bubble – Eli Pariser
http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/products/eli+pariser/the+filter+bubble/8716544/

3. Why is the
Internet great?

4. Keyboard Cat!!

5. The Internet was going
to entirely
democratize society

6. Gatekeepers
were removed

7. Google Blog Post 4th December 2009

8. Google Blog Post 4th December 2009

9. Google Blog Post 4th December 2009

10. Google Blog Post 4th December 2009

11. Personalized Search
for everyone!

12. There is no
standard
Google
anymore

13. 57 signals to determine what it shows

14. If I search for something and
you search for something we
will see the same results

15. Source: http://www.thefilterbubble.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/ComparisonEgypt.png

16. Not Just Google
• Yahoo News
• Huffington Post
• Washington Post
• Facebook
• Bing

17. We now see what the internet thinks
we want to see but not necessarily
what we NEED to see

18. You are in your own universe
What is in your universe depends on who you
are
What you do
You don’t decide what gets
You don’t decide what is edited out

19. The Filter Bubble
Source: http://philanthropy.com/img/photos/biz/photo_13383_wide_large.jpg

20. 3 New Dynamics
1. You are alone
2. The Bubble is invisible
3. You don’t choose to enter the bubble

21. Hotel California
"The more you enter, the more you become
locked in. Your social networking site becomes a
central platform – a closed silo of content, and
one that does not give you full control over your
information in it.”
Tim Berners-Lee
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2010/nov/22/tim-berners-lee-facebook

22. Democracy requires
citizens to see things
from one another’s point
of view

23. Diet of Information Junk Food
We Assume its:
Unbiased
Objective
True
But its nearly impossible to tell

24. Research by Netflix
• People’s netflix queues shows that we aren’t
that simple.
• Tension between:
• Future aspirational selves
• Present impulsive selves

25. What you think you should
watch

26. What you want to watch

27. The Internet needs to show us:
Relevant 
Important 
Uncomfortable 
Challenging 
Other Points of View 

28. If we don’t pay attention this
may become a problem

29. 10 things you can do….
1. Get rid of cookies
2. Erase your web history
3. Tell Facebook to keep your dara private
4. Don’t reveal your birth date
5. Turn off targeted ads
6. Go incognito
7. Be anonymous
8. Depersonalise your browser
9. Tell google you want to better control your filter
10. Tell the Government you care
Source: http://www.thefilterbubble.com/10-things-you-can-do

30. “A squirrel dying in front of your
house right now may be more
relevant to your interests than
people dying in Africa.”
Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook

31. Image References
Keyboard Cat: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrpbody33/3613411917/sizes/o/in/photolist-6viFtt-9S5gm9-9S2nhR-bq3sGj-b1vCb8-7guzw7-6oKwgG-7TKg1F-
9pBx4Y-9pBvQU-9pyvvz-9pysur-9pBwsW-9pyrSe-8DYg3G-7c7H2z-7c7Jde-7cbwdL-6CnYjf-arTPbw-7uP14b-7bVrje-7Q9UqB-816RTz-6XBxwM-i1Hn3-7XLUR8-
7stpFV-816TdF-6UNUk9-7hAL11-cFiX11-7phS3p-8xUfry-azToGS-7kpz4t-6SAFbG-bWqcqm-8B49jb-8atRgt-6uyMWC-6uX66U-7YJJgB-9jN4X2-8rbAqR-8jCfbh-
bnpuv6-6RaXPr-7XQboY-98UtSE-7wxBA8/
Gatekeeper: http://www.flickr.com/photos/cc_chapman/8105389823/sizes/l/in/photolist-dmff1p-5Dcpkg-7wuzBk-nsQDS-dsmdYB-aCoGY-dsmdMe-
dsmebM-dVzUk-6cvvoi-34wcvw-4apH8m-6RZcCc-7vTy8H-azdYPk-k7GPC-3PE2wa-iQAVo-aeFWuR-aeFWBv-tj9bU-tj8Ca-tjjT9-tja9t-tj7kg-tjrxz-tjnVS-tjxpf-tjriX-
tjzrZ-tjuHG-tj7G5-tjuoF-tjvH2-tjtvm-tjdPe-tjbWV-tjcvd-tjqeh-tjiFp-tjhGy-tjwFo-tjjwt-tjkNX-tjj7H-tjeqn-tjmJg-tjsT7-tjwWV-tjyVP-tjtd9/
Computers: http://www.flickr.com/photos/eurleif/255241547/sizes/o/in/photolist-oybqk-pSUNd-pSUQN-qaMDx-qcEab-qyWwY-ub5U2-wY4dd-wY5Bc-
wY5MZ-xu8t9-yvi6Z-yyNQz-yYRcu-B9u4v-Bi4EF-C8fjK-D2GaT-DyG8b-EF2jc-GXx6x-HmqY4-HowmU-J8Cbx-L5v2U-LmwLk-MQw7b-MQE3K-Q1gt3-Q7cGC-
Toa6E-WhvY8-X23T7-YitVJ-217jto-26ufds-26ufhQ-26uDTY-29NDqr-2hyYzP-2j1E8u-2jE6cK-2tY6aS-2zbmjJ-2EYAEP-2KddPo-2SHSWY-2SHUwy-2SJ2TU-35v1Ef-
38DUSQ/
Netscape: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mightykenny/2069268947/sizes/o/in/photolist-49RxyP-49RxyV-4aC3xa-4dgYVP-4djpTn-4djqbT-4donyL-4donYW-
4doohU-4eZp5v-4gyp1i-4gA8yL-4gBtJM-4gFr3Q-4gFvU7-4gLUK8-4nHnaV-4nHns4-4nMqV9-4pAuYf-4qdB2C-4qpdWX-4rzTvA-4sSncp-4tcvUg-4tgz1A-4vpkDn-
4vpSx2-4vViRh-4AUnVT-4LdPP5-4QnVrM-4QnVSX-4Qs8BL-4Qs8DQ-4Qs97h-4Qs9af-4TS5sz-4TS8JD-4TS8PZ-4TWjcJ-4TWnmo-4U9xvS-4ZxFUi-53NTrK-53T5Zj-
53T74y-56VRCV-5boX7b-5dvx4g-5q37NC/
World:http://www.flickr.com/photos/21560098@N06/3767509120/sizes/z/in/photolist-6JVtcN-9Hwp7H-9zxU38-CCgDN-6vrFFo-7gqqni-71WLDC-CCgDG-
9TMKhw-bhrRKB-7VfETJ-9YnUZG-9UK5Ze-6KbnXL-8hc3LM-7puYGu-8GsJAs-9fBfcx-6ag4xE-35N226-7bnY3D-5rAeTH-5bS2mq-8mS6M-8bfGo-7ZbW3-4Dk8j6-
3GwYE-3Gx2S-3GwXU-3Gx3A-6UTFQn-6TRDnq-3Gx1z-84YBM-9tLttD-9zAPh3-7bb6BL-3Gx2c-cwX3D3-9h2Mid-5uF2KG-5WuCUR-4xxKE-8UXAtU-9oE2we-
8QpUmn-4wat2a-9KxZYd-63Qegp-66fJqJ/
Universe: http://www.flickr.com/photos/johannes_wl/7767215232/sizes/l/in/photolist-cQn1u1-62PNVv-7TkHA5-7TkE8q-aZd5Zz-aSZmyn-b67MR-arRdCt-
9bCZN3-9bD2X5-8bpTvz-6J71Dn-95vBUC-7hugMa-b5TWA-6HEdiq-9m2AVr-6mK4QL-83rUNd-aupwS1-72vugG-6N7yyv-78K5jP-a5Las2-9KLAmp-6TDZwm-
5Do92i-4ccELm-8btaRE-5h28wB-4GkujZ-4GpEyS-4GkuXp-4GpEa7-4GpEPL-4Gkv3T-4GkuTn-4GkuUr-4Gkv2g-4GkuHv-4Gkurt-4GpETm-4GkuEi-J7nPW-4GkuGF-
8n95Xm-8mJhe-6rF4Td-5QEqT4-6vGrdh-eAE15L/
Mcdonalds: http://www.flickr.com/photos/49759262@N00/210591022/in/photolist-jBknG-95PoD8-5rtZG4-eit9GP-tN8Lo-bNiZqP-2EVEy-8zFisj-kVvsh-q5wvr-
bDTdwF-6aSi9L-bXnovp-6xAT-dJDBq-8wbzDG-bUoBxh-bUoBvu-bUoC6G-bUoCm3-bUoCjG-bUoCro-bUoC9N-bUoBR7-bUoC3L-bUoBsU-5SzpHh-gwa1R-
bUoBqG-5ST3eS-9r1Won-95Posz-6w2FGX-9EZ44V-5YgnX3-fJofT-gw6U2-7n5fYe-9r1WiB-dDBjm8-5Vd1tK-dc5Y24-8Kbuvg-cixc7-6tNb4b-6aD3gq-7UDfUs-
dWSLer-9Bc854-8ii8s9-8fLE
Operating System: http://www.flickr.com/photos/brianjmatis/5962898831/sizes/z/in/photolist-a5Vq5x-4xixc2-27BL93-8gHVkx-8oh41v-7YKoZ-486Y4-zLBDE-
6d3L-4qnt-4EcdjU-5iQd3Q-9tnNu4-5pk4TY-5T7Ws1-5T3zPR-5T3zGk-5T3zMz-5T3zEV-5T7Wtf-5T7Wrd-5T7WmW-bAcGDX-bAd1tv-bAcqCx-bAcYap-bnhGWW-
bAd5YT-bnhu8o-bnhpm1-bnhUEf-bnhLBJ-bAcVaM-bnh82w-bnhfkd-bAc3rM-bAcuWD-bnhjXy-8QNxWA-K2z3-aVXoy-7BbunX-7UfDJ9-7UfDFo-niqsp-7gBa7a-
6YUrWi-8F62a5-6YYspf-7KyEze-3JAG6J/
Hotel California: http://www.flickr.com/photos/pagedooley/1577999575/sizes/z/in/photolist-3prEie-dRYk7p-3hLz7A-6ygx31-7GgUnt-dNLmRK-aDK1q8-8Cv6Pi-5kgsVr-
5kgsKk-5kgswX-6ygxCQ-dSRZq2-9j79jy-9j79js-nz8YQ-9C6cHJ-9C6cHy-3NsRPA-7Eyrg8-agTtQh-agTCrs-agTG63-agTuC3-agQQPT-agTyHE-agQD3t-agTFqq-agQDNF-agQCgB-
agQNB6-agTBFd-agQKur-agQGYF-agQEBx-agTpFQ-agTwYL-agQMQK-agQSg8-agQRwe-agQHTK-agTVuY-agTRN9-agR2ax-agR3kv-agTSrN-agTNQE-agTGMG-agTTTJ-agTT91-
agR7p2/