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Wow, what an awesome experiment! I know that FB shows me articles that their feed algorithm determines to be aligned with things I've clicked on before (so tha

by TheBiv 10y ago

Wow, what an awesome experiment! I know that FB shows me articles that their feed algorithm determines to be aligned with things I've clicked on before (so that I'll click again), however it's pretty shocking to how my clicks can effect what sort of articles I see. It's almost as if every click digs me further and further into a specific bucket that shapes what I see and that I can't really climb out of.

MaysonL 10y ago
Google search does the same thing. (Which is one of the reasons to use DuckDuckGo, even for your Googling).
- morgante 10y ago
  Why is that a good reason to use DuckDuckGo? The fact that when I Google "python" it gives me exclusively results about programming and nothing about snakes is a feature, not a bug.
  - askldfhjkasfhd 10y ago
    Because Google will personalize your results to maximize your CTRs, which are based on previous interests and likes. DDG doesn't do this, and when you use it to query google search, it doesn't let google do this either.
  - MaysonL 10y ago
    You get stuck in a filter bubble, which may work to either your advantage (Pythonic results), or your disadvantage (you'll miss results that go against your opinions, or you'll get feedback which distorts the value of something). I first saw this when Dave Winer noted that his "Fargo" program had reached the first page of search results for "Fargo". Which it had: For him. Not for anyone else.
    - Houshalter 10y ago
      I can't see how this is a bad thing. I love that Google saves me time and finds more relevant search results for me.
    - morgante 10y ago
      I don't typically look to Google for opinions. For controversial issues, I make a point of including diverse viewpoints in my consumption habits (actively subscribing to conservative news sources on Facebook is surprisingly effective, for example).
Swizec 10y ago
> It's almost as if every click digs me further and further into a specific bucket that shapes what I see and that I can't really climb out of. As in life, it's important to actively seek out information you disagree with. That's how you learn and broaden your horizons. It's the only way.
- HalcyonicStorm 10y ago
  How can you click on links for opposing viewpoints if they don't even display them?
  - Spellman 10y ago
    Something annealing and other local maxima algorithms do is always inject some noise. Annealing calls this the temperature. So Facebook could ensure that 5-10% of your feed comes from a "region" around where it thinks you stand, then see what you click on. If you only Like Left, then you keep drifting. But (I assume) they will always include some stuff to the Right of where they think you are as an option. It won't be Far Right, but it will be in that direction. Obviously, this is a lot of speculation of how Facebook is doing it's feed optimizations, but I expect they provide opportunities to get out of your localized maxima.
- davidivadavid 10y ago
  That keeps being repeated along with the "filter bubble" trope now and then. I'm not sure I buy it. Most of the stuff out of my "filter bubble" is just incredibly low quality garbage, whether it agrees or disagrees with what I think. I can't see how actively going out of my way to read articles about how Kim Kardashian is an interesting intellectual adds much to my horizons. There's only so much information we can consume. There seems to be this myth that looking now and then at the opposite viewpoint from what you believe frees you from the constraints of bounded rationality. It doesn't, and I haven't seen very conclusive evidence that it helps in any meaningful way.
  - vertex-four 10y ago
    > Most of the stuff out of my "filter bubble" is just incredibly low quality garbage, whether it agrees or disagrees with what I think. The thing is... it's entirely probable that most of the people who agree with you do so because of low quality garbage. So you're very much comparing yourself to a large group of other people and coming out that you read things above their level - not very hard. You need to find people on your level on "the other side" and figure out what they're paying attention to.
deleted 10y ago
[deleted]
randomgyatwork 10y ago
Internet filter bubble, there was book released about this problem way back in 2011.
Houshalter 10y ago
That may be true, but this article doesn't show that. All they did was take articles from sources that are liked by conservatives or liberals on facebook. They didn't show that facebook's newsfeed actually puts these stories in their newsfeed more than other stories.

by TheBiv 10y ago

MaysonL 10y ago

Google search does the same thing. (Which is one of the reasons to use DuckDuckGo, even for your Googling).

morgante 10y ago
Why is that a good reason to use DuckDuckGo? The fact that when I Google "python" it gives me exclusively results about programming and nothing about snakes is a feature, not a bug.
- askldfhjkasfhd 10y ago
  Because Google will personalize your results to maximize your CTRs, which are based on previous interests and likes. DDG doesn't do this, and when you use it to query google search, it doesn't let google do this either.
- MaysonL 10y ago
  You get stuck in a filter bubble, which may work to either your advantage (Pythonic results), or your disadvantage (you'll miss results that go against your opinions, or you'll get feedback which distorts the value of something). I first saw this when Dave Winer noted that his "Fargo" program had reached the first page of search results for "Fargo". Which it had: For him. Not for anyone else.
  - Houshalter 10y ago
    I can't see how this is a bad thing. I love that Google saves me time and finds more relevant search results for me.
  - morgante 10y ago
    I don't typically look to Google for opinions. For controversial issues, I make a point of including diverse viewpoints in my consumption habits (actively subscribing to conservative news sources on Facebook is surprisingly effective, for example).

Swizec 10y ago

> It's almost as if every click digs me further and further into a specific bucket that shapes what I see and that I can't really climb out of. As in life, it's important to actively seek out information you disagree with. That's how you learn and broaden your horizons. It's the only way.

HalcyonicStorm 10y ago
How can you click on links for opposing viewpoints if they don't even display them?
- Spellman 10y ago
  Something annealing and other local maxima algorithms do is always inject some noise. Annealing calls this the temperature. So Facebook could ensure that 5-10% of your feed comes from a "region" around where it thinks you stand, then see what you click on. If you only Like Left, then you keep drifting. But (I assume) they will always include some stuff to the Right of where they think you are as an option. It won't be Far Right, but it will be in that direction. Obviously, this is a lot of speculation of how Facebook is doing it's feed optimizations, but I expect they provide opportunities to get out of your localized maxima.
davidivadavid 10y ago
That keeps being repeated along with the "filter bubble" trope now and then. I'm not sure I buy it. Most of the stuff out of my "filter bubble" is just incredibly low quality garbage, whether it agrees or disagrees with what I think. I can't see how actively going out of my way to read articles about how Kim Kardashian is an interesting intellectual adds much to my horizons. There's only so much information we can consume. There seems to be this myth that looking now and then at the opposite viewpoint from what you believe frees you from the constraints of bounded rationality. It doesn't, and I haven't seen very conclusive evidence that it helps in any meaningful way.
- vertex-four 10y ago
  > Most of the stuff out of my "filter bubble" is just incredibly low quality garbage, whether it agrees or disagrees with what I think. The thing is... it's entirely probable that most of the people who agree with you do so because of low quality garbage. So you're very much comparing yourself to a large group of other people and coming out that you read things above their level - not very hard. You need to find people on your level on "the other side" and figure out what they're paying attention to.

deleted 10y ago

[deleted]

randomgyatwork 10y ago

Internet filter bubble, there was book released about this problem way back in 2011.

Houshalter 10y ago

That may be true, but this article doesn't show that. All they did was take articles from sources that are liked by conservatives or liberals on facebook. They didn't show that facebook's newsfeed actually puts these stories in their newsfeed more than other stories.