4 ms·

This is exactly what I find unconvincing. If it creates a filter bubble how can it then increase tribalism and polarization?

mercer 9y ago
I'm honestly confused by this comment. Being stuck in a filter bubble and increased tribalism/polarization seem like two things that rather obviously correlate. I don't really understand how that's not obvious.
- ThomPete 9y ago
  Where does this tribalism and polarization take place if not online? Do you have any evidence of changed patterns in "real life" with that regard? So if Facebook keeps people in bubbles so they never get exposed to other views how do you know they are more polarized if not using social media.
toomuchtodo 9y ago
The echo is louder in your bubble Facebook creates for you.
- ThomPete 9y ago
  Not sure what that even means.
  - toomuchtodo 9y ago
    Let’s say you’re my father in law. Let’s also say you get most of your news from your biker friends in their 50s and 60s. You might then be surprised to hear that the border wall has not been funded, that Trump does, in fact, not make us appear as the leader of the free world. That illegal immigrants are not the reason for soaring health insurance premiums. These are problems you face when you interface only with people who share very congruent values and obtain their news from the same source. If Facebook uses Skinner Box techniques to keep you on the site as long as possible, it’s not interested in outcomes that are good for you but might make you leave, like challenging your beliefs and values.
    - ThomPete 9y ago
      Yes but that's not what's going on on Facebook. You aren't isolated like that. It's an oversimplification of how the algorithm actually works as there are plenty of non-political interestest involved too.
      - toomuchtodo 9y ago
        Respectfully disagree from my anecdotal evidence. Someone sharing politics you don’t like? Unfollow or unfriend, leaving content in your feed that you want to see, reinforcing your beliefs regardless of the truth/facts.
        ThomPete 9y ago
        That is in contradiction to my anecdotal evidence and having done my share of research with regards to FB feeds in my line of work.
        AndrewKemendo 9y ago
        Luckily for us, social scientists have done in depth research on this issue and published the results: http://education.biu.ac.il/files/education/shared/science-2015-bakshy-1130-2.pdf http://education.biu.ac.il/files/education/shared/science-20... Conclusion: People are extremely aligned to viewpoints, reinforced by their friends, however they are less aligned than if they STRICTLY consumed media from their own viewpoint because they have some cross-cutting issues.
        ThomPete 9y ago
        "... our work suggests that individuals are exposed to more cross-cutting discourse in social media than they would be under the digital reality envisioned by some (2, 6). Rather than people browsing only ideologically aligned news sources or opting out of hard news altogether, our work shows that social media expose individuals to at least some ideologically crosscutting viewpoints "

mercer 9y ago

I'm honestly confused by this comment. Being stuck in a filter bubble and increased tribalism/polarization seem like two things that rather obviously correlate. I don't really understand how that's not obvious.

ThomPete 9y ago
Where does this tribalism and polarization take place if not online? Do you have any evidence of changed patterns in "real life" with that regard? So if Facebook keeps people in bubbles so they never get exposed to other views how do you know they are more polarized if not using social media.

toomuchtodo 9y ago

The echo is louder in your bubble Facebook creates for you.

ThomPete 9y ago
Not sure what that even means.
- toomuchtodo 9y ago
  Let’s say you’re my father in law. Let’s also say you get most of your news from your biker friends in their 50s and 60s. You might then be surprised to hear that the border wall has not been funded, that Trump does, in fact, not make us appear as the leader of the free world. That illegal immigrants are not the reason for soaring health insurance premiums. These are problems you face when you interface only with people who share very congruent values and obtain their news from the same source. If Facebook uses Skinner Box techniques to keep you on the site as long as possible, it’s not interested in outcomes that are good for you but might make you leave, like challenging your beliefs and values.
  - ThomPete 9y ago
    Yes but that's not what's going on on Facebook. You aren't isolated like that. It's an oversimplification of how the algorithm actually works as there are plenty of non-political interestest involved too.
    - toomuchtodo 9y ago
      Respectfully disagree from my anecdotal evidence. Someone sharing politics you don’t like? Unfollow or unfriend, leaving content in your feed that you want to see, reinforcing your beliefs regardless of the truth/facts.
      - ThomPete 9y ago
        That is in contradiction to my anecdotal evidence and having done my share of research with regards to FB feeds in my line of work.
        AndrewKemendo 9y ago
        Luckily for us, social scientists have done in depth research on this issue and published the results: http://education.biu.ac.il/files/education/shared/science-2015-bakshy-1130-2.pdf http://education.biu.ac.il/files/education/shared/science-20... Conclusion: People are extremely aligned to viewpoints, reinforced by their friends, however they are less aligned than if they STRICTLY consumed media from their own viewpoint because they have some cross-cutting issues.
        ThomPete 9y ago
        "... our work suggests that individuals are exposed to more cross-cutting discourse in social media than they would be under the digital reality envisioned by some (2, 6). Rather than people browsing only ideologically aligned news sources or opting out of hard news altogether, our work shows that social media expose individuals to at least some ideologically crosscutting viewpoints "