5 ms·

I don't know about you, but a filter-bubble is for me a very difficult-to-visualise mixed metaphor.

by hugh3 15y ago

nhebb 15y ago
During the 2008 election I saw several filters available - Firefox plugins, special news searches, etc - that would hide links and stories from sites on the other side of the political spectrum. That's as clear cut example of a filter bubble that I can think of. As I write this, I realize that I live in my own online filter bubble. I visit the same sites on a regular basis and don't venture out much except when following links from sites like HN. It is a filter, but it's self imposed. Instead of wasting a lot of time online, I gravitate toward communities that do the filtering for me. It may be a bubble, but the alternative would lead to wasting even more time online.
- deleted 15y ago
  [deleted]
ckinni 15y ago
I completely agree. I'm having trouble imagining it as anything other than some kind of personalized online borders. I think coming up with a more easy to grok name for the issue is worthwhile. Any suggestions?
- klenwell 15y ago
  I was confused, too. I think the problem is that bubble in this sense (as something that envelopes you) is crossing cognitive wires with Dotcom Bubble 2.0 (market bubble), esp. here on HN. Perhaps a curtain metaphor, a la The Iron Curtain: Velvet Curtain, Mirrored Curtain, Circular Curtain, Silk Curtain? Or a cocoon: Filter Cocoons? Digital Cocoons?
- munificent 15y ago
  Sycophantic Search.
  - CoffeeDregs 15y ago
    Tragically, I can only upvote you once. That's an awesomely insightful joke.
  - ojbyrne 15y ago
    Indeed. Having been pretty heavily involved in 2 "filters" (digg as an insider, yc as a well-ranked participant) - the fundamental problem is that the filters trend towards complete control of the charismatic individual behind the site, while presenting a facade of "user democracy." Creeping moderation in the service of reducing spam is the essential mechanism. Eventually the only effective spam left is "suck up to the person in charge."
silentbicycle 15y ago
Think about a world where anybody who could say anything that would possibly upset you (whether they're trolling or just calling you on your bullshit) are invisible. Sometimes, the truth hurts. A filter bubble is a carefully engineered blinder, a space free of novel data. If you're trying to understand your opponents' position in any kind of debate, yet your search engine carefully chauffeurs you away from any info that might upset you, you're trapped in a filter bubble. ("Bubble" has irrelevant economic connotations; "hall of mirrors"/"echo chamber" fits better, IMHO.)
- hugh3 15y ago
  Oh, I'm just trying to visualise a bubble whose skin is made of filters. It doesn't make sense, all the air would leak out.
  - stdbrouw 15y ago
    Not if it's optical filters, innit?
  - TeMPOraL 15y ago
    Maybe it's about filters that create a bubble of Internet space for you, that contain only the things you like and nothing else? I think the image they use as a logo and used on TED talk is a pretty good visual analogy.
- Meai 15y ago
  That world already exists, it's called "social network" (not the internet kind)
dclowd9901 15y ago
It's about time we pushed back on some of the cutesy web vernacular. At least "meme" defined itself. Filter bubble doesn't make any damn sense.
pilgrim689 15y ago
I thought the image used by Eli Parser was easy to visualise. See: http://arnoskatas.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/beware-online-filter-bubbles.jpg http://arnoskatas.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/beware-online-...
mmahemoff 15y ago
It got me until I realized they mean "echo chamber".
hristov 15y ago
It's a bubble whose membrane is a filter. Like, for example, a biological cell.

I don't know about you, but a filter-bubble is for me a very difficult-to-visualise mixed metaphor.

by hugh3 15y ago

I don't know about you, but a filter-bubble is for me a very difficult-to-visualise mixed metaphor.

nhebb 15y ago

During the 2008 election I saw several filters available - Firefox plugins, special news searches, etc - that would hide links and stories from sites on the other side of the political spectrum. That's as clear cut example of a filter bubble that I can think of. As I write this, I realize that I live in my own online filter bubble. I visit the same sites on a regular basis and don't venture out much except when following links from sites like HN. It is a filter, but it's self imposed. Instead of wasting a lot of time online, I gravitate toward communities that do the filtering for me. It may be a bubble, but the alternative would lead to wasting even more time online.

deleted 15y ago
[deleted]

ckinni 15y ago

I completely agree. I'm having trouble imagining it as anything other than some kind of personalized online borders. I think coming up with a more easy to grok name for the issue is worthwhile. Any suggestions?

klenwell 15y ago
I was confused, too. I think the problem is that bubble in this sense (as something that envelopes you) is crossing cognitive wires with Dotcom Bubble 2.0 (market bubble), esp. here on HN. Perhaps a curtain metaphor, a la The Iron Curtain: Velvet Curtain, Mirrored Curtain, Circular Curtain, Silk Curtain? Or a cocoon: Filter Cocoons? Digital Cocoons?
munificent 15y ago
Sycophantic Search.
- CoffeeDregs 15y ago
  Tragically, I can only upvote you once. That's an awesomely insightful joke.
- ojbyrne 15y ago
  Indeed. Having been pretty heavily involved in 2 "filters" (digg as an insider, yc as a well-ranked participant) - the fundamental problem is that the filters trend towards complete control of the charismatic individual behind the site, while presenting a facade of "user democracy." Creeping moderation in the service of reducing spam is the essential mechanism. Eventually the only effective spam left is "suck up to the person in charge."

silentbicycle 15y ago

Think about a world where anybody who could say anything that would possibly upset you (whether they're trolling or just calling you on your bullshit) are invisible. Sometimes, the truth hurts. A filter bubble is a carefully engineered blinder, a space free of novel data. If you're trying to understand your opponents' position in any kind of debate, yet your search engine carefully chauffeurs you away from any info that might upset you, you're trapped in a filter bubble. ("Bubble" has irrelevant economic connotations; "hall of mirrors"/"echo chamber" fits better, IMHO.)

hugh3 15y ago
Oh, I'm just trying to visualise a bubble whose skin is made of filters. It doesn't make sense, all the air would leak out.
- stdbrouw 15y ago
  Not if it's optical filters, innit?
- TeMPOraL 15y ago
  Maybe it's about filters that create a bubble of Internet space for you, that contain only the things you like and nothing else? I think the image they use as a logo and used on TED talk is a pretty good visual analogy.
Meai 15y ago
That world already exists, it's called "social network" (not the internet kind)

dclowd9901 15y ago

It's about time we pushed back on some of the cutesy web vernacular. At least "meme" defined itself. Filter bubble doesn't make any damn sense.

pilgrim689 15y ago

I thought the image used by Eli Parser was easy to visualise. See: http://arnoskatas.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/beware-online-filter-bubbles.jpg http://arnoskatas.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/beware-online-...

mmahemoff 15y ago

It got me until I realized they mean "echo chamber".

hristov 15y ago

It's a bubble whose membrane is a filter. Like, for example, a biological cell.