You & AI by Anne Scherer

Author:Anne Scherer
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Publisher: Books on Demand
Published: 2023-04-05T05:47:46+00:00

Personalized Is Good? On Getting Trapped in a Bubble of Your Own

We’ve all been there: scrolling through our social media feeds or browsing our favorite news sites, searching for interesting articles. Whether we’re waiting in line at the grocery store, procrastinating at work, or trying to fall asleep, we can’t resist the allure of the endless scroll.

But have you ever stopped to think about the forces that are shaping the information you see online? Have you ever noticed that the more you use the internet, the more it seems to know exactly what you want? That’s because personalized filters driven by AI are at work, tailoring your online experience to your individual interests and habits, and designed to be as addictive as possible to get you to keep clicking. This can result in a “filter bubble,” a unique universe of information that is tailored specifically to your interests and preferences. You’re bombarded with articles and posts that already align with your beliefs and confirm your opinions.

At first this may seem like a dream come true. No more sifting through articles that don’t interest you or coming across perspectives that challenge your beliefs. But as it turns out, this personalized paradise can lead to a sort of radicalization. By only exposing us to information that aligns with our existing beliefs, these filter bubbles can prevent us from encountering new ideas and perspectives. We may find ourselves becoming more entrenched in our views and less open to differing opinions. And before we know it, we’re stuck in our own little echo chamber, isolated from the diverse and complex world around us.

You may think that you’ve heard about this phenomenon long before the rise of algorithms, as humans have always tended to seek information and opinions that align with their own beliefs. But this time it’s different. We’re experiencing a revolutionary change in the way we consume media, with the rise of algorithmic personalization. In traditional media selection, we chose our preferred sources ourselves. For example, a conservative person might read Fox News, while a liberal one might read The Nation. But algorithms are now able to tailor the information and news we see, to an extent never seen before. This means we’re no longer just choosing the media that aligns with our beliefs, the media is being chosen for us.

Imagine it like this: you walk into a vast library and find only books tailored to your interests and reading habits. That sounds great, but what if you don’t even know that you’re being presented with a limited selection?

In fact, there are two types of personalization: explicit and implicit. With explicit personalization, we actively tell the algorithm what we like—for example, by filtering romantic comedies on a streaming service. The service then gives us a list of recommendations based on the specific criteria we provided. In contrast, implicit personalization involves the algorithm tracking our activities and deducing our preferences without us realizing. So if we watch a 90s romantic comedy, the service might recommend similar movies, assuming we enjoy that type of film.

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