lcamtuf :verified: :verified: :verified: on Nostr: One of the weirdest internet myths is the existence of filter bubbles - understood as ...
One of the weirdest internet myths is the existence of filter bubbles - understood as people living these sheltered lives where they're only exposed to the headlines they like.
Of course, we don't do that, but it explains the failings of others. It's why they think the Earth is flat. We can fix this, we just need to expose them to real facts.
But... really? Compared to 20-30 years ago, we're now constantly exposed to viewpoints we dislike. The defining habit of our era is getting angry at people who are wrong on the internet.
The problem isn't that we're living in bubbles. It's the opposite: that we're bombarded with fringe views that used to be unfit to print, and it feels like the world has gone mad. This has two consequences. First, it makes it easy to dismiss the outgroup as evil or stupid. Just look at how many loud, malicious idiots they have!
Second, it pulls us toward the fringes within our ingroup: it gives easy access to seductive theories that explain what's wrong with the world, and how certain others are to blame.
This is precisely what you see with young boys pulled into the anti-women "incel" community; with right-wingers embracing "plandemic" conspiracies; or with left-wingers discovering antisemitism.
Bursting filter bubbles doesn't solve that. It makes things worse.
Of course, we don't do that, but it explains the failings of others. It's why they think the Earth is flat. We can fix this, we just need to expose them to real facts.
But... really? Compared to 20-30 years ago, we're now constantly exposed to viewpoints we dislike. The defining habit of our era is getting angry at people who are wrong on the internet.
The problem isn't that we're living in bubbles. It's the opposite: that we're bombarded with fringe views that used to be unfit to print, and it feels like the world has gone mad. This has two consequences. First, it makes it easy to dismiss the outgroup as evil or stupid. Just look at how many loud, malicious idiots they have!
Second, it pulls us toward the fringes within our ingroup: it gives easy access to seductive theories that explain what's wrong with the world, and how certain others are to blame.
This is precisely what you see with young boys pulled into the anti-women "incel" community; with right-wingers embracing "plandemic" conspiracies; or with left-wingers discovering antisemitism.
Bursting filter bubbles doesn't solve that. It makes things worse.