I should put much more time into this – after all, there’s already a book and a symbiotic TED talk about filter bubbles, so it’s hard to make sure I’m adding value.  The (slight) difference is that this is about how people respond to filter bubbles with auto-filter-bubbling.

So first, definition work: filter bubble is a phrase coined (or popularized) by Eli Pariser, co-founder of both UpWorthy and MoveOn.org.  In its original form, it describes the way in which findability algorithms –  Google’s search, “Related content”, and “Similar to this” features all over the web – create feedback loops that serve people more of the content they’ve already been consuming.  This sounds great, even the purpose of the algorithm and the web, but it has the effect of keeping people from seeing more recent, topical, arguably more important content.  It’s a bubble created by algorithmic filters.

As I’ve mentioned, I’ve experienced filter bubbling on my social media in both parties’ primaries.  On the Democratic side, I see almost no Bernie Bro or Bernie or Bust obnoxiousness, and only see HRC supporters denouncing Sanders supporters for various forms of stupidity or misogyny.  On the Republican side, the internet gives me things that will tank Cruz’s, or Trump’s campaign today, right now, game over.

The Guardian ran a piece yesterday about a happy green acre of land on Reddit where people can laugh and give a collective sigh of relief at recognizing the insanity of Sanders spam.  Because Reddit, in the main, is young, unknowingly all-knowing, smug white males (ie, Bernie Bros), Reddit itself is the worst kind of political zealotry, zealotry with enough intelligence to convince yourself that it’s not zeal when you’re smart and rational.  When you’re almost Vulcan-like in your logic, it’s righteous, not zealous.  Neal Stephenson has a great line in Snow Crash about digerati men:

It was, of course, nothing more than sexism, the especially virulent type espoused by male techies who sincerely believe that they are too smart to be sexists.

Within Reddit, /r/Politics is just about the worst of the worst kind of Sanders zealotry.  Spend a couple hours there and you’ll see the “maddening invulnerability of the” smug.  On /r/Politics, when a Bernie Bro calls HRC a “bitch”, he’s not being sexist (because he’s not sexist!), he’s setting a trap about double standards in language use, being allowed to correctly use a word when needed, the ways in which HRC gets protection from criticism and on and on and on.

The happy place Reddit counter to /r/Politics is /r/enoughsandersspam.  I’ve only spent an hour there, which is like sampling an eyedropper of water on the Amazon, but that won’t stop me from saying this is an auto-filtering bubble by people too smart to generalize.  Most of the posts are better-natured than more zealous HRC folks. Words like “goofy”, “wha?”, and verbal eye rolls replace denunciations of traitorous, aggressive behavior.  It’s also highly therapeutic – a place to let off steam and say “ikr?” with like minded people, without getting too angry.

But it’s all still a denunciation of one annoying filter bubble with another filter bubble behavior.  And it’s there for good reason, to be sure.  The work of having debates, trying to defuse arguments, the desperate attempt to say “I’m not trying to change you, but do want to take on your characterization”, or simply avoid all that stuff for an hour can be quite stressful.

There’s a scene in Annie Hall, where Alvie goes to Annie’s apartment one night after they’ve broken up (to kill a spider, I think).  While he’s there he sees a copy of The National Review and freaks out.  She defends herself by mentioning that she wants to hear “other points of view”, which is a chance for a classic Woody Allen litany of all the insane anxiety-inducing things she could do next in search of other opinions.

I’ve recently fled to The Guardian, finding the NYT hard to stomach.  Have I found a place that keeps me alert to worthwhile “other points of view” and a balanced understanding of the world?  Or am I building another filter bubble?

________

I’ve always enjoyed playing the game of remembering quotes and comparing them to the real thing.  Nicholson Baker does it in U and I, with Updike quotes, so here’s the scene from Annie Hall.  I was right about the spider, wrong about the litany.

		ALVY
				 (Looking down at the magazine) 
			What is this?  What are you, since 
			when do you read the "National Review"?  
			What are you turning in to?

					ANNIE
				 (Turning to a nearby chair for 
				some gum in her pocketbook) 
			Well, I like to try to get all points 
			of view.

					ALVY 
			It's wonderful.  Then why don'tcha get 
			William F. Buckley to kill the spider?

					ANNIE
			 (Spinning around to face him) 
			Alvy, you're a little hostile, you 
			know that?  Not only that, you look 
			thin and tired.

She puts a piece of gum in her mouth.

					ALVY
			  Well, I was in be- It's three o'clock 
			in the morning.  You, uh, you got me 
			outta bed, I ran over here, I couldn't 
			get a taxi cab.  You said it was an 
			emergency, and I didn't ge- I ran up 
			the stairs.  Hell - I was a lot more 
			attractive when the evening began.  
			Look, uh, tell- Whatta you- Are you 
			going with a right-wing rock-and roll 
			star?  Is that possible?