Trapped In A Bubble

Eli Pariser and Sue Halpern discuss important concerns pertaining to internet use and its ability to isolate us into this filter bubble.  The information that was once universal and accessible is no longer available for us to see.  We should have the right to individually decide what gets tailored or not; it should be our choice not anyone or anything else’s.  I agree with Pariser when he says that a democracy cannot function properly if its citizens are not exposed to a “good flow of information.”  Needless to say, how can we grow as intellectuals if there is this hindrance preventing us from absorbing new and different ideas that can broaden our outlook on life and humanity? I feel that implementing algorithms to personalize and better our search process is a creative and smart idea but too much personalization blocks us from learning and developing new ideas. With such a personalized web, we have our own ideas thrown back at us and hence, we do not get to explore new ideas or read the ideas and opinions of the dissenting party.

Conversely, Clive Thompson discusses how this phenomenon (homophily) can actually be a good thing and can improve the “diversity of our information diet.” Further, he mentions that sticking with “like-minded” people can actually be more beneficial than we think because it is our closest friends who know what we already know and would know what may be new information to us. According to information economists, Sinan Aral and Marshall Van Alstyne, interacting with a small group of close friends can be useful in that it can provide us with valuable and surprising information.  In short, sticking with “our kind” actually may not be such a bad thing. It is true that unlike weak ties your close friends know you best and would know what information is new to you. Moreover, one does not have sufficient interaction with weak ties to constantly obtain new information. Nonetheless, we shouldn’t stop from having “weak” relationships because this may help us in the long run and can provide us with much more useful information than our closest friends can. At the end, I think it is smart to maintain a relationship with both your close friends and weak ties.  

The Obama Campaign's Secret Weapon

Through the social media, Barack Obama managed to become known, raise money and gain sufficient amount of votes to become our president.  As discussed in How He Really Did It, by David Talbot, by placing social media as the central component of the campaign and using its tools accordingly, Obama succeeded in obtaining the recognition he needed to help him win the presidency.  Obama’s campaign did something that no other politician had done before; they efficiently and effectively used social networking to gain people’s attention and votes. Through social networking sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, they were not only able to reach out to the youth audience but to all those involved in the social media world. What is great about social media is that it enables one to publicly share and circulate information in seconds. It is obvious this is what Obama’s campaign found quite appealing and useful about it. I mean if you think about it at one point no one had any idea who Barack Obama was, but “somehow” overnight everyone knew his name.  This demonstrates the benefits of using social networking, especially in presidential campaigns; it is without a doubt a great source of communication and interaction with the public. The key ingredient in the Obama campaign was their ability to interact with the public. Their strategy was innovative and simply brilliant; it helped them reach out and connect with people of different ages and backgrounds.  Obama, as David Talbot states, “created the ultimate online political machine.”

Social Media's Impact On Society

Growing up Online addresses important issues concerning the evolution of social networking and its impact on today’s society, especially on the younger generation.  It is unfortunate to say that many have become enslaved by social media and cannot live a day without using it; it has become part of them, an integral component in their daily routines.  For some, social networking is an escape from reality, a momentary relief from the hard struggles and harsh realities of life. Social network sites can be seen as a haven where one can be him/herself or where he/she can choose to be who he/she wishes to be without being judged or ridiculed. It allows people to create and play around with different identities; it is somewhat of a game where one can take on any role.  Further, it allows people to seek and find others that they can relate to and who can genuinely understand and accept them for who they are.  Social media provides a place where there is nothing wrong with being different, where in fact being different is appreciated and accepted.

Although social networking can have its benefits, it can also be harmful and lead to cyber-bullying and exposure to online predators.  Before the evolution of social media, victims of bullying could at least come home with the guarantee of being safe and free from ridicules and harassments. Nowadays, however, bullying does not end at school, but continues at one’s home. Through social networking sites, in particular Facebook, some adolescents express themselves so freely and maliciously with or without consciousness of the harm their words can cause.  What can at first seem like a fun and harmless game can lead to severe consequences.  Those being victimized are afraid to reach out to their parents or an adult either because they are being threatened or simply because they are concern about what their classmates may think or say about them if they were to say anything. So it makes one wonder if such advancements in technology are as beneficial as one may have first come to believe.  There have been and continue to be many cases of tragic stories of cyber-bullying and suicides. It is important that parents remain alert of their children’s social life and remain involved in their lives by holding discussions on school and who they associate themselves with. Parents need to develop and maintain a close and loving relationship with their child.