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An eye-opening account of how the hidden rise of personalization on the Internet is controlling-and limiting-the information we consume In December Google began customizing its search results for each user Instead of giving you the most broadly popular result Google now tries to predict what you are most likely to click on According to MoveOnorg board president Eli Pariser Googles change in policy is symptomatic of the most significant shift to take place on the Web in recent years-the rise of personalization In this groundbreaking investigation of the new hidden Web Pariser uncovers how this growing trend threatens to control how we consume and share information as a society-and reveals what we can do about it Though the phenomenon has gone largely undetected until now personalized filters are sweeping the Web creating individual universes of information for each of us Facebook-the primary news source for an increasing number of Americans-prioritizes the links it believes will appeal to you so that if you are a liberal you can expect to see only progressive links Even an old-media bastion like The Washington Post devotes the top of its home page to a news feed with the links your Facebook friends are sharing Behind the scenes a burgeoning industry of data companies is tracking your personal information to sell to advertisers from your political leanings to the color you painted your living room to the hiking boots you just browsed on Zappos In a personalized world we will increasingly be typed and fed only news that is pleasant familiar and confirms our beliefs-and because these filters are invisible we wont know what is being hidden from us Our past interests will determine what we are exposed to in the future leaving less room for the unexpected encounters that spark creativity innovation and the democratic exchange of ideas While we all worry that the Internet is eroding privacy or shrinking our attention spans Pariser uncovers a more pernicious and far- reaching trend on the Internet and shows how we can- and must-change course With vivid detail and remarkable scope The Filter Bubble reveals how personalization undermines the Internets original purpose as an open platform for the spread of ideas and could leave us all in an isolated echoing world.
About the Author
Eli Pariser is the board president and former executive director of MoveOn.org, which at five million members is one of the largest citizens' organizations in American politics. During his time leading MoveOn, he sent 937,510,800 e-mails to members in his name. He has written op-eds for The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal and has appeared on The Colbert Report, Good Morning America, Fresh Air, and World News Tonight.
