Series 1: 1. Online Filters and Bubbles...

In this podcast episode, the host discusses the concepts of echo chambers and algorithmic filter bubbles in social media. Echo chambers reinforce beliefs and values, while filter bubbles curate content based on personal preferences. These phenomena can lead to negative impacts on mental health, particularly body image. Engaging with certain topics or following influencers can perpetuate unrealistic standards and constant comparison. Echo chambers can also create extreme viewpoints and hinder the spread of diverse information. The host suggests ways to escape echo chambers and highlights the dangers of biased information in important decisions like vaccination. Hey everyone, welcome back to my podcast, New Media, New Literacy. I'll start off by introducing myself as some of you might be new here. My name is Alex Moret and I'm currently in the process of finishing my kinesiology degree at Brock University. Recently I have been learning a lot about different aspects and concepts of New Media Literacy that I really want to share with you guys as I think they're not only important but also interesting to understand. Media is all around us in this day and age, we get absorbed by it which is why I think we need to become more aware of the reasoning behind why we are shown these things and how it can affect us. Today I will be going over algorithmic filter bubbles and echo chambers seen on social media as well as the negative and positive impacts they can have on mental health, specifically body image. First things first, I want to go over the basics and define these concepts for you. Echo chambers are conditions that are meant to reinforce beliefs, values, political opinions and attitudes that an online user has. The reason for this occurrence is because of the data and cookies that are shared online every time an individual clicks on a link, makes a search or even based on the conversations that are had with friends and family. In the grand scheme of things, you are not alone in your view of the world and therefore there is a pretty good chance that others are in the same echo chamber as you. This can lead to some extremes and can potentially result in multiple negative outcomes which I'll expand on later. A great example of an echo chamber would be the app TikTok. This app puts a great focus on the content a user likes, comments on, or even shares and works to push videos on your feed that reflect and blend with what you as a user want to see. Have you ever liked a video on a new topic and then find yourself scrolling on social media and all you see is this topic? That's an echo chamber. A personal example I have seen recently is surrounding the drama with Selena Gomez and Hailey Bieber. I had liked one video on this topic and the next day it was the only thing that I was seeing. I'm not going to lie, I was quite intrigued. I was constantly liking every post I saw about it because it was interesting and entertaining. I was definitely team Selena throughout this drama and therefore all the posts I saw surrounding this were also team Selena. I hadn't seen a single post about anyone on team Hailey. At this point I had just assumed everyone around me was seeing the same thing until I had brought it up with a few friends and they had no idea what I was talking about. Like what? Really? I was so confused but then I thought about it and realized like wow, I'm in an echo chamber. It's so easy to go online and just scroll and consume but once you really understand how information is being pushed at you, it makes you think like can I get out? Can I get out of this echo chamber? The answer is yes and later in this podcast I'll give you guys some tips on ways to escape your echo chamber. Now I want to talk to you guys about algorithmic filter bubbles. These come into relation with echo chambers but do have differences. Algorithmic filter bubbles are mainly created without the user even knowing. The internet takes data based on their personal use online and filters out unnecessary information that is suspected the user does not want to see, working to reduce an overload of information shown. You've probably heard of an algorithm and are aware they are basically everywhere online but you might be asking what a filter bubble is. If you've ever been on YouTube or Netflix and have seen recommended for you or things you might like, that's a filter bubble. It shows you things you would likely enjoy to watch or hear rather than things you have no interest in. Filter bubbles are also important for companies trying to sell products. Have you ever been talking about a certain piece of clothing that you've been wanting for the longest time or googling certain products you want to buy and then out of nowhere you start seeing advertisements about those same products? You might think like they're listening. No, well maybe, but that's a filter bubble. Filter bubbles in relation to politics and news are where things can become obstructive. Based on statistics from Statista, they found that the internet is becoming a very popular way for the public to learn about new news, around 77% of Canadians. Because of algorithms and echo chambers, the news people are seeing can vary from person to person. While you could be hearing one side of the story that you fully agree with, other people can be hearing the opposite. This creates conspiracies, trolls, and works to separate people by opinions and beliefs. Echo chambers and algorithmic filter bubbles both work to curate what you see online. They can really separate people and can form online groups without you having any idea. They can also affect your mental health. Let's say someone is unhappy in their body and wants to make a change. They may start by going online and looking for at-home workouts and be feeling good about themselves for doing it, but then you want to unwind, take a break, and scroll through social media. Now all you're seeing is workout clips, super fit people that are meeting the Western ideal, posts about diets, or even videos of people posting what they eat in a day. Soon enough, filter bubbles and echo chambers will make it so this is all you can see. You're going to have to think about this all the time. Good luck. Now, you're not feeling so great about yourself. When the good intention was there, now that bad feeling you might have had about yourself starts coming in again, and maybe even worse this time. You start constantly comparing, and it doesn't make you feel good. This can lead to anxiety, depression, and even eating disorders, all horrible things to experience. Echo chambers and filter bubbles don't feel that emotion. The data saw you looking at workout clips, and now you're stuck. Another way that echo chambers and filter bubbles can impact body image is by following social media influencers who put a great amount of time and effort into their appearance. In a lot of cases, social media influencers alter their appearance online, whether that's by blurring out blemishes or altering aspects of their face and body to look like the ideal. They may enlarge their lips, slim their hips, whiten their teeth, or even put filters on to look more tan. Really anything. By following these types of profiles, your echo chamber and filter bubbles will also be filled with posts of people who do these things. This sets an unrealistic standard that is naturally impossible to achieve. Constantly seeing these posts will also cause viewers to constantly compare themselves, and it almost seems never-ending. This might lead to not wanting to use social media, trying to avoid it at all costs. But then what? There goes a popular source of entertainment, interpersonal connectivity with friends and family, and even being out of the loop of new news. So on top of anxiety, depression, and potential eating disorders, someone might now feel lonely as well. Another negative aspect about echo chambers and filter bubbles is the fact that your viewpoint can become way more extreme and negative just based on the repeated amount of times you see a specific thing and are exposed to others' opinions. I was reading up on a study called The Echo Chamber Effect on Social Media, and the authors had researched the different ways that online groups formed on social media sites, which included the apps Twitter, Reddit, and Facebook. They had examined the ways that information was shared to not only the members within these automatically generated groups, but also to the people who were not within these groups, therefore meaning those with different views and opinions. Results from their studies show that groups that have been automatically formed, being the echo chambers, shared news as well as negative thoughts and opinions about the situation at an extremely fast rate in comparison to the rates news was shared to people with different outlooks on these same situations. This shows that echo chambers are in fact a big reason as to why information is spread the way that it is and why only some people hear about it. Going back to the Haley Bieber and Selena Gomez situation, the comments I was seeing on the posts not only intrigued me more, but had almost made me strongly dislike Haley Bieber and the others who were on Bieber's side, such as Kylie Jenner. While I would never ever find myself posting hate comments towards an individual, I saw that this drama caused Gomez fans to literally send death threats to Haley Bieber. Personally, I think that is a little bit insane, but it goes to show how a situation can easily explode online just within a few days based on the uncovering of new information and the support from others with the same viewpoint. Some of these posts were getting over 1 million likes, so that's a lot of people that were seeing and also agreeing with the posts that were shown. In a research article I read by Harold Hallone, a great example had been brought up about the negative impacts of filter bubbles and echo chambers. He made a scenario about a new mother searching whether or not to vaccinate her children. He mentioned that this could potentially be a life or death scenario and that the results shown to this new mother would be totally based on the previous online searches that she's made and even the location that she's searching from. If you were to google this, you could definitely find reasons on why to and to not vaccinate children, but the top results shown would be skewed to what you would most likely agree with. That said, the reason this is bad is because if you search it up and get information on why a vaccine is not good for your child to have, then that negative connotation will stick in your brain and at that point you might not even think to search for the benefits of it. Once that's the case, the information you see will almost always be about the negative aspects. Now for a break from our sponsor. Thank you, FlipFeed, for making this podcast possible. Are you interested in seeing an entire other world on social media? You're probably thinking, what do you mean? With the FlipFeed extension that you can add to your online Twitter account, you are given the opportunity to see what somebody else's feed looks like. This extension will give you the chance to get insight on different beliefs, values, and opinions that people around you have and allow you to learn more without having to change your personal feed. Don't agree with what you're seeing? No worries! With an easy click of a button, you can quickly switch back to your personal account. You might be asking, why bother? Well, to gain new insight, of course. Learning is fun and with the FlipFeed extension, you can take your knowledge to a whole new level. Download the FlipFeed extension today. On the other hand, there can also be positive aspects about filter bubbles and echo chambers. Like I previously stated, filter bubbles are great for companies selling products, which hence is also good for you if you want to buy something. Advertisements will be shown from multiple different companies selling the same thing and then at that point, you can find the best option of what you're looking for. It makes it easy. Another reason these things are good is because of the fact it makes it so the information you see is meant for you. It makes it so that it's rare for the information you see to be uninteresting or unhelpful. Some positive aspects of filter bubbles and echo chambers in relation to body image would be surrounding the body positive profiles and posts you see online. These accounts work to motivate and encourage you to feel good in your body and do whatever you want. Just one video is all it takes for someone to realize that, you know what, they're right. I need to embrace what I have and who I am. If you ever see a body positive post on your social media, like it. Let's see more of that. Take control of your filter bubble and echo chamber in positive ways. A study done called Burst of the Filter Bubble created accounts for four different people with completely different identities and worldviews. Their study found that for Google News, filter bubbles are actually overestimated because of the fact that there was not much difference between the content these four accounts were shown. This finding had actually shocked me because I was expecting to see a greater difference than I actually did. However, other articles had found the opposite on social media outlets rather than news outlets. Filter bubbles and echo chambers are always going to be there. You can't banish them. What you can do is escape or expand them. One way that this can be done is by following influencers and hashtags that promote healthy behaviors, as well as unfollowing any accounts that share information that's not beneficial to you and shares negativity. Another way in which you can escape these is by not listening to people online who you have created a false sense of intimacy with. For example, influencers who you dedicate long periods of time towards watching and listening to. Create your own ideas rather than going with what your influencers think. Ways to expand your filter bubble or echo chamber can be to research opposite sides of your beliefs. For example, on the topic of vaccines, don't hesitate to search for the benefits. Do your own research on topics you see online and don't believe everything you see. On the topic of doing your own research, I want to shed some light on the phenomenon of fake news. Fake news is information that is either spread deliberately or accidentally that is false and causes viewers to feel a wide range of emotions, from being mad and sad to happy and excited or even feeling scared or worried. In fake news, there are two different aspects involved, which are misinformation and disinformation. Misinformation is the process of sharing wrong information without any intent of manipulation. Disinformation is the process of sharing false information with the intention of getting something out of it. In other words, it is done purposefully. An example of misinformation is the creation of a rumor. While it can definitely result in negative outcomes, it doesn't work to cause fear to the greater population. An example of disinformation is the creation of a hoax. Finding information on your own rather than trusting the things you see conveniently online is important to expand your bubble and chambers and to also protect yourself from information that has the potential of being harmful. Fake news can spread extremely easy and without knowing whether something is true or not can impact the way you view the world altogether. A study done by Craig Soverman found that in 2016, around the time of elections in the United States, Facebook users had liked, shared and even commented on more fake news information online than mainstream news. To me, this was extremely shocking to find out. Everybody always thinks that they're able to spot what's real versus what is fake. But when you really take a step back and process it, the information quite literally shows the complete opposite. It's scary. I cannot stress the importance enough about expanding your filter bubbles and echo chambers and doing your own research. Marika Tigman and Isabella Anderson did a study on a popular trend that has recently surfaced on social media. The trend was Instagram versus reality and was where posts had been made about photos influencers posted versus how they actually look in real life. This study involved around 300 participants who either looked at three altered or Instagram photos, three natural or reality photos, or a side-by-side of three Instagram-versed reality photos. Their results had shown that the participants who viewed the natural or reality and the side-by-side photos of Instagram-versed reality had documented less impacts to their overall body satisfaction in comparison to those who had only been shown the altered photos. These types of altered photos that are posted online is a great example of fake news. A study called Fake News Detection on Social Media, a Data Mining Perspective, talks about how fake news is targeted at people by taking advantage of the viewer's vulnerabilities in order to become more popular. Overall, I think that this topic is extremely important to understand. Whether or not you feel dissatisfied with the content you're seeing online, it's good to know that the information being shown to you on social media is being selected just for you, as well as knowing the reason behind it. I encourage all of you to try and expand your filter bubble and echo chambers. Think outside the box. Try and learn different perspectives. Not only will this give you the opportunity to learn more, but it can also help you solidify your opinions and beliefs, or even make change to something you would have never thought to change. That said, I hope you all learned something new today about media literacy and thank you for listening. Catch me back here next Monday for new content. Bye now!