Digital filters: Enhancing experience or limiting perspectives?

Through both self-select options and behind-the-scenes algorithms, websites effectively cater their content to individual users. Google was a pioneer in this space, with tailored search engine results that incorporate our location, past searches, frequented websites and even our friends’ searches to provide the most useful information, as quickly as possible. Nearly every website and app has since followed suit.

  

Spotify’s opening page features new albums and recommended users based on my listening habits, The New York Times lists recommended articles based on my reading habits and Yelp answers restaurant queries based on my eating habits. The information I’m shown is all pre-filtered by my behaviors and preferences. Nothing is sent to me based on time zero.

Truthfully, I’m okay with this. I love the personalized ads and recommendations. Often, I end up clicking on the link or searching for the subject. But of course, who doesn’t love being surrounded by what is familiar and well liked? From a branding perspective, this has obvious benefits. Such an in-depth, accurate understanding of one’s audience is an incredibly crucial asset. You reach the right people and you don’t disrupt the wrong ones. Ultimately, you can strategically grow your relationships and optimize your content strategy—in a true dialogue with loyal advocates.

From the consumer perspective, though, it’s more complicated.

The initial promise of the Internet was not so much about personalized content as it was about broadened exposure and augmented perspectives. Alex Ohanian, the co-founder of Reddit states it well in his TED talk, “I fight for Internet freedom because on an open Internet, where all links are created equal, good ideas win. Anyone, anywhere can share an idea that can be seen by millions by the end of the day.”

But, we all know that links are not created equal and the flow of information is much more structured. In fact, it’s become a bit cyclical, perhaps due to these automated filters.

For example, I choose who is in my network, I choose which links I click on and I choose what articles I read. Then, the rest of my web experience takes these cues (and traces my cookies) and builds on them, reinforcing my current knowledge and behaviors with related content rather than leading me somewhere new. Everything comes to me from fewer than six degrees of separation.

I’m not suggesting we do away with filtered results, tailored recommendations or targeted ads. However, I do think it’s important as content creators to think about the information that is on the web and the perspectives we’re exposed to regularly. Until the algorithms become smart enough to let in a few wild cards, I challenge us to consciously traipse unknown paths and seek the other opinion. Who knows what serendipitous knowledge it may afford?