Reputable-journalist-turned-attention-hog Bud Buck has been thinking about recent criticism of Internet search personalization, and it has activated his dander.
Of all the empty complaints that are being thrown around these days, the one that really annoys me is the one about Internet search personalization. People say that when Amazon, Netflix, Google and all those other web companies collect information about what you’re looking at and use it to edit the results you get, it creates an “echo chamber” where you’re only exposed to things you’ve already said you’re interested in. As a result, they say, you don’t get to hear about the other stuff that you really don’t give a fig about.
This is a problem? I say thank God!
Every day I have to fight off truckloads of information that bores me. It’s in my e-mail. It’s on TV. They yammer on about it endlessly over the radio and plaster it across the front page of the newspaper. If the technology exists that will insulate me from all the news I don’t want to look at and all the music I don’t want to hear, I’m for it.
Yes, I would like to have a constant diet of me-centric information. My hobbies, my favorite foods, my issues. Back when I was a media elite, I could foist my preferences on everybody else in the name of “good” programming. Now I’m just trying to hang on to them for the sake of my own satisfaction and entertainment.
Eli Pariser is stirring things up with his new book decrying “The Filter Bubble”, claiming that because of Internet Personalization, we don’t know what we’re missing. If it’s so effective, how come I’m not missing out on Eli Pariser? He’s everywhere!
Put more power on the baloney shields, Google! I just stumbled across his TED talk again!
I don’t blame you if you didn’t watch it. I try not to, but it’s always there! I love the part where he realizes Facebook has been “editing out” dispatches from his conservative “friends” because he hasn’t been clicking on their links. Pariser thinks this is an example of the corporation getting in the way of his open mind and making his world smaller. Oh yeah? Wait ’til his conservative “friends” find out he’s only been pretending to be interested in them! Click on their links if you’re so fascinated by their ideas!
Honestly, the if the Internet were a body of water it would be totally overrun with Asian Carp by now. There’s too much stuff thrashing around. We need less of everything, and if Google and Facebook can turn this big, sprawling world into something more like the corner table at my favorite cafe where me and my buddies can spend the morning talking about how right I am about absolutely everything, sign me up!
This is Bud Buck!
One proven strategy for getting attention is to attack people who are getting more attention than you are. But in this case, I think Bud is over reaching. I wrote to him and told him he should start by ranting about someone closer to home and work his way up from there, but he didn’t answer. I might be beneath his notice, or totally off his radar.
How open are you to new experiences and fresh ideas?
Trail Baboon 
I’d like to tell you I’m very open, but the truth is really that I like to say that I am and in reality prefer the echo chamber. Perhaps the echo chamber could have a small leak, so as to allow just a little trickle of new ideas in? That way we could all kinda keep with it.
“I used to be with it, then they changed what it was. Now what I’m with, isn’t it and what’s it seems weird and scary. It’ll happen to yoooouuu.” -Grandpa Simpson
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excellent scott. i agree with you and grandpa simpson
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And I agree with tim, Scott and Grandpa. But what if you were NEVER with “it”? A life-long scare-fest?
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Rise and Shine Baboons!
My openness varies according to the topic. New recipes for chocolate dessert? Pretty open. New ideas on Fox News? Not. And I’m skeptical they are really new–there is not much new about taking resources from those in need. New plant to try in the garden? Let’s give it a try! New form of exercise? Maybe, maybe not. New author? If it is sci fi probably not, but every now and then something intriguing comes along. But a new drama or mystery is probably interesting unless it involves endless suffering and hopelessness and then I am out. Art? I’m in. Computer systems? Only if it can do something for me and I’ll never care how it works.
Off to the day and back to work.
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Morning all. I agree w/ both Scott and Jacque, although really, if we weren’t open to new ideas at all, would we even know it?
Completely OT… Steve, check out bing.com today.
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nice pic on bing vs. thanks
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Thanks, VS. That’s a great photo, and I wonder if I’ve seen it before. You might know this already but the image shows one wolf (in the center) expressing dominance over the other two. They are probably siblings and are relatively young. Their visible tongues are part of the body language intended to show they accept the dominance of the middle wolf. That is, they are making it clear that they understand and respect the lines of power in the pack.
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I know — I read your book!
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I have talked with a few of my friends about the danger of the “everyone is like me” echo chamber and how that skews our view of the world. I like my friends a lot, and it comes as no surprise that we have similar world views – but thank heavens for work and other outside influences to keep me in touch with the world outside of my little personal universe. Like Jacque, I won’t be signing up for Fox News anytime soon, but I try to get myself to read some of the conservative newspaper columnists from time to time (and, admittedly, talk back to the paper). I am curious by nature, so if I quit finding out new stuff I might just shrivel up like an Anna raisin.
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I agree about columnists. But even if I disagree with them, they are more reasonable than the Fox -0- blab.
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Here is where I feel Mr. Colbert is doing a public service. I don’t want to have to watch or listen to any of that stuff (although there are times when it is unavoidable), but I also would feel uneasy if I totally ignored it-don’t want more nasty surprises than I have to have. I like getting my outrage with a good dose of humor.
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i wish i were able to handle rush and orielly and hannity to a greater degree. i am afraid i shut them off and start harassing them the minute i see or hear them. if i were in a place where i could listen i am pretty certain i would still be appalled but at least i would learn a little about how the other half thinks. i am not sure these guys are the example of how they think i believe these guys just stir up emotion and have their research department help them discover potent hot buttons. i was thinking about pawlenty this weekend and how we could turn pawlenty into a verb. just pawlenty it would mean to hide it and do what you want in a fashion that the masses don’t realize until after you’ve already been pawlentyed. the taxes will not go up no matter what is a statement you can hang your hat on. i am in favor of less taxes for me but when you are pawlentyed the shrift occured without your paying attention. as much as i detest what jessie ventura did to politics in minnesota the price of my cars license plates is low and i think of jessie. i would love to have the numbers to see how much more expensive my life got in fees under pawlenty. no taxes but fees everywhere you turn. i saved 106 dollars in state taxes but fees went up dramatically and my local taxes in eden praire went up 23 percent a year under his watch. the state would have handled it but the state blew us off and the city had to hire outside help for the salt on the streets and to pay for security for when pawlenty and eric paulsen speak at the chamber of commerce at the country club luncheon. i think catching the bile that spews out of the mouths of the smoke and mirrors guys on the other side, never mind the man behind the curtain is the mantra of the other side. rove taught. between getting pawlentyed and getting roved we had better pucker up and hang on tight. the bubble need to have starship enterprise shield strength mr sulu. bachman said she is for liberty. new hampshire should love her because she is for liberty. this is as opposed to the other candidates who are against liberty and are for censorship and totalatarianism. did you hear sarah showed up on a harley yesterday? hockey mom biker babe. newt has his work cut out for him. huckabee and the donald are able to rest easy. the rest of them have to lay awake nights figuring out how to spin the world in a tea party but conservative slant. praise god, pass the ammunition and raise the fees with harley gear on in the words of nathan hale, give me liberty so i will gather no moss .
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Yep, another new word or two for the glossary.
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Good morning to all:
I do try to have an open mind. I’m not too open minded about what is called conservative these days. I guess there are some true conservatives that do have something to say that is interesting, but they seem to be completely drowned out by reactionaries who are only interested preventing any kind of positive change.
There are some people who are trying to come up with good new ideas. They usually don’t get too much attention. One good place to read about new ideas is Yes! magazine. This is a quarterly publication that reports all kinds things people are trying to do to create positive change. I particularly like the alternatives for a new economy from David Korten that are covered in Yes!.
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Am not familiar with Yes! Will have to check it out.
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Yesterday’s thought for the day on A.Word.A.Day seemed to fit in with the trail theme of today: “It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.” -Aristotle, philosopher (384-322 BCE)
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I love Occasional Caroline’s comment. Being open-minded doesn’t mean we have to treat every statement as possibly true if we have dealt with it fairly before in our lives. Jackasses will bray and bray, and we are not condemned to treat each new vocalization with respect if it seems to come from a source that we have learned is unreliable.
Dale’s question treats two things as equals. Are we open to new experiences and fresh ideas? They are probably different for me.
My academic training makes it easy to consider new opinions fairly. I’ve been trained to do that. As a consequence, I am always revising opinions. Is the Afghan war a good thing? Should we buy “free trade” coffee? Are Republicans entirely wrong about what reforms are needed in education? It isn’t easy, but I think I can reflect on new ideas and give them a reasonably fair consideration.
But at my age, I’ve not all that open to new experiences. I don’t need to smoke or ingest any more drugs, thank you. I’d love a hot air balloon ride but count me out on bungy jumping!
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If the balloon is high enough I’ll bet bunge jumping would be a blast.
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Do balloons ingest drugs?
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Oh dear, tim, you aren’t understanding me. Like you, I’ll bet that bungy jumping from a balloon “would be a blast.” But that phrase “would be a blast” was appealing when I was a dewy young thing and now terrifies the dessicated old thing I have become! I don’t do “blast” any more.
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This will date us: anyone else remember “blast jackets”?
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no what were they?
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Sorry I have been on so little but not my time of year: coping with pain and out-of-the-blue very compelling stress factors. I have to get through spring, which has hung on so long this year. And now every square inch of lawn or field near me is being sprayed with delightful chemicals. It’s better to keep my tongue, and ataxia-ridden fingers, silent at such times.
I enjoyed the pix yesterday; have long wanted to see what others do. I would like to see a gallery of what people think is their best work or most representative items. Problem is that the musical talents, which clearly dominate on here, would have to be excluded or recording it well enough would be a challenge.
With the ataxia I am not sure how much I will ever do again.
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Glad to see you are back on the trail!
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I was thinking of you this AM. Sorry it is a bad season for you.
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Glad to know you’re around, Clyde, even if you don’t always post.
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Good to hear from you Clyde.
You can come lounge on my lawn – no chemicals, but plenty of dandelions and violets!
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What was your favorite when you running with all cylinders working
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Love the Aristotle, OC. And mig, agree totally about Colbert – it’s when I wish we still had TV. In general, I’m pretty open to hearing fresh ideas, esp. if they really are fresh. Like Steve, the new experiences part depends on which new experience, thank you. I may think of more detail as the day progresses… it’s turning out just beautiful here!
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I have to be receptive to new ideas. Initially because I’m a cynic. And I consider a ‘cynic’ to be a realistic optimist. You keep hoping for the best but are usually disappointed. But you always put out that hope for something new, something good, something better. Secondly, I’m a marketing/advertising guy at heart with appreciation for the shiny/new as well as nostalgia. (Marketing/advertisting is probably what I should be doing for a living but a 15 year old marketing degree doesn’t get many interviews now…) Third, I work with a bunch of ‘creatives.’ But because I’m the Dept. of No, I carry a stigma. So, -if-they’re going to tell me anything, it’s usually the worst 10% of the plan. Then, when I say that it’s not a good idea, they get outraged and tell me the other 90% of the plan. Then we can start to compromise and make ararngements. But we seem to have to go through this defensive/passive-aggressive dance before getting down to actual business.
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New ideas? I like new ideas in my professional life, but find that sometimes what my colleagues are touting as new are really old ideas on the comeback circle. There are some new ideas in terms of flood fighting, but it appears that earthen dikes and sandbags are still what is being used. I think that maybe a new idea would be to not build in a flood plain right on the river, but that is probably an old idea, too.
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Do I hear an an echo in here? Why am I not surprised that we all pretty much share these views? I, too, try to keep an open mind, but as we used to say, not so open that my brains fall out. I have to admit that as I have gotten older, I find it more and more of an effort to acquire a taste for some new things. Rap music, for example, I don’t get at all, and having worked 14 years in an alternative school, I’ve heard plenty of it. Also, much of the progressive music they play on The Current I find grating. That’s not to say that I think it hasn’t any merit, its just that I don’t care for it and choose not to listen to it. I’m with Steve and BiR on the new experiences issue, I’ll forego some new experiences, often because I’m afraid of getting hurt. My body just isn’t what it used to be! (Clyde I’m sorry that you’re having such a hard time right now. Pain can really interfere with your quality of life.)
Sorry I didn’t chime in yesterday, just wasn’t in the right frame of mind, but I really enjoyed everyone’s contributions.
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MotWS I share your difficulties with rap and much other modern music. And I’ll bet this hurts you in the way it hurts me. I grew up loving the music of my time in spite of adults hooting their derision. I kept evolving and finding excitement in the best popular music. And then here came rap, which to my ears was ugly and violent and musically boring. I couldn’t stand it. Since I’ve associated adults being grossed out by modern music, I don’t like finding myself in the geezer’s position here.
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Exactly.
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I’ve always been open to new things. When I was younger, I tried new things just a little too much! I think we cheat ourselves if we don’t sample a little of everything that is out there to experience. We don’t have to embrace everything, of course. But we should try to get a taste of all the possibilities out there – maybe there is a reality that we never considered before. I’m uncomfortable about being limited by this echo chamber.
One thing that is hard for me these days is the rapid pace of technology. I think I’ve kept up pretty well, but I have to continually stay on the ball with it. If I lose interest for a moment, everything has changed. I need to keep up to speed with new technology all the time for work. When I grew up on Cannon Lake, we had a (telephone) party line. Now everybody carries cell phones. It’s really amazing how much change we’ve seen in our lives. I wouldn’t mind if technology could slow down a little bit.
I’ll listen to ideological (idiotological?) rhetoric for awhile, but eventually I get steamed and turn it off. I’m afraid that it might be the only source of information for some people. I think it’s our responsibility to examine issues further and learn what we can before we firmly set our minds against something.
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Ideotological rhetoric! Great Krista, I love it. Another one for the glossary.
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I think “idiotological” has already been instituted! 🙂
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I should have known, At least it shows we’re on the same wavelength.
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Afternoon–
When I was late teens / early 20’s I started gathering what I called ‘Adventure Experiences’ because I thought growing up on the farm had left me too sheltered.
Crawling towers, late night car trips to meet friends, — nothing necessarily dangerous (no drugs, drinking, bungee jumping but those certainly would be ‘Adventure experiences’) and by that definition anything ‘new’ can be an adventure. Getting married, having kids, the ER, vacations; lots of new experiences.
New ideas? Well, yeah, that too… as long as it interests me. I am pretty oblivious to a lot of things in the world; I think I’m a happier person for it.
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In some cases, ignorance is bliss. 🙂
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Yep; sure works for me.
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As someone with the last name Bliss, I could resent that 😉 (except that sometimes it comes in handy as an excuse…)
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as long as its not bliss is ignorance
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Husband calls these “stretches”. They are all around us, and there are lots of ways to do a stretch – try out something new physically, say participate in mowing the lawn, which Husband used to do solo but now we tag team. Or I usually read fiction and memoirs, but he recommended I read something he just finished called “All the Shah’s Men” by Stephen Kizner, which is a stretch for me, but fascinating background on the confusing Middle East. If I pull off moving my mom up here, she’s going to have a lots of Stretches – well, aren’t we all?
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Another good book with excellent background on why the Middle East is the way it is: “Desert Queen” by Janet Wallach. It’s the story of Gertrude Bell, a contemporary of Lawrence of Arabia, equally fascinating (in some cases more so than Lawrence), and deeply involved in the mess that was divvying up tribal geography into countries.
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I second the suggestion of “Desert Queen”.
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Some stretches feel good. Others feel like a bit of a strain. But that’s life.
With all I hear about personalization on the internet, I’m actually sort of amazed at how clueless most web sites are. I do sudoku and kakuro puzzles online, and I regularly see ads for fantasy role-playing games that are obviously aimed at adolescent boys. Either that or I am presented with links to celebrity “news” stories. Given that I never click on any of this stuff, it’s hard to imagine why they keep showing me the same old dreck.
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I heard an NPR report on the way the internet will spy on you and then tattle so advertisers can try to make a sale. Months ago I tried to help my daughter choose her next car. I played around for days, looking at reviews of promising cars. Somebody (Google Chrome?) told several car makers that I am in the market. Now when I’m surfing the ‘net I can almost always see a car on my screen, and (to their credit) they have a good notion of which cars I like. Except I’m probably a decade from buying a car again, if I ever do! 😉
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an interesting guy on npr this week was tlking about buying cars and saying that from an investment standpont you should never again buy a new car. all cars are good for a couple hundred thousand miles today and to get one that has a 18,000 mile head start and two years under its belt for half prce is the only way to go.
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as we got into the discussion esterday (i spent the day in the car and put on 1000 miles) i got to thinking about all the simalarities between the web and the library. in stead of going to the shelves you simply go to the ideas and the web gives you titles. of course if steve s studying cars the web will arade an array of choces for him to eyeball. the advertsers pay for the internet and god bless them. i have herd that they will consider charging for this and that in the future and it will nickel and dime you into real expenses every month. but i think the beaty of the echo chamber is that you can start a new one anytime you want. the eli pariser points out that your web search will be different than mine, well there is the blessing and the curse. you can get enticed to just digesting the stuff that you agree with but if you ar good you will be able to check back and get those other side ideas included in your search too. if they stop showing up as elis di mabe it is becuse he only went there once every 3 months and it was wa out of kilter with his visits t his regular spots. it will make your interests be put in fornt of you in a fashion that will suck more internet time out of you life but thats a nice prblem, to be given so much stuff you care about that you simply sit there and suck it up and if you want to see what rush, sarah and newt have to say and how bill o reilly feels about it you can bookmark them and come back every 3 months and confirm consistanc on the planet does exist. my boys do get a lot of espn and music from their chosen artists but the are supposed to. and doorknobs who listen to fx news are not going to be enlightened by having mpr buttons at the bottom of the screen that never get hit anyway. celebrate the technology and be aware that facebook google and yahoo have their place in t e world too and this can be used to your benifit or your addictive demise. farenheit 451 with the tv screens in every room sounded so unbelievable when omai first read it in the 60’s brave new world and the soma that the narrators mother was hooked on allplies to s today too. it is a brave new world and hokey smoke. it is easy to get distracted but it is easy to get involved too.
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