Is it useful to have only the need to type a few letters into a search bar before an algorithm informs us of what we're looking for?
Is it helpful to have a piece of computer code decide what we are interested in, so that we needn't look beyond our facebook home feeds to find news and information?
Many have argued the advantages of such predictive algorithms. Convenience, ease-of-access and time saving are the typical phrases we hear on the lips of those in support of them.
Whilst they can be seen as beneficial through the limited scope of these factors, we must also consider the negative implications that accompany those useful elements.
Tunnel Vision
Reality is a completely different experience for each and every one of us. Born into a home with over seven billion people, our sense of individuality is defined by the way in which we perceive the world and everything in it. Uniqueness is certainly not a bad thing, but when that uniqueness comes at the cost of our understanding of our environment, then we lose sight of the fact that it is being unique that makes us all the same.
We are united in our individuality. Our difference to one another is the only thing that each and every one of us on this Earth have in common. This understanding should really be the force that gravitates us towards one another, but unfortunately, far too many of us see our dissimilarities as a reason to push each other away.
Our understanding of the world is limited to the number of perspectives from which we can view it. To see the world through another's eyes, is to discover a part of the world that was previously unknown to us-- thus, enriching our own perspective and bettering the grasp we have on our surroundings.
This image is often used to demonstrate how two people discussing any given topic, can both be correct in their assertions. However, I have found that the truly profound lesson to be learned from this image, is far too often overlooked.
The world is a very complex place, with far more than two truths. So consider if you will, that there were a million different perspectives from which we could view this shape to perceive a different result. Only through our movement from one vantage point to another, could we start to develop a better understanding of the true shape, in all its complexity.
In applying this philosophy to our understanding of the world, we realise that truly immersing ourselves in the perspective of another person equates to viewing the depicted shape from another angle, and improving our own knowledge and understanding of what's in front of us.
Social media's predictive algorithms have stolen this opprtunity purpose from many of us, by locking us in a place where we are able to see but one singular view of reality.
The Trap
Much like the unsuspecting mouse, lured into a trap by the seductive scent of freshly cut cheese, we unwittingly allow ourselves to be enticed into a prison of narrow-minded thinking. The source of our seduction is far more difficult to resist, however, for there is more than one piece of bait tempting us towards that cell.
There is the prospect of having to do less— which, amidst a life of slaving away to make ends meet, is a very appealing thing. Who wants to come home after a hard day at work and then exert even more time and energy into sifting through the internet in search of something valuable to read or watch? No one. Not when we can simply put our feet up and click away at items on our facebook home feed, or the recommended and related videos on YouTube.
Reassurance is yet another temptation provided by such algorithms. No one takes pleasure in doubting themselves, as cognitive dissonance can be a very unsettling feeling. Why should we bother to invite criticism of our beliefs? It's much easier to have an endless string of suggested news and information solidify those beliefs for us.
Lastly— and perhaps the most tantalizing of invitations offered by predictive algorithms, is the sweet allure of comfort. By allowing a social media platform to present us with solely the types of information we adhere to, we also—for the most part—remove ourselves from the possibility of interacting with those who have differing opinions.
We can all find comfort in the avoidance of debate. It is hard work burning those extra calories in an effort to discern another's opposing point-of-view. But through our social circles, suggested videos and recommended news feeds, we are able to find only those that were led there by possessing a similar perspective to our own. This minimizes the necessity to indulge ourselves in critical debate and challenge our current paradigm.
Side-Effects
The price we pay for the comfort provided by predictive algorithms is often oblivious to us until an unexpected moment. We believe everything is fine, until a single dose of reality shatters our narrow-minded perspective and leaves us with a crippling inability to make sense of the world we reside in.
Leading up to the election, there were millions of people, in the US and elsewhere, that could have told you without a doubt that Donald Trump was going to win. There were even thousands of videos and articles in circulation that predicted this same outcome with evidence to support the claims.
However, the news of his victory shocked a great number of Hillary fans to their core, provoking them to tears and far worse. Many of the Hillary supporters even took to the streets in outrage, protesting a democratically elected president— essentially calling for a dictatorship instead.
Their actions were mostly the result of severe shock. It was impossible for them to comprehend how Trump could have won— or more accurately, how Clinton could have lost. Social media algorithms had determined that they were Hillary Clinton supporters, and as such, their home feeds and suggested links, articles and videos had presented them only with positive information about her, and negative information about Trump.
They had fallen victim to the trap, believing that the information made available to them was everything they needed to know. Through reading comments on the pro-Clinton posts and videos they were directed towards, they viewed an overwhelming amount of support for their candidate which instilled within them the belief that they were part of the majority.
On the opposite side, those who had been branded as Trump supporters by social media's mathematical predictions, would have only the brighter side of Trump and the many crimes of Clinton presented to them. On the videos that they watched and the posts that they read, no Clinton supporters could be found. Many were surprised to find that Clinton had any supporters at all.
These algorithms which determine our interests, have in effect become little more than self-perpetuating systems of confirmation bias. We are shown what we like and what we agree with. We are shown what our close friends like and agree with. We are shown other people who like and agree with those same things. Everything else doesn't exist, or at least doesn't matter. That is of course, until the day we realise that it does matter, only we were not ready for it.
The Divide
Every day that we avoid conversation with those who have conflicting opinions to our own, we place the next proverbial block in the barricade to communication we are constructing. Before long, that wall is so high that it has become far too difficult for us to converse with anyone holding a dichotomous perspective to our own without getting incredibly angry.
We are becoming too familiar with surrounding ourselves with people who are like us. Consequently, our belief structures are decreasing in fluidity. Where as once we would be happy to update our beliefs to something more accurate upon the reception of new information, now, prolonged detention within social bubbles have solidified those beliefs to a point where it is too unsettling a feeling to have them altered.
We cling to our current paradigms so tightly that to be exposed to an unfamiliar conversation, that has the potential to shake the foundations of our belief structure, provokes a feeling of discomfort which forces us to lash out in defense. This is why it has become so difficult for us to talk to those with conflicting view-points.
Herein lies the greatest problem that we are faced with. The difficulty we now have in communicating with one another is driving us deeper into the social bubbles that made it difficult in the first place. If we do not commit to building bridges to one another, and desist with building barriers, in the coming decades, as we create more labels to define ourselves by and those social circles get smaller and smaller, we will wake up one day and find ourselves truly alone in a world of billions.
We must force ourselves to converse with others, especially those we are in disagreement with. Whilst it can be unpleasant at first, with each debate we enter into with an open mind, our grasp on our take of reality loosens, and the flexibility is restored to our belief system. I believe this is healthiest state of mind that one can possess. Only through this state of being can we begin to view the world through the eyes of other's, and in turn be rewarded with a better understanding of the world. Along this journey, we may also find that a wider perspective adds a colour and vibrancy to the world that was previously unseen to us.
Thank you for reading.
