The filter bubble is a tough adversary. It is seductive. You see what you want to see and what you want to see is what you like rather than what challenges you. Technology has learned how to make us feel good about what we believe. Unfortunately, this is a problem. It makes us feel certain in our own biases.
Like so many teach questions, Google uses its algorithms to learn about what we want and to deliver what we want on demand. In what I think is a bold move, it has recognized the way it pushes our own biases and has created a solution.
Google News has a new look and works in a different way. If you were a News user, you may have noticed the change and been baffled. Here is how I understand the change. Google offers us a way to follow our favorites and a way to review more independently curated important news of the day.
If you look at the left-hand column, the topmost entry is Top Stories. The stories are considered by the editors to be important to know AND in most cases allows links to multiple sources (News for all). The second entry is “For You” and is responsive to your preferences (News for you).
The core idea is that all should have a perspective on common important news and should understand this information in an unbiased way. I would suggest that this is innovative, but it might also be thought of as a return to the days of Edward R Murrow or Walter Cronkite when most saw the same stores presented from the same perspective. If one takes the time to read a couple of perspectives on the most important stories, the new model may be even better. Even if you study the New York Times or the Wall Street Journal you are subjected to consistent, but minor biases. Read both and you would have a complete picture from quality journalists.
