My theory is that filter bubbles do indeed exist, but that we’re looking for them in the wrong place. Möller: ‘So there must be something in it. Nonetheless, a great deal of money is being invested in the use of algorithms and artificial intelligence, such as during election periods. Moreover, it turns out that many people on social media are actually more likely to encounter news that they normally wouldn’t read or search out, so that’s almost a bubble in reverse.’ Bubbles at the fringes of the opinion spectrum Besides that: the amount of “news” on an average Facebook timeline is less than 5%. ‘We use various news sources in parallel – meaning not only Facebook and Twitter, but also radio, television and newspapers, so we run little risk of ending up in a filter bubble. But Möller says that there is no evidence to support this, at least in the Netherlands. Everyone is constantly exposed to ‘their own truth’, while other news gets filtered out. It’s said that this bubble is leading to the polarisation of society. In the filter bubble, you are presented only with news and opinions that match you as an individual, on the basis of algorithms and without you being aware of this process. ‘People have always had the tendency to surround themselves with like-minded people, and that’s no different on social media.’ Various news sources in parallel prevent a filter bubble ‘Call it the modern form of compartmentalisation’, says communication scientist Judith Möller, who recently received a Veni grant for her research. As an individual, you voluntarily take your place in an echo chamber (such as in the form of a forum, or a Facebook or WhatsApp group), meaning you surround yourself with people who tend towards the same opinion as yourself. First of all, we need to differentiate between the so-called echo chamber and the filter bubble.
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