Main Article Content
Abstract
In the digital era, algorithms have assumed a mediation role historically associated with journalism, limiting and prioritizing information in a personalized manner for each user. This curation contributes to the formation of information bubbles that reinforce selection effects and potentially feed preexisting beliefs. Although it is not a consensual view, several authors believe this phenomenon increases polarization, posing significant challenges to democratic discourse and societal cohesion. This paper reflects on information bubbles in the context of Bruno Latour’s and Edgar Morin’s perspectives on the nature-culture dichotomy. Together, these perspectives help us understand the algorithmic personalization of information as a hybrid (arising from the interaction between humans and non-humans) and complex phenomenon (multidimensional, engaging various parts of knowledge), where the central role of non-human actors and the continuous interaction between the whole and the parts are evident. It is concluded that addressing the information bubbles conundrum will require: (1) abandoning simplification and reductionism, while accepting contradiction and controversies, (2) mapping and analyzing the interactions between actors, (3) conducting inter- and transdisciplinary research, and (4) developing hybrid solutions.
Keywords
Article Details
Copyright (c) 2024 Sara Monteiro Machado
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
References
- Bennett, W. Lance, and Shanto Iyengar. 2008. “A New Era of Minimal Effects? The Changing Foundations of Political Communication.” Journal of Communication, 58(4): 707-731. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1460-2466.2008.00410.x
- Bruns, Axel. 2019. Are Filter Bubbles Real? Cambridge: Polity Press.
- Coleman, Stephen. 2017. Can The Internet Strengthen Democracy? Cambridge: Polity Press.
- Couldry, N. 2019. Media: Why It Matters. Cambridge: Polity Press.
- Festinger, Leon. 1957. A Theory of Cognitive Dissonance. Standford: Stanford University Press.
- Fletcher, Richard, and Rasmus Kleis Nielsen. 2017. “Are News Audiences Increasingly Fragmented? A Cross-National Comparative Analysis of Cross-Platform News Audience Fragmentation and Duplication.” Journal of Communication, 67(4): 476-498. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcom.12315
- Geschke, Daniel, Jan Lorenz, and Peter Holtz. 2019. “The Triple-Filter Bubble: Using Agent-based Modelling to Test a Meta-Theoretical Framework for the Emergence of Filter Bubbles and Echo Chambers.” British Journal of Social Psychology, 58(1): 129-149. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjso.12286
- Jamieson, Kahtleen Hall, and Joseph N Cappella. 2008. Echo Chamber. New York: Oxford University Press.
- Latour, Bruno. 1993. We Have Never Been Modern. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
- Latour, Bruno. 2005. Reassembling the Social: An Introduction to Actor-Network-Theory. New York: Oxford University Press.
- Lazarsfeld, Paul F, Bernard Berelson, and Hazel Gaudet. 1948. The People’s Choice. New: Columbia University Press.
- Lee, Sangwon, and Michael Xenos. 2022. “Incidental News Exposure via Social Media and Political Participation: Evidence of Reciprocal Effects.” New Media & Society, 24(1): 178-201. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444820962121
- Machado, Sara Monteiro. 2021. “Democracia em Risco? Explorando a Contribuição do Ciberjornalismo para o Fenómeno do Filtro-bolha” (“Democracy at Risk? Exploring the Contribution of Digital Journalism to the Filter Bubble Phenomenon”). Observatorio (OBS*), 15(2): 83-99. https://doi.org/10.15847/obsOBS15220211730
- McPherson, Miller, Lynn Smith-Lovin, and James M. Cook. 2001. “Birds of a Feather: Homophily in Social Networks.” Annual Review of Sociology, 27: 415-438. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.soc.27.1.415
- Möller, Judith, Damian Trilling, Natali Helberger, and Bram van Es. 2018. “Do not Blame it on the Algorithm: an Empirical Assessment of Multiple Recommender Systems and their Impact on Content Diversity.” Information, Communication & Society, 21(7): 959-977. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2018.1444076
- Morin, Edgar. 1999. SevenCcomplex Lessons in Education for the Future. Paris: UNESCO.
- Morin, Edgar. 2005a. Ciência com Consciência (Science with Conscience). Rio de Janeiro: Bertrand Brasil.
- Morin, Edgar. 2005b. Introdução ao Pensamento Complexo (Introduction to Complex Thinking). Porto Alegre: Editora Sulina.
- Morin, Edgar. 2019. "Edgar Morin: In Praise of Complex Thought." CNRS News,
- July 1. https://news.cnrs.fr/articles/edgar-morin-in-praise-of-complex-thought
- Negroponte, Nicholas. 1995. Being Digital. New York: Vintage Books.
- Nichols, Tom. 2018. A Morte da Competência: Os Perigos da Campanha contra o Conhecimento Estabelecido (The Death of Expertise: The Campaign Against Established Knowledge and Why It Matters). Lisboa: Quetzal Editores.
- Pariser, Eli. 2011. The Filter Bubble: What the Internet is Hiding From You. New York: Penguin Press.
- Pombo, Olga. 2006. “Interdisciplinaridade e Integração dos Saberes” (Interdisciplinarity and Integration of Knowledge). Liinc em Revista, 1(1): 3-15. https://doi.org/10.18617/liinc.v1i1.186
- Sætra, Henrik Skaug. 2019. '”The Tyranny of Perceived Opinion: Freedom and Information in the Era of Big Data.” Technology in Society, 59: 101155. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techsoc.2019.101155
- Seargeant, Philip, and Caroline Tagg. 2019. “Social Media and the Future of Open Debate: A User-oriented Approach to Facebook’s Filter Bubble Conundrum.” Discourse, Context & Media, 27: 41-48. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dcm.2018.03.005
- Sears, David O, and Jonathan L Freedman. 1967. “Selective Exposure to Information: A Critical Review.” The Public Opinion Quarterly, 31(2): 194-213. https://doi.org/10.1086/267513
- Shah, Dhavan V., Douglas M. McLeod, Hernando Rojas, Jaeho Cho, Michael W. Wagner, and Lewis A. Friedland. 2017. “Revising the Communication Mediation Model for a New Political Communication Ecology.” Human Communication Research, 43(4): 491-504. https://doi.org/10.1111/hcre.12115
- Sunstein, Cass Robert. 2001. Republic.com. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
- Sunstein, Cass Robert. 2006. Infotopia: How Many Minds Produce Knowledge. New York: Oxford University Press.
- Sunstein, Cass Robert. 2020. #Republic: Divided Democracy in the Age of Social Media. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
- Tabrizi, Shayan A., and Azadeh Shakery. 2019. “Perspective-based Search: A New Paradigm for Bursting the Information Bubble.” FACETS, 4(1): 350-388. https://doi.org/10.1139/facets-2019-0002
- Thorson, Kjerstin, Kelley Cotter, Mel Medeiros, and Chankyung Pak. 2019. “Algorithmic Inference, Political Interest, and Exposure to News and Politics on Facebook.” Information, Communication & Society, 24(2): 183-200. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2019.1642934
- Valkenburg, Patti M., Jochen Peter, and Joseph B. Walther. 2016. “Media Effects: Theory and Research.” Annual Review of Psychology, 67(1): 315-38. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-122414-033608
- Winner, Langdon. 2020. The Whale and the Reactor: A Search for Limits in an Age of High Technology. Chicago: University of Chicaco Press.
- Zhang, Xing, Yongtao Cai, Mengqiao Zhao, and Yan Zhou. 2023. “Generation Mechanism of ‘Information Cocoons’ of Network Users: An Evolutionary Game Approach.” Systems, 11(8): 414. https://doi.org/10.3390/systems11080414
References
Bennett, W. Lance, and Shanto Iyengar. 2008. “A New Era of Minimal Effects? The Changing Foundations of Political Communication.” Journal of Communication, 58(4): 707-731. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1460-2466.2008.00410.x
Bruns, Axel. 2019. Are Filter Bubbles Real? Cambridge: Polity Press.
Coleman, Stephen. 2017. Can The Internet Strengthen Democracy? Cambridge: Polity Press.
Couldry, N. 2019. Media: Why It Matters. Cambridge: Polity Press.
Festinger, Leon. 1957. A Theory of Cognitive Dissonance. Standford: Stanford University Press.
Fletcher, Richard, and Rasmus Kleis Nielsen. 2017. “Are News Audiences Increasingly Fragmented? A Cross-National Comparative Analysis of Cross-Platform News Audience Fragmentation and Duplication.” Journal of Communication, 67(4): 476-498. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcom.12315
Geschke, Daniel, Jan Lorenz, and Peter Holtz. 2019. “The Triple-Filter Bubble: Using Agent-based Modelling to Test a Meta-Theoretical Framework for the Emergence of Filter Bubbles and Echo Chambers.” British Journal of Social Psychology, 58(1): 129-149. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjso.12286
Jamieson, Kahtleen Hall, and Joseph N Cappella. 2008. Echo Chamber. New York: Oxford University Press.
Latour, Bruno. 1993. We Have Never Been Modern. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
Latour, Bruno. 2005. Reassembling the Social: An Introduction to Actor-Network-Theory. New York: Oxford University Press.
Lazarsfeld, Paul F, Bernard Berelson, and Hazel Gaudet. 1948. The People’s Choice. New: Columbia University Press.
Lee, Sangwon, and Michael Xenos. 2022. “Incidental News Exposure via Social Media and Political Participation: Evidence of Reciprocal Effects.” New Media & Society, 24(1): 178-201. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444820962121
Machado, Sara Monteiro. 2021. “Democracia em Risco? Explorando a Contribuição do Ciberjornalismo para o Fenómeno do Filtro-bolha” (“Democracy at Risk? Exploring the Contribution of Digital Journalism to the Filter Bubble Phenomenon”). Observatorio (OBS*), 15(2): 83-99. https://doi.org/10.15847/obsOBS15220211730
McPherson, Miller, Lynn Smith-Lovin, and James M. Cook. 2001. “Birds of a Feather: Homophily in Social Networks.” Annual Review of Sociology, 27: 415-438. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.soc.27.1.415
Möller, Judith, Damian Trilling, Natali Helberger, and Bram van Es. 2018. “Do not Blame it on the Algorithm: an Empirical Assessment of Multiple Recommender Systems and their Impact on Content Diversity.” Information, Communication & Society, 21(7): 959-977. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2018.1444076
Morin, Edgar. 1999. SevenCcomplex Lessons in Education for the Future. Paris: UNESCO.
Morin, Edgar. 2005a. Ciência com Consciência (Science with Conscience). Rio de Janeiro: Bertrand Brasil.
Morin, Edgar. 2005b. Introdução ao Pensamento Complexo (Introduction to Complex Thinking). Porto Alegre: Editora Sulina.
Morin, Edgar. 2019. "Edgar Morin: In Praise of Complex Thought." CNRS News,
July 1. https://news.cnrs.fr/articles/edgar-morin-in-praise-of-complex-thought
Negroponte, Nicholas. 1995. Being Digital. New York: Vintage Books.
Nichols, Tom. 2018. A Morte da Competência: Os Perigos da Campanha contra o Conhecimento Estabelecido (The Death of Expertise: The Campaign Against Established Knowledge and Why It Matters). Lisboa: Quetzal Editores.
Pariser, Eli. 2011. The Filter Bubble: What the Internet is Hiding From You. New York: Penguin Press.
Pombo, Olga. 2006. “Interdisciplinaridade e Integração dos Saberes” (Interdisciplinarity and Integration of Knowledge). Liinc em Revista, 1(1): 3-15. https://doi.org/10.18617/liinc.v1i1.186
Sætra, Henrik Skaug. 2019. '”The Tyranny of Perceived Opinion: Freedom and Information in the Era of Big Data.” Technology in Society, 59: 101155. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techsoc.2019.101155
Seargeant, Philip, and Caroline Tagg. 2019. “Social Media and the Future of Open Debate: A User-oriented Approach to Facebook’s Filter Bubble Conundrum.” Discourse, Context & Media, 27: 41-48. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dcm.2018.03.005
Sears, David O, and Jonathan L Freedman. 1967. “Selective Exposure to Information: A Critical Review.” The Public Opinion Quarterly, 31(2): 194-213. https://doi.org/10.1086/267513
Shah, Dhavan V., Douglas M. McLeod, Hernando Rojas, Jaeho Cho, Michael W. Wagner, and Lewis A. Friedland. 2017. “Revising the Communication Mediation Model for a New Political Communication Ecology.” Human Communication Research, 43(4): 491-504. https://doi.org/10.1111/hcre.12115
Sunstein, Cass Robert. 2001. Republic.com. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Sunstein, Cass Robert. 2006. Infotopia: How Many Minds Produce Knowledge. New York: Oxford University Press.
Sunstein, Cass Robert. 2020. #Republic: Divided Democracy in the Age of Social Media. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Tabrizi, Shayan A., and Azadeh Shakery. 2019. “Perspective-based Search: A New Paradigm for Bursting the Information Bubble.” FACETS, 4(1): 350-388. https://doi.org/10.1139/facets-2019-0002
Thorson, Kjerstin, Kelley Cotter, Mel Medeiros, and Chankyung Pak. 2019. “Algorithmic Inference, Political Interest, and Exposure to News and Politics on Facebook.” Information, Communication & Society, 24(2): 183-200. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2019.1642934
Valkenburg, Patti M., Jochen Peter, and Joseph B. Walther. 2016. “Media Effects: Theory and Research.” Annual Review of Psychology, 67(1): 315-38. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-122414-033608
Winner, Langdon. 2020. The Whale and the Reactor: A Search for Limits in an Age of High Technology. Chicago: University of Chicaco Press.
Zhang, Xing, Yongtao Cai, Mengqiao Zhao, and Yan Zhou. 2023. “Generation Mechanism of ‘Information Cocoons’ of Network Users: An Evolutionary Game Approach.” Systems, 11(8): 414. https://doi.org/10.3390/systems11080414