Filter Bubbles
Filter bubbles are a result of Web Search engines (and other Algorithmic recommendation systems, like Social media news streams) being too good at returning only those results of interest to you, and your previous searches.
This means the more you use these Search engines, the more the results you receive will come to match your existing worldview. This is very useful for receiving results on your favoured sports team, but less useful if you're looking for unbiased political news.
Importantly, you won't see any of the material that gets edited out, leaving you to believe all sources confirm your existing view.
Beware online "filter bubbles." From E. Pariser, 2011, TED Talk. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/eli_pariser_beware_online_filter_bubbles
Confirmation bias
A related issue, where you tend to choose to search for material that confirms your own beliefs. Unlike a Filter bubble, this is a self-initiated filter, not imposed by Search Algorithms, however, any choice you make to follow up on a result may further help train your Search engines and refine your Filter bubble.
Belief and Misbelief Asymmetry on the Internet [e-version] by ISBN: 9781119261544Publication Date: 2015
Pop Your Filter Bubble (Via Pariser, E. 10 Ways to Pop Your Filter Bubble)
- Delete your cookies. Websites save "Cookies" to your computer, in order to store identifying data on your visit and search history. This helps the site pre-load pages for you, and recalls settings and passwords. It helps make browsing easier. However, a Cookie can also be used to tailor your visit to show you strangely relevant advertising, search results, etc.
Note: You can delete existing Cookies, and change your Browser preferences to "Do Not Track" or to a private browsing mode like Google Chrome's Incognito.
Turn off targeted ads by opting-out here. You can also turn these off in your browser.
- Erase your web history. A great deal of search personalisation is powered by your search history, if you want a more private Web experience, Web browsers and Search engines can be made to delete your search history.
Of course, this means you will receive less personalised results (for good and ill).
Depersonalize your browser. Every request to download a web page reveals a lot about how your computer is configured — and many of those configurations are unique. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) makes it easy to make your settings harder to track here. Or go anonymous with a service like Torproject.org.
- Keep your data private. More than anything else: Never publish anything online you don’t want the whole world to know about you. A significant piece of personal information to keep private is not to share your date of birth online, via Social media. Most Social media services allow you to control your privacy settings.
- Get involved! Tell Google and Facebook to make it easier to see and control your filters. Get in touch here:
Fake News
"Fake news" is a form of deliberate misinformation, normally with the intent to damage the credibility of an opponent and/or gain financially or politically.
"Fake news" is NOT the same thing as "Satire!" (Though un-critical sharing of satire may result in unintended consequences.)
There are a few different categories of "fake news" items to watch out for:
- Fake, false, or regularly misleading websites that are shared on Facebook and social media. Some of these websites may rely on “outrage” by using distorted headlines and decontextualized or dubious information in order to generate likes, shares, and profits.
- Websites that may circulate misleading and/or potentially unreliable information
- Websites which sometimes use clickbait-y headlines and social media descriptions
- Satire/comedy sites, which can offer important critical commentary on politics and society, but have the potential to be shared as actual/literal news
(Zimdars, 2019, Adapted from: http://iue.libguides.com/fakenews/index)
No single topic falls under a single category - for example, false or misleading medical news may be entirely fabricated (Category 1), may intentionally misinterpret facts or misrepresent data (Category 2), may be accurate or partially accurate but use an alarmist title to get your attention (Category 3) or may be a critique on modern medical practice (Category 4.) Some articles fall under more than one category. It is up to you to do the legwork to make sure your information is good.
How the Spot Fake News. From International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), 2018. Copyright 2018 International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA). Used by permission. Retrieved from https://www.ifla.org/publications/node/11174
Fact Checking
Fake news is not new, but increasing discussions of "fake news" have surrounded political campaigns and the rise of the Internet and Social media destabilising the distribution of news publications.
It is important to be aware that not all "news" published on the internet is reliable, and similarly, that not all news claimed to be "fake news" is in fact fake. Just because you disagree with the news piece doesn't make it fake.
Fake news can include content created by non-news organisations to drive web users towards ads (i.e. clickbait) or to spread false information (rumors, conspiracy theories, propaganda etc).
There are a number of websites devoted to fact checking news. A select few have be identified below.
If you come across another fact checking website and want to know if you can rely on it, check if the International Fact-Checking Network has accredited the website.
Note: A great place to get good quality news material is via the Library Databases:
- Informit EduTV This link opens in a new windowProvides content across a range of learning areas. As well as documentaries, it includes programs broadcast on pay TV channels such as The History Channel, National Geographic, BBC Knowledge and Discovery.
Fact Checking sites:
A joint project of RMIT University and the ABC
Created by Amnesty International. Focus on validating video content.
A worldwide network of scientists sorting fact from fiction in climate change media coverage.
An Australian based website. All FactChecks are blind reviewed by a second expert.
A project of the Annenberg Public Policy Centre. US focus
The UK's independent fact checking charity.
The Snopes.com web site was founded by David Mikkelson, a project begun in 1994 as an expression of his interest in researching urban legends that has since grown into the oldest and largest fact-checking site on the Internet, one widely regarded by journalists, folklorists, and laypersons alike as one of the world’s essential resources.
A fact checking site with a focus on American politics.
The Fake News Game. From The University of Sheffield Library. Copyright 2018 by The University of Sheffield Library. Used under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/
Deepfake technology uses machine learning and artificial intelligence to manipulate and misrepresent the image and/or voice of a person appearing in a video. This technology is almost impossible to detect with the naked eye.
As the majority of people tend to believe 'what they see with their own eyes', and assume that video is an accurate recording of events, developing the technology to detect these deepfakes is becoming critical.
Substituting the image and voice of one person for another may be entertaining, but it also poses real world consequences. The dangers of these videos spreading misinformation and 'fake news' are obvious. Another real danger is that they may be used in the future as a way of denying true events that were 'caught on film'.
Cold Fusion TV. (2018, Apr. 28). Deepfake - Real Consequences [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMF2i3A9Lzw
When seeing is no longer believing Inside the Pentagon’s race against deepfake videos
© 2019 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
CNN Sans ™ & © 2016 Cable News Network.