The Digital me and filter bubbles

As a child my mother and father read fairy tales for me. Later on I began to read the stories by my own. I also had a record player where I could play my favourite tale of the Jungle Book over and over again… Listening to something over and over again is a technical opportunity. Since then a lot of things has happened and many things have changed both in the technical way as well as my own digital experience and knowledge.

For roughly 20 years ago I worked at Komvux (municipal adult education). There, I had the privilege to develop a course for teachers teaching at preschool. At that time, the focus of the work was put on the technical equipment, technical issues and how to ”move” around and be guided in different programmes. Unfortunately, this technical focus led to the lack of pedagogical perspectives and aspects in the learning. Later I started to work at the University where we all received our own devices: computers, e-mail and LMS (First Class). The purpose was to promote and encourage collaboration between teachers, colleagues and administrators. However, the technical issues that the equipment caused were once again prioritised rather than focusing on learning aspects. The article Coomey, M., & Stephenson, J. (2001) talks about four features of learning: dialogue, involvement, support and control. During my early years at the University, I can’t remember that we discussed or talked a

bout these elements of learning. To bring these features in focus, I remember that I created a digital course room for the teachers with the purpose to promote collaboration between students and teachers. Unfortunately, the course room was very little used and stood empty most of the time…

Suddenly you can see filter bubbles every were. With Sara Mörtsells introductions to the subject and Eli Pariser’s Ted talk and then, today in a Swedish Newspaper DN (Dagens Nyheter./Days News.) I think it’s a little bit scary. In the article “Åsiktsbubblorna får populismen att växa/ Opinion bubble gets populism to grow” av Maciej Zaremba, (only in Swedish).

photograph: Pia Palm

Depending on what your political statement is, or what you like or dislike in the private area the algorithm will control what you will see on the screen. The reason of this argument can also be read in an article in the Guardian, Tuesday 12 July 2016. It’s an interesting reading about “How technology disrupted the truth” and when one and each other have their own fact. It will not be controlled or filtered by the journalists view. The article also refereeing to Eli Pariser´s ”Filter bubbles” in 2011. One interesting point about the social media platforms is how our society can take different ways. What political statement your friend or family have may result in that you will block them in social media. The article confirmed what the filter bubble, Pariser talked about in 2011 but has now a days increased and much more extreme. So with that in mind don’t forget there will be an another side on the social media that we not will see, thanks to the algorithm.