It's bursting!
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Congratulations!
Your filter bubble could burst very soon. You are doing great, but perhaps you could do even more. Simply follow these guidelines…
1 be careful with personalised services
Recommendations made by web services simplify web browsing, but they also increase the risk of creating a filter bubble. The fewer recommendations a web service provides you with, the smaller the risk of ending up in a filter bubble.2 disable personalised ads
Alternatively, you can disable personalised advertising under the link: www.google.com/ads/preferences.3 disable Google’s Web History
Do you already use different search engines? Great, but do you still want to keep on using Google? The company saves your search history through a service called Web History. Go to the following website to disable this service and to partly prevent Google from storing your data: www.google.com/history4 clear your browsing history regularly
5 discuss
Actively take part in discussions on Facebook and other pages is an effective measure to escape your own filter bubble and to simultaneously tear down other filter bubbles. Those who get involved in an online discussion they do not feel comfortable with, or perhaps even because of that very fact, can threaten the filter bubble. It goes without saying that criticism should always be formulated constructively.6 understand algorithms
Those who understand that algorithms can hide unwanted posts on social media, may be more careful with their likes and stored activity. You could for instance follow parties or organisations online that you do not actually endorse. This will make it harder for algorithms to form an appropriate filter bubble in the future.7 compare information
To counter the filter bubble effect, you can use the websites newstral.com or eurotopics.net as your default start page. They provide an overview of headlines from different political perspectives across the journalistic landscape.8 read books. Be informed
There is some literature on the subject of filter bubbles and echo chambers, for example:Jaron Lanier: ‘Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now’,
Katherine Ormerod: ‘Why Social Media is Ruining Your Life’,
Eli Pariser: ‘Filter Bubble’.
9 make informed decisions
Filter bubbles make decisions for us by automatically playing the next video, giving reading suggestions or making purchase recommendations. Become aware of this. Decide for yourself.10 withdraw from the web
The most radical solution would be to completely withdraw from the web. You could try giving up social media that you consume on a daily basis, for one week and see how your views and opinions develop during that time. You might consume differently afterwards and value conversations and meetings more.
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