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

Android:
Settings → Google → Ads → Select „Opt out of Ads“

iOS:
Settings → Privacy → Advertising → Enable „Limit Ad Tracking“.

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/history

4 clear your browsing history regularly

Safari → History → Clear History

Chrome → three-dot menu → History → Browsing History → Clear Browsing Data

Firefox → Settings → Privacy → History → Clear Recent History

Microsoft Edge → three-dot menu → History → Clear Browsing Data

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 Instagram, Snapchat or other 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.