Browse Definitions :
Definition

filter bubble

A filter bubble is an algorithmic bias that skews or limits the information an individual user sees on the internet. The bias is caused by the weighted algorithms that search engines, social media sites and marketers use to personalize user experience (UX).

The goal of personalization is to present the end user with the most relevant information possible, but it can also cause a distorted view of reality because it prioritizes information the individual has already expressed interest in. The data used to personalize user experience and create an insulating bubble comes from many sources, including the user’s search history, browsing choices and previous interaction with web pages.

Filter bubbles, which affect an individual's online advertisements, social media newsfeeds and web searches, essentially insulate the person from outside influences and reinforce what the individual already thinks. The word bubble, in this context, is a synonym for isolation; its context comes from a medical device called the isolator, a plastic bubble that was infamously used to sequester a young patient with immunodeficiencies in the 1970s.

Default settings are convenient, but they can also skew an individual's perception of what information the rest of the world sees. It is recommended that users periodically review the privacy and personalized search settings of the browsers and social media websites they use to prevent query results from becoming unnecessarily discriminatory and newsfeeds from being weaponized.

The term filter bubble is often credited to Eli Pariser, whose 2011 book urged companies to become more transparent about their filtering practices. Watch Eli Pariser's TED talk, "Beware online filter bubbles."

This was last updated in January 2018

Continue Reading About filter bubble

Networking
  • CSU/DSU (Channel Service Unit/Data Service Unit)

    A CSU/DSU (Channel Service Unit/Data Service Unit) is a hardware device about the size of a modem. It converts a digital data ...

  • data streaming

    Data streaming is the continuous transfer of data from one or more sources at a steady, high speed for processing into specific ...

  • secure access service edge (SASE)

    Secure access service edge, also known as SASE and pronounced sassy, is a cloud architecture model that bundles network and ...

Security
CIO
HRSoftware
  • recruitment process outsourcing (RPO)

    Recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) is when an employer turns the responsibility of finding potential job candidates over to a ...

  • human resources (HR) generalist

    A human resources generalist is an HR professional who handles the daily responsibilities of talent management, employee ...

  • employee lifecycle

    The employee lifecycle is a human resources model that identifies the different stages a worker advances through in an ...

Customer Experience
  • Adobe Experience Platform

    Adobe Experience Platform is a suite of customer experience management (CXM) solutions from Adobe.

  • virtual assistant (AI assistant)

    A virtual assistant, also called an AI assistant or digital assistant, is an application program that understands natural ...

  • inbound marketing

    Inbound marketing is a strategy that focuses on attracting customers, or leads, via company-created internet content, thereby ...

Close