Party divides are high and people across the political spectrum are moving towards more extremes. With the adoption of social media & search engines, filter bubbles have become common place. A filter bubble is when a person’s sources of information are filtered towards their views.
They are often created by preference algorithms. These algorithms collect your data and use it to change your feed to match things they believe you will agree with. Search engines, social media, and news aggregators all use these powerful algorithms.
The platforms and people you follow on social media are more likely to have similar views to you and post content that affirms your beliefs. Recommended videos, posts and news stories are built off your preferences through the algorithms. Even search results you receive can be changed to match your beliefs.
We are all in are own bubble.
A 2021 poll revealed that only 29% of Americans trust news overall, and just 44% of them trust the sources they use.
CBS—which statistically is American’s most trusted news source—is still distrusted by over half the country’s population.
Newman, Nic, Richard Fletcher, Anne Schulz, Simge Andi, Craig T. Robertson, Rasmus Kleis Nielsen. 2021. Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2020. Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism
Nielsen Media Research. (2015, July 9). Network TV: Evening News ratings over time by Network. Pew Research Center’s Journalism Project. https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/chart/network-tv-evening-news-ratings-over-time-by-network/
Martin, G. J., & Yurukoglu, A. (2017). Bias in Cable News: Persuasion and Polarization. The American Economic Review, 107(9), 2565–2599. https://www.jstor.org/stable/26527921
