Social Media can trap you in a never-ending YOU-loop ….

Welcome to my new series of mini blogs, inspired by some of my favourite business books/authors.

SOCIAL MEDIA CAN TRAP YOU IN A NEVER-ENDING YOU-LOOP…

You can get stuck in a static, ever-narrowing version of yourself (a filter bubble) if you are unaware of the way in which the internet filters your search information.
The internet is hiding a lot from you because it guesses what you want to see. Google has 57 signals to work out what they think you want to see, which means that your computer could be becoming a one-way mirror, reflecting your interests and reinforcing your prejudices.
Two similar people searching ‘BP’ on the same day get totally different results – one all about share prices, the other all about environmental isses.
Taken to the nth degree, this means that you may discover no new ideas.
A filter bubble is the unique universe of information for each of us that only we see.
It has three main characteristics:

This can create an endless You-loop
Viewed collectively, this could mean we are, without knowing it, giving ourselves a ‘global lobotomy.’
Once owners of such data have clocked your habits, they can embark on all sorts of ways to exploit them, including ‘behavioural retargeting’, in which the 98% of people who leave retail websites without purchasing are prompted again.
If you’re not paying for something, you’re not the customer – you’re the product being sold.

Inspired by The Filter Bubble, Eli Pariser