TED: Eli Pariser The Filter Bubble

A short but interesting talk about the filter bubble problem. We will keep seeing what we like, not what is important to us. We don't get to see the edit out, and we can't get to know what we don't know. Think of this as an office setting, nobody want to deliver the bad but important news to the boss.

But what is the solution? One should make it a rule to select random things to read every each period of time? Add one stranger friend every month or so?

This result won't be filter out, but we will have a lot of noise.

We should get important result that is un-filtered. Then the question lies on, how to you define what is important? If you think of it, my running list of possible assumption of what importance consist of:

1. What you like. Define as your past preference.
2. What is most popular. Define as the most viewed, or the most mailed article.
3. The probability that the event is going to affect you. Define by language you are using, and the location where you are.

And after this list, I find an interesting fact: all this metrics are already built in to the current algorithm. And if we consider that the engineers of search engine have done their work, so should it be already built-in. So either there is something else in the def. of importance.

If  I phase the problem in another way. Assuming that I am head of office at Microsoft, all my colleague are senior people who have very similar mindset than mine. My junior internet is writing to me, to tell me the importance of internet. My problem will be: how can I know that this memo is important?

If I can constantly advice my future self, asking him about what I wished I know now. How can I replicate this process?

Somehow I feel this problem is related to what Kevin Kelly post about why young people know how to use the internet:

The Web is being run by 20-year-olds because they can afford to waste the 56 hours it takes to become proficient explorers. While 45-year-old boomers can't take a vacation without thinking how they'll justify the trip as being productive in some sense, the young can follow hunches and create seemingly mindless novelties on the web without worrying about whether they are being efficient. Out of these inefficient tinkerings will come the future.

Alternative:

1. Finding people/friend who strongly disagree with you; offer you an alternative view of things. 
2. A filter with good content that only feed you with vegetable, but not garbage. 
3. People that you admired.
4. People who risk something to tell you this message. People who strongly disagree with you. People that are willing to bet on it. People who put their name on it.
5. Follow industry/society early adopter, defined as elite, or young people. 

Possible action item.

1. Join other people's activity. 
2. Take advice from 10 un-related people about major decision.
3. Keep a very vast network of friend.