The analyzed article is devoted to the concept of social media reinforcement bubbles. The author states that they emerge because of two factors, such as our activity, interests, and solutions made when using the platform, and social media algorithms that filter the reality and provide content that will be appreciated by the user. Although such bubbles help to increase our comfort, they might promote the emergence of several problems that should be resolved. For this reason, users should be ready to burst their bubbles to acquire more accurate information.
Speaking about the first major point of the article, the mechanisms of reinforcement bubbles’ emergence is clear. The author describes how a person clicks “unfriend” to avoid information from a person who has different views, and, moreover, mechanisms existing in every social media start to provide only interesting content using the history of such decisions (Gould, 2019). Giant corporations such as Google, Facebook, and Twitter use algorithms that continuously evolve and remain secret with the prior goal to create such bubbles (Gould, 2019). They will guarantee that a person will remain satisfied using these platforms and return. However, the problems linked to this phenomenon include decreased empathy for others, inability to have authentic communication, and false vision about the prevalence of ideas a person finds attractive for him/her. That is why another point of the article introduces the importance of managing such bubbles. For instance, a person can adjust existing filters, do not delete friends who post information different from facts he/she traditionally likes, and attend local debates to acquire the latest information on some issues (Gould, 2019). In such a way, social media reinforcement bubbles become an integral part of everyday Internet activity, and it is vital to manage them effectively.
Reference
Gould, W. (2019). Are you in a social media bubble? Here’s how to tell. NBC News. Web.