Search engines through the mycroscope--the building of the Hyperself

It is no news that the information, advertising and recommendations we get on the Internet are specifically catered based on our previous searches and clicks. As Eli Pariser writes in his article "The Filter Bubble: what the Internet is hiding from you," we are increasingly being isolated by a complex mechanism of algorithms that, instead of letting us explore and reach new frontiers of knowledge and opinions using the web, have secluded us in a tight, personalized bubble of constant self-reaffirming. It is as if when we think about anything or opine on an issue, the Internet immediately finds people who would agree with us, both building up our egos and, at times, our misconceptions about life and the world.

In a virtual world of apparent infinite information and opinions, we are "cared for" by search engines that do not want us to get "mad" by encountering contradiction in the web. (Sarcasm alert: They truly care for our well being).

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As I see it, this has tremendous implications, some of which Pariser addresses on his article. Internet providers have made us feel bigger, more important, while at the same time reducing us to a set of encrypted data longed for by advertisers and companies. We are both a hyperself (by that I mean a hyperlocal self, consistently reaffirmed by online publicity and fed with exactly what we usually want) and a new commodity, our information sold to the best bidder.

In many cases, Pariser's article was eye-opening.

Leaving aside the fact that our tastes are advertised to and bough by corporations that try to captivate us, the consequences of this maximization of the importance of our most menial thoughts and searches have for democracy, society and ultimately the world, are indeed worrisome.

It is preoccupying that we no longer have to even think what we want to type--Google know what we want and it'll give it to us. In our quest for having infinite options to choose from, we are left with only a few, all of which are what we wanted--not necessarily needed--to read, see or hear.

We vehemently and irremediably becoming isolated, immersed in this pool of homogeneous thinking and consistent advertising, creating a seeming "hyper locality"that endangers our capacity to look beyond ourselves and our surroundings. Something the world is in desperate need. This hyperlocal self is an ultimate detriment to the collective society, as bonds between different groups wane and differences are heightened. At the end we are exposed to only one way of thinking--ours. 

One of the main problems with this is that, if we only get one side of everything, our capacity to make informed decisions is ultimately determined by what we are getting, not by critical thinking or an accurate examination of ALL facts available. Without perhaps intending it, Google --and other search engines and Web sites that have as ultimate goal to cater to our preferences and give us what we want before we even know what that is--end up acting to the detriment of humanity and society at large.

I have always been an advocate of critical thinking, of doing the research and thinking "on my own." As an aspiring journalist I have a particular sensibility to getting to know both sides before making a decision or judgement. Bottom line, as much as Google is convenient, I cannot help but think how many opinions are formed, or mis-formed, by a narrow, specific information the Internet gives us. I cannot help but think about all the thinks I may be missing just because algorithms do not think them relevant to my life or my mentality. 

Anthropologists, psychologists and sociologists (among others) have for long tried to understand what molds our personalities and perceptions of self and the world. If culture, environment, kinship were themes in past decades, the Internet and its algorithms should probably be considered the ultimate "shaper" in the modern world.

Esther Daniela Castillejo