Our Inner Id’s of the Filter Bubble

After reflecting on Eli Pariser’s TED Talk on the Filter Bubble, I find that a part of his speech resonates with the majority of America and how we are a land of Freudian Id’s, or impulsive, pleasure-seeking beings. Fast food in today’s time is a commonplace form of eating cheap. It is so widespread that I would argue that there are more fast food chains than there are some of the most critically endangered species on this planet. This notion of widespread consumerism bridges back to Pariser’s idea of “information junk food” by result of the filter bubble’s sifting. The bubble that we find ourselves in feeds the impulses of our Id and because we are accustomed to fast and comfortable sustenance, we feel the urge to continue searching for it.

On another note, Eli Pariser mentions in his TED Talk that within Netflix there is a constant struggle occurring between our “impulsive present selves” and our “future aspirational selves.” This struggle provides us a different reflection point about the American spirit and our “Land of Opportunities.” The majority of Americans grow up with aspirations of great deeds and parents often support those aspirations by affirming what the country and the constitution provide in order for us to accomplish that goal. This is not to say that they are wrong in supporting their children, but sometimes events happen with the passing of time that turn us away from those high aspirations. Perhaps that turning away comes as a result of the filter bubble and the mass consumerism that we envelop ourselves in. Reaching for high aspirations and then attaining them is an arduous and uncomfortable task that many in the beginning are willing to undertake; however, becoming stuck in our own bubbles lends us to more commodities that render all manners of living comfortable. Because of this, the Id appears from the background of our minds and pushes us towards a more accommodating mode of living in which, much like the filter bubble, we become desensitized and oblivious to all of our aspirations and issues that gnaw at the back of our head.

Many of us would like to see the filter bubble “popped” and done away with, but with ever changing technology, that goal becomes more and more difficult to attain. There are other solutions that provide us with pathways to combat this filtering. One way to fix our issues is to muster enough courage to step outside of our bubbles and actively seek and follow the opposing viewpoints that make us uncomfortable. Of course, in a way we run the risk of catching ourselves within another filter bubble, but at least now we can view different arguments. Another way of combating the filter is to go out and become an active American citizen. Commonplace activities such as voting, protesting, and attending campaign rallies are the true ways to fight a filter bubble because by participating in these informative events, there is no tangible way for the filter bubbles of the World Wide Web to reach us.

Convincing the general population to rise to the occasion is a difficult task. The majority of people would probably rather stay in a world of comfort controlled and fed by the Id, but if enough of a following amasses, then the general idea of a snowball effect occurs. If we try to convince people to go out and change the world, most would be scared off by the daunting reality of it all. However, if we tell people to go out and change their community and what affects them as a person, then perhaps citizens might be more willing to act.