[News Terms] The 'Filter Bubble' That Leads to Biased Information Intake

Providing Only Content That Matches Preferences... Threatening Diversity
Difficult to Make Correct Judgments Due to 'Confirmation Bias'

'Filter Bubble' refers to the phenomenon where internet information providers such as Google, Amazon.com, and Facebook deliver filtered information tailored to users, causing users to be exposed only to filtered information. As a result, even when searching for the same word, different information appears on the screen depending on the user.

The term was first used in 2011 by Eli Pariser, chairperson of the American political participation civic group 'MoveOn', in his book The Filter Bubble. Internet information providers collect and analyze data such as users' personal tendencies, interests, usage patterns, and search histories to select and provide information to be displayed.

Conservative-leaning YouTubers filming.
Photo by Moon Ho-nam

For example, progressive-leaning individuals are mainly shown content with progressive viewpoints, while conservative-leaning individuals are mainly shown content with conservative viewpoints. Because of this, people only see news and information they want to see, which deepens stereotypes and biases in political and social issues. Ultimately, communication with people who have different tendencies is naturally excluded, and the diversity, which is the core of democracy, is threatened.

Recently, as social networking services (SNS) have begun to replace traditional media, polarized political YouTube channels have become a problem. Especially ahead of the April elections, there are concerns that users trapped in filter bubbles accept biased content without criticism, exacerbating political and social divisions.

According to the results of the '2023 Filter Bubble Survey' conducted on the 31st by Embrain Trend Monitor targeting 1,000 adult men and women aged 19 to 59 nationwide, the rejection of political views and information opposing one's own is increasing.

Among all respondents, those who seek out opposing information or news for balance decreased from 25.8% in 2021 to 17.8% in 2023. Only 13.1% deliberately searched for YouTube broadcasts with different political leanings. In contrast, supporters of both progressive and conservative sides believed their political knowledge level was high (progressive 43.8%, conservative 40%), about three times higher than the politically neutral group (15.1%).

Conservative-leaning YouTubers broadcasting live.
Photo by Moon Ho-nam

The tendency to avoid debates when meeting people with opposing political views both online and offline has intensified. Those who say they express their opinions even a little decreased from 25.8% online in 2021 to 20.2% in 2023, and offline from 27.2% to 21.7%. Those who avoid conversations altogether increased from 11.4% to 14.7% online, and from 9.7% to 13.8% offline. Overall, society has become structured in a way that makes it difficult to escape filter bubbles once trapped.

When the majority of the public is exposed to the online media environment, being trapped in a filter bubble leads to 'confirmation bias,' where people believe only what they want to believe and see only what they want to see. If 'fake news,' which is widespread in the current media environment, is delivered to users through filter bubbles, confirmation bias worsens, making it impossible to make correct judgments.

In the United States, numerous filter bubble regulation bills have been proposed to provide users with the option to escape filter bubbles by not being subject to algorithmic application.

Professor Seoldong Hoon of the Sociology Department at Jeonbuk National University pointed out the problems of political YouTube channels, stating, "They can cloud the judgment of teenagers and the elderly, and in severe cases, instill a misguided sense of mission that someone must be eliminated." He added, "Ultimately, extreme content is created to make money, and it is time for social regulation. We need to prepare filter bubble regulation bills."