Carbondale, IL – On June 18th, 2014 software engineer Peter Sussman launched a Kickstarter campaign for dfiltr: an application dedicated to breaking down people’s filter bubbles using the same style of algorithm which build them. dfiltr uses a collaborative filtering algorithm to pair users up with other users who are likely to offer constructive critique of their understanding of the world, and rewards users who change views. This shatters the filter bubble which pervades the Internet today.
What is the Filter Bubble?
Services like Twitter, Google, and Facebook use specialized algorithms to create predictions about what you are likely to find interesting based on your online identity. These algorithms are designed to prioritize information which is relevant to users, however, they do so at the cost of limiting exposure to new ideas. This is the Filter Bubble, and it stunts our ability to grow mind and challenge views.
In February of 2014, Facebook launched a smart phone app called Paper: Paper is a digital newspaper constructed using information gained through monitoring your Facebook activity. While it is one of the most overt examples of a filter bubble, it is far from the first. Google, Bing, and Yahoo have been filtering search results and news in more subtle ways for years. Facebook filters what appears on a user’s wall and Twitter uses a similar formula to suggest new follows. Ebay and Amazon employ filtering algorithms to recommend products. Netflix, Hulu, and Youtube try to predict which videos users will want to watch next. All the while, ad networks follow users from site to site, collecting data to decide what advertisements to show them.
Many have decried the effects of the Filter Bubble. Eli Pariser, founder of Upworthy and MoveOn.org wrote The Filter Bubble: What the Internet Is Hiding from You first bringing the idea to the general public. More recently, Bill Maher dedicated the closing segment of his show, Real Time, to the ultimate implication of the Filter Bubble: a world where almost all new information is filtered out of our bubbles. However, until now there has not been an effective means of addressing the Filter Bubble.
How does dfiltr address the Filter Bubble?
The front page of dfiltr. ~ dfiltr: Pop your Filter Bubble
When users hit the front page they’re given a choice between discussing a completely random topic, restricting the topic to a set of tags, or writing their own.
When using tags, users can supply a + or – at the start of a tag to require or exclude certain tags. For example, this search will select topics about Russia, omit topics about Ukraine, and prioritize topics about economics.
Next, users engage in a discussion about the provided topic. After the discussion, users are asked to give feedback about their partners. They can give deltas, congruences, or flags. These ratings inform the algorithm about who you should be paired with next. Delta’s indicate that the user’s view has been changed, and act as a form of positive feedback for the algorithm. Congruences tell the algorithm that the users began with basically the same views, and acts a negative feedback for the algorithm. Finally, flags are for users who don’t contribute to discussion.
The three user ratings.
Additionally, deltas are stored on the recipient’s profile page. Users can share their delta scores with friends, family, and classmates, as well as check out global high scores. They can view previously held conversations, and give those deltas, allowing for the most insightful discussions to rise to the top of the global stats. Finally, users can earn badges for completing specific tasks, such as awarding someone else a delta, coming up with a good idea for a discussion topic, or finding a bug in our code. All of these features come together to provide an effective means of combating the Filter Bubble: The algorithm does the dirty work, while the game-like elements subvert the human tendency to seek similar views by overpowering it with our need to achieve, advance, and collect.
Kickstarter Rewards
Kickstarter backers will recieve dfiltr+ subscriptions at half what they will cost after the Kickstarter campaign. Additionally, users who pledge $50 or more will recieve a 10 year membership. At higher levels, users are able to provide classrooms and even entire schools with dfiltr+.
Check out the Kickstarter by clicking here and follow the project on Twitter here.
