The Filter Bubble

What the Internet Is Hiding from You

By: Eli Pariser

Narrated by: Kirby Heyborne

In December 2009, Google began customizing its search results for each user. Instead of giving you the most broadly popular result, Google now tries to predict what you are most likely to click on. According to MoveOn.org board president Eli Pariser, Google's change in policy is symptomatic of the most significant shift to take place on the Web in recent years: the rise of personalization. In this groundbreaking investigation of the new hidden Web, Pariser uncovers how this growing trend threatens to control how we consume and share information as a society - and reveals what we can do about it.

Though the phenomenon has gone largely undetected until now, personalized filters are sweeping the Web, creating individual universes of information for each of us. Facebook - the primary news source for an increasing number of Americans - prioritizes the links it believes will appeal to you so that if you are a liberal, you can expect to see only progressive links. Even an old-media bastion like The Washington Post devotes the top of its home page to a news feed with the links your Facebook friends are sharing. Behind the scenes, a burgeoning industry of data companies is tracking your personal information to sell to advertisers, from your political leanings to the color you painted your living room to the hiking boots you just browsed on Zappos.

In a personalized world, we will increasingly be typed and fed only news that is pleasant, familiar, and confirms our beliefs - and because these filters are invisible, we won't know what is being hidden from us. Our past interests will determine what we are exposed to in the future, leaving less room for the unexpected encounters that spark creativity, innovation, and the democratic exchange of ideas. While we all worry that the Internet is eroding privacy or shrinking our attention spans, Pariser uncovers a more pernicious and far-reaching trend and shows how we can - and must - change course.

©2011 Eli Pariser (P)2011 Tantor

Illuminating primer onthe power weilded by BigTech

A worthwhile read for anyone who regularly uses modern internet tools and services. This book shows just how much we truly are the product as tech companies mine, slice and dice our data in order to target advertising and our thoughts themselves. It is an interesting tradeoff that we should all actively consider as we enjoy these "free" utilities.

Well Worth a Listen

Would you listen to The Filter Bubble again? Why?

This was one of those books you end up talking about with everyone you know. This should be mandatory reading for everyone who uses the Internet.

What other book might you compare The Filter Bubble to and why?

The Shallows

must read.

everyone should read or listen to this one. these seven words are completely useless filler.

A Horror Story for all.

What made the experience of listening to The Filter Bubble the most enjoyable?

Perhaps enjoyable is not the word so much as shocking but the material was well researched and therefore was hard to pause for any length of time. Even as a bit of a geek, there was much information that surprised me. The extent of internet information collection and usage as described in this story scares me more than a nuclear warhead in Iran! It even makes me worry more about the next generation and how little it would take for the wrong people to get their hands on the power of this information for bad purposes. The suggestions for solutions seem lame and difficult to assure.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

In my opinion, there are very few performers who can read these non-fiction titles super effectively. The average reader tends to sound less than excited or perhaps the rehearsal time is shortened which leads to gentle ennui.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Even without paranoia, this book can make the world scary.

Any additional comments?

I enjoyed learning all that was in this book as well as the potential solutions. It is another book that I feel should be mandatory reading at some level in the educational system.

How you unwittingly manipulate your experience.

The narrator speaks a little slow at 1x speed, and he doesn't convey much emotion in his performance (Although that could be intentional, and isn't necessarily a bad thing). Listening to this should be required before you begin using the modern internet.

Problem Well Presented

Eli presents the problem of the Filter Bubble and how it affects many if not all aspects of our lives and how the future will be changed due to our current filters. However he doesn't seem to spend as much time solving the problem. That is left up to the reader/listener.

If you're concerned about your privacy...

you need to read or listen to this book. No matter your political persuasion (Eli Parser is associated with MoveOn), you owe it to yourself to find out what the internet (and the large information gatherers) are hiding from you and how you can protect yourself. The concept of personalizing our information and eventually using it to control the behavior of people without their knowledge is very frightening. To think that companies and governments will NOT use it to their advantage is extremely naive. To deny the possibility is to bury your head in the sand. The technology is out there already...this is not science fiction...and it's not going away unless we all take action to protect the little privacy that we still have.

The content of this book is spot on and the reader does an excellent job with the material. I'm giving it the highest ratings and I'll not only recommend to my friends and acquaintances, I'll give copies every chance I get.

Good job, Eli and Kirby! Good job Audible for making it available!

articulate & accurate

must read for anyone in the data analysis or cybersecurity fields. Well researched, philosophical and practical, an impressive book with a nuanced message.

Excellent

This is a must have book. It examines and details the inner workings of social media, commercial sites, search engines, etc. and their upcoming (or already existing) negative impact on as wells as take over of our societies.

Informative and very interesting

We've all heard the expression, if your getting something for free then you aren't the customer, you're product. This book was well written and kept me interested from beginning to end. I highly recommend it!