Isn't this the antithesis of what the internet is supposed to do for us? How do we keep this filtering from happening? In his recent blog post, Gideon Rosenblatt shared, "When we only follow people who look and think the way we do, we limit our exposure to different types of information. In this way, of course, our online social networks are no different than the physical
world. The failure to surround ourselves with a diverse group of friends and acquaintances narrows our worldview, it filters out our experience of the world."
It is disconcerting to think about being surrounded with only the sources of information that Google calculates are right for me. I would not want to hear only from parents, staff and colleagues who agree with all of my thoughts and ideas. If we are listening solely to those who are simply echoing back what we already think and know, we will never experience the true synergy necessary in order to work together effectively on the challenging issues we are facing in this so-called Age of Information. We need to hear from all of the various voices in order to make the best decisions for our students.
So it makes sense that we need to proactively seek out diversity in our tweets, likes, pins and who we follow. Just as good research looks at questions from multiple perspectives, good online searching and curating should do the same. We have a world of information at our fingertips, but if we are not careful it will be mathematically reduced to the equivalent of sitting alone in a room with one volume of the Encyclopedia Britannica.
The conundrum is that we also need to be careful about what we are putting out into the blogosphere. We have professional reputations to maintain and employer messages to support and deliver. If I retweet an article that provides a well-articulated, thought-provoking, interesting, but perhaps alternative POV about something that is being considered in my district will that be accepted as additional information to the decision-making process or am I creating the perception of not being a team player? Where exactly is that line?
The way we gather and process information is changing so fast and we never seem to have the luxury of taking the time to carefully sort these issues out. Here are some ways that we can perhaps attempt to keep our information stream wide, varied and informed and also use our best professional judgement in the messages we are sending out:
- Provide information to students, parents and staff members about digital citizenship responsibilities and safe practices.
- Broaden our own perspectives; train ourselves to not assume that if someone retweets an article that it means they wholeheartedly support that opinion only.
- State up front that we are actively seeking diverse information. In my Twitter bio, I have recently changed it to state just that. As a leader, I feel that I have an obligation to try to share balanced information whenever possible, but it may not always be the company line.
- Make clear distinctions in organizations about when initiatives are in an information gathering phase and when a decision has been made and it is time as leaders, staff or employees to "sell"or accept and embrace the selected initiative.
- Be generous in our thinking, our practice and in our conversations. We can always leave room for other points of view. It costs us nothing, and we will likely be the better for it.
What other ways have you found to navigate the filter bubble conundrum?
