Here are some example responses:

How did Pariser first notice filter bubbles?

Pariser first noticed filter bubbles when he saw that his conservative friends' posts were disappearing from his social media feed. He realized that Facebook was "editing out" their feeds, based on his greater interaction with the links of his liberal friends' feeds.

Pariser talks about "information vegetables" and "information dessert." What does he mean?

Pariser compares unhealthy food to unhealthy information. "Information dessert" refers to entertainment or pop culture content that may be fun but not essential versus "information vegetables," which refers to news and actual important things going on in our communities and the world. He claims that algorithms can throw this off-balance, serving up too much "information junk food" to people in filter bubbles rather than a balanced diet of information. It's important to have a balanced diet of information so we are introduced to a variety of ideas and perspectives that help us to be educated and informed about the world.

What does Pariser mean when he says we've moved from human gatekeepers to algorithmic gatekeepers on controlling the flow of information? Why is this a problem?

Previously with news stories and journalism, there were human gatekeepers of information. But now computer algorithms are gatekeepers of information, and they decide what we get to see and what we don't get to see. Algorithms can't make ethical decisions like humans do, and they don't "show us things that are uncomfortable or challenging or important." This is a problem because if we aren't exposed to a variety of perspectives and ideas, our society will suffer. A healthy democracy relies on a free flow of ideas.

What does Pariser call on tech platforms like Google and Facebook to do?

He calls on tech companies to "make sure algorithms have encoded in them a sense of the public life, a sense of civic responsibility." He calls on companies to give users more control over the information they receive.

Choose a social media, gaming, or other platform you use regularly (Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, etc.). Review your feed and identify what content you think might be part of your filter bubble (i.e., content where your friends and others might not see the same thing).

Take screenshots of at least three examples, and arrange them in an image with “you” at the center using a Google Slide, Padlet, or VoiceThread. Explain in the drawing why you think the pieces of content are part of your filter bubble.

Share your examples with a friend, partner or family member, and invite them to comment, noting what they observe about each example.