Filter bubbles, how algorithms manipulate our thinking

A filter bubble is an online environment in which algorithms expose people to a content that is based on their interests and behavior. 

Previous interactions with different platforms are used to predict future needs. 

Over time, this personalization becomes more accurate and narrows the stream of content down to the components that are highly relevant to the interests of an individual. 

A person within that filter bubble gets less exposure to information that differs from their current beliefs and opinions.
Filter bubbles helps an individual sift through enormous amounts of information so that he  finds the content that is attractive to him.

Someone who frequently looks for cooking information will receive recipes or restaurant recommendations. 

This saves time and helps users discover data that is hard to fish out from the jumble of information that is Internet.
The issue is that filter bubbles greatly influence how people see and perceive the world. 

If someone is repeatedly exposed to opinions similar to their own, they will assume that those opinions are widely shared and accepted as they will encounter fewer arguments that challenge their beliefs. 

This leads to heavy polarization when people consume political or controversial content that has been personalized through filter bubbles.

They are similar to the echo chamber concept, although the two notions differ a bit. 

An echo chamber exist in a social environment in which people reinforce one another's beliefs, whereas a filter bubble is produced by algorithms that prioritize information based on your past habits. 

The echo chamber and the filter bubble concepts can work in tandem whereby an algorithm repeatedly recommends similar ideas that get reinforced by an online community.

It is essential that we get exposed to a variety of ideas and perspectives by obtaining information from different outlets.

What appears on our screen is not the complete representation of reality. It is heavily governed by the personalization process that is the result of the filter bubble.