Because this is Friday the 13th and as a followup to my Wednesday post, I thought I post a short one about something a fellow blogger mentioned in the comments’ section. It piqued my curiosity about a book she referred to, The Filter Bubble. I Googled it.
I don’t know anything about algorithms nor do I understand any of that Matrix kind of stuff other than watching those movies because well, my brain works this way:
Now you can decide if you want to take the blue pill or the red pill. Bawahahaaaaa!
Cue creepy Twilight Zone music.
Here’s a rabbit’s foot and a four leaf clover.
Should you decide to watch the video below from Ted.com (which btw, this site has lots of cool videos, fun, inspiring and serious) and you have nine minutes — take a look. It’s interesting, but really every time we use those customer-loyalty cards, it’s been happening for a quite some time anyway. I remember seeing a television program that reported eventually when you enter a store, they’ll be screens that show you what you like, based on information. (Think The Matrix, Minority Report and Total Recall).
Happy Googling and Friday the 13th!
(Disclaimer: This post is to invite lively discussion and not to be taken too seriously because much of the time I don’t know what I’m talking about anyway.) 🙂
Brigitte's Banter 
My right and left brain are in a constant battle with each other. It can be quite tiring. 🙂
Posted by Carrie Rubin | July 13, 2012, 11:12 amObviously, from this post, I suffer from the same affliction. :D. Thanks, Carrie.
Posted by Brigitte | July 13, 2012, 11:14 amSpooky. That lecture is eye opening. It’s so subtle and insidious. I’d hate to think of living in a bubble “protected” from diversity.
Cool post.
Posted by A Gripping Life | July 13, 2012, 11:39 amYeah, I stumbled across it, but there’s other funny videos on the site too. Hollywood’s been taking this kind of theory on for years in countless movies and television programs. Thanks, Grippy.
Posted by Brigitte | July 13, 2012, 11:41 amI love Ted Talks! They are always so interesting.
Posted by The Waiting | July 13, 2012, 11:45 amYeah, there’s one about how people being followers and leaders that’s hilarious. Thanks, Emily.
Posted by Brigitte | July 13, 2012, 11:47 amWhere do I get the blue pill???? I mean the red pill!!!! Oh too many choices….. 😉
Posted by dianasschwenk | July 13, 2012, 11:58 amI forget which one makes life all nice and pretty….thanks, D.
Posted by Brigitte | July 13, 2012, 11:59 amI feel like the “algorithmic gatekeepers” are terrifying, but not quite terrifying enough. Like, if we think about them, we can all agree that they are a bad thing, that our being exposed only to that which we’ve already shown interest in cannot be good for our development as a compassionate society; and yet, we’re so anesthetized by the easy access to enjoyable, ‘dessert’ media is keeping us from becoming riled up enough to do anything about it.
Posted by Kathy V. | July 13, 2012, 12:35 pmI think you’ve have defined it perfectly, Kathy. As long as the guys in the suits and sunglasses don’t show up, I think we’re good. 😉 Thanks for the comment — you nailed it way better than I did.
Posted by Brigitte | July 13, 2012, 12:40 pmWell, you wanted lively discussion, so I put on my thinking cap. For you. But now my right brain is annoyed at being ignored, and just wants me to start yelling “POOP” at everyone. There might be a bit of an imbalance in that side …
Posted by Kathy V. | July 13, 2012, 12:48 pmI like your right brain and mine screams Poop right back. :D. Although I love the lively discussion your left brain shouted as well.
Posted by Brigitte | July 13, 2012, 12:53 pmI’m not good at brief comments, especially when there is so much I want to say about a post. I will try to be concise.
First – This post is amazing. I can’t believe I did not realize it was Friday the 13th. I did a post in January on a Friday 13th and stayed up until the wee hours of the morning putting together a goofy video montage to Stevie Wonder’s Superstitions with a lot of photos from my Thailand trip.
Second – Ted Talks are great. The one in your post today is particularly interesting to me. 1) This is one reason I chose to remove myself from Facebook and 2) because just yesterday I wrote about my own filtration system for information. It takes quite a lot of time to find enough relevant info to educate myself on topics which I want to write. Being credible is important to me and even though I write a lot from my own experience, I don’t know everything.
Great post Brigitte.
Posted by Honie Briggs | July 13, 2012, 12:40 pmThanks, Honie! I’ve never been on Facebook and I’m not interesting enough to tweet about anything. You know when you research stuff as a writer — what if one of your characters is a vile person and you do research on this or that? I guess we do still have the option of going to the library, but it’s so much easier just to Google…..
Posted by Brigitte | July 13, 2012, 12:55 pmI know what you mean. Data miners! Creepy and irritating. omg that emoticon is gonna get dizzy. : )
Posted by Honie Briggs | July 13, 2012, 12:59 pmWHAT— you guess we still have the option of going to the library…ohhhh no. Sigh… oh dear ladies. Your local library has a ton of of authoritative reference material online..all you need is your library card number. Ok enough of my soap box. Dear Brigitte you always manage to get our thinking caps on and I do love you for that. I personally would love a purple pill but I guess it does not work that even steven?
Egads.. google? at least please try google scholar
love your local librarian please 🙂
Posted by unfetteredbs | July 13, 2012, 6:26 pmAudra, I go to the library ALL the time. Always have, always will. It has saved my sanity more than a few times, trust me. A purple pill sounds great to me. And, I will…Google scholar from now on. Hope you read my disclaimer: I like to get people thinking, but again I don’t always know what I’m talking about, so thank you and have a lovely Friday the 13th. 😀
Posted by Brigitte | July 13, 2012, 6:36 pmYou know what you are talking about… sorry if I sounded testy I certainly did not mean too 🙂
I love your posts.. and you always get me thinking.
Posted by unfetteredbs | July 13, 2012, 6:37 pmYou didn’t sound testy!! You’re one of the kindest souls out there….I did not take it that way at all!! And right back at you, friend and I mean that.
Posted by Brigitte | July 13, 2012, 6:42 pmwell awwwlright.. never want to dis’ the Queen of Kindness
Posted by unfetteredbs | July 13, 2012, 6:48 pmps I think I need a chill pill… sorry dear Brigitte
Posted by unfetteredbs | July 13, 2012, 6:38 pmYou do not need a chill pill. Rant, rave — you are safe here — always and always, always welcome. 😀
Posted by Brigitte | July 13, 2012, 6:43 pmnaa sometimes I do need a chill pill …just ask my husband –ha
Posted by unfetteredbs | July 13, 2012, 6:49 pmI find the whole “customized consumer experience” thing to be pretty horrifying. I understand retailers wanting to get more business, but it’s all becoming wayyyy too Orwellian for my tastes. I want them to mind their own beeswax!
I always thought I was very right brained, but I took these tests a few years ago (not the wacky Internet kind) and each of them determined that my right and left brain traits are about equally active. I thought that was odd.
Posted by Madame Weebles | July 13, 2012, 4:51 pmYep, I agree but I think that genie’s already out of the bottle. I’ve thought the same thing about myself — more right-brained because I seem to gravitate towards more “creative” type things. Loved English, Literature, painting — all that ever since I was a little girl, but I’ve had to use my analytical and logical skills more than a few times, so I guess that area is working okay too. :). Thanks, M.
Posted by Brigitte | July 13, 2012, 5:20 pmMy right ear is bruised from dragging it on the ground. I’m not sure I even have a left side of the brain, except when it comes to correcting my husband.
Posted by reptilesintheicecream | July 13, 2012, 5:58 pmHa! I understand completely. Thanks Rep. 🙂
Posted by Brigitte | July 13, 2012, 6:00 pmlaughing…good one
Posted by unfetteredbs | July 13, 2012, 6:28 pmI’ve got a good mix of left-right brain, but it seems to be spotty. Language is a function of the left-brain apparently, and while I speak English ‘real good’, I’ve never had a lot of success picking up other languages. Although people are often going to be inclined one way or the other, we tend to forget that, with effort, we can often overcome our supposed predispositions.
Posted by Smaktakula | July 13, 2012, 8:18 pmI agree, Smak. I think you do speak English real good. :). And we all use both parts but seriously I HATED geometry and algebra. boo. I excelled at English, History, Literature and Biology. Not so much the math stuff. Guess that makes me a girl, huh? (I’M KIDDING, PLEASE I’M KIDDING.) 😀
Posted by Brigitte | July 13, 2012, 8:28 pmWhat I find creepy – and at the same time fascinating – is the ads that pop up in my gmail account. They aren’t just tracking which sites we go to; they’re tracking the text of our messages. I agree that it’s Orwellian, and soon I’m going to switch the filters off, but it’s always interesting to me to see what ads pop up on any given day. My digital footprint, it appears, is getting larger and larger.
Posted by Sally at Shine | July 13, 2012, 11:04 pmI didn’t even know that….that is fascinating and creepy. That’s why I included the creepy Twilight Zone music. :). Digital footprint, that’s cool (and creepy).
Posted by Brigitte | July 14, 2012, 10:26 amBrigitte,
These diagrams of brains never apply to Le Clown as he has a left and a right one, of course… but also a middle one, which is inbetween the left and the right one.
Le Clown
PS: I’ll take the red pill, please, even if I’m sure the blue-flavoured pill tastes better,
Posted by clownonfire | July 14, 2012, 8:05 amThat must be the part where all the magnificence STEMS from. Le Clown, you ARE a pill.
Posted by Brigitte | July 14, 2012, 10:34 amBrigitte,
I might quote you on that one…
Le Clown
Posted by clownonfire | July 14, 2012, 11:04 amWow. Thanks for posting that really powerful video. Been noticing that lately and couldn’t agree more.
Posted by finally_write | July 14, 2012, 1:13 pmThanks, Sue. Love Ted talks.
Posted by Brigitte | July 14, 2012, 1:15 pmIt’s hard for me to tell my left from my right, so I just try to use the whole darn thing! And, I do my best to thwart the data miners! Nothing puts my knee-to-the-groin reflex in gear faster than someone (or some thing) telling me what I should be choosing! Thanks, Brigitte. I think a lot about stuff I know nothing about…it can be enlightening! xoM
Posted by Margarita | July 14, 2012, 1:19 pmI know what you mean. Some days are better than others. :). You’re most welcome, Margarita and yes, I suffer from the same — glad to know I’ve “enlightened” you a bit. Thanks, friend.
Posted by Brigitte | July 14, 2012, 1:32 pmInteresting post! I don’t want to be filtered! on the other hand Thank-you for making my filter more diverse 😉
Posted by alittlepieceofh | July 14, 2012, 3:57 pmHi and welcome! So nice of you to stop by and comment and I visited your blog (very lovely and positive and love your picture!!) so I’ll say the same thank you for the very same thing. :).
Posted by Brigitte | July 14, 2012, 4:34 pmThe problem with the profiles is they are built without context and connection – and if you are person like me that deletes and recreates data caches on multiple devices the profile becomes corrupted. Perhaps I am corrupted.
Currently Google Profiles think that I am 35 years old single mother of 3 children living in a country home. And that I need more diapers. All of that would be wrong. 🙂
Posted by merlinspielen | July 25, 2012, 5:21 pmMerlin, I have no idea what you just said, but I believe you. And seriously, what’s wrong with a single mom of three living in a country home? 😀
Posted by Brigitte | July 25, 2012, 5:23 pm