Thursday, May 26, 2011

The (Potential) Downside of Personalization

This TED Talk by Eli Pariser has recently been making the rounds on Facebook. The talk begins with a discussion of the news feed in Facebook and how Facebook tailors that feed to your preferences, then Pariser quickly moves on to similar examples of personalization of web content by providers like Google, Yahoo! News, Netflix, and Amazon.

At first glance, personalization seems great; and, indeed, there are some tremendous upsides. However, Pariser points out some important downsides. I think this is "must see" viewing for anyone who relies on online research. For older students, I think showing, or at least discussing, Pariser's concerns prior to a research project could lead to some good ol' complex thinking.

What do you think?
How might the information Pariser presents impact your own research? How might you share this information with students?
Posted by Kimberly Allison at 9:21 AM
Labels:

Comments (5)

Loading... Logging you in...
Dashboard | Edit profile | Logout
  • Logged in as
+1 Vote up Vote down
Ben Todd (CH)'s avatar

Ben Todd (CH) · 723 weeks ago

What sticks with me is his quote "there is no standard Google anymore" and his discussion of the 57 different characteristics google uses to personalize a search.

This just reinforces one of the biggest challenges we face with kids and the internet, teaching them to check the validity of their sites they use for information and to find a wide array of sources. This is no easy task. This also might force teachers to use more customized searches, like google provides, so we can make sure the sources they are using are appropirate for the given assignment.
0 Vote up Vote down
Marie A. Page CH's avatar

Marie A. Page CH · 723 weeks ago

I totally agree with Ben's comments that we will need to work harder as teacher to have students check the validity of websites and to use a variety of sources. I think this is a little scary to think that Google uses different characteristics to personalize a search. I want the same information all people get. I thought it was interesting that two people could research the same topic and both could get two different screens of information based on what the search for on Google. Sort of invasive to me.
1 reply · active 720 weeks ago
0 Vote up Vote down
Kimberly's avatar

Kimberly · 720 weeks ago

I think it's importnat to recognize that his main point was not that sights were invalid, but rather that we run the risk of only being exposed to information and perspective we agree with.
0 Vote up Vote down
Hilary Hall (CH)'s avatar

Hilary Hall (CH) · 723 weeks ago

I actually noticed that results were being personalized when I was explaining to a friend which website I used based on its appearance on my google search results- her third choice was different from my third choice! I not only think it's important information for students to be aware of, but to think about when they are trying to make sure they are getting reputable information (something most already don't really care about). I would like the best option in my search results, whether or not someone else thought I might find it useful.
0 Vote up Vote down
Paul Campbell (CH)'s avatar

Paul Campbell (CH) · 722 weeks ago

Wow, I feel cheated. All this time I felt like I was getting a complete "google" search. I knew some sites did this, but I didn't think search engines did. I think that this makes it harder for teachers and students to conduct proper research. I think that will also reinforce preconceived ideas that the students might have had on a topic because their searches will be catered to the search habits. I agree with Ben and Marie that this should and will increase our work on making sure the students are using a wide array of information when conducting research.

Post a new comment

Comments by

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)