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?
