DevPolitics

Online "Filter Bubbles" and Development

"A squirrel dying in front of your house may be more relevant to your interests right now then people dying in Africa." -Mark Zukerberg, the founder of Facebook

This is the opening quote of Eli Pariser's talk at the most recent TED conference, in which describes how internet powerhouses like Google and Facebook incorporate every individual's demographic data and click-throughs into their search results and newfeed content. This means that every person's news is personalized to their tastes and views, creating what Pariser calls the "filter bubble." So if someone wants to read about squirrels or Lady Gaga or the royal wedding more than they want to read about starvation or Malaria or rainforests, that is exactly what they will get. 

In a recent class debate about Niger, one reason cited for the lack of media coverage covering their crises is their lack of resources to attract attention. However, Pariser's assertion could provide another layer of understanding to the general invisibility of Niger in the global media. Invisibility of famines in Niger, among many other development crises, may also be attributed to the lack of interested media consumers. If audiences generally don't want to hear about such things, these items will disappear from their results and feeds without them even being consciously aware of it. 

So as future change-makers, in thinking ahead about how such a dilemma could be remedied, I ask you this: What should we try to change first, the interests of the audiences in the developed world or the methods by which search results are 'filtered'? 

Revolution 2.0

According to a recent video news clip on CNN.com, social media plays a crucial role in the protests in Yemen, despite the fact that in the country "few have access to the internet and 45% of adults are illiterate." As an estimated two-thirds of the country's population is under 30-years-old, it makes sense that the social media trends among youth, like the use of Facebook pages, can play as large a role as it has in the protests. This isn't unique to Yemen, as Egyptian youth among also relied heavily upon social media in the recent coup d'etat. 

All the interviews and protest footage point to the very transparent point of view of the reporter that social media is changing the nature of the revolution in Yemen and of revolutions in general. The opening protest footage shows the reporter flanked by protesters holding signs that mostly include the word "Facebook" somewhere in its language. One interview is with one of the best-known Twitter user in Yemen, a woman named Atiaf Alwazir, who shares country news items via tweets. While Twitter and Facebook "do not create revolutions" they are "great tools" for mobilization, Alwazie shares. Another interview is with a senior ruling party official, Mohammed Abulahoum, who extols the virtues of social media in putting the power of decisions on the ground and not simply the small rooms of select people.

While I don't doubt that social media is in fact changing the way uprisings are organized, and perhaps even the magnitude of their impact, as in much of development no one thing in particular can be a panacea. The contrast of the large role of technology in a country that is one of the poorest in the Arab region is an appealing one, no doubt, but the contrast may have pushed the piece in the direction of exaggeration. While this makes good news, social media is only as strong as its users, thereby begging the question; would the Yemenite protests be much different were it not for Facebook? There are no answers as of yet, but this news clip should have included some variation of this question at some point. 

Grameen Bank

I have heard Dr. Muhammad Yunus speak a few times, and each time I am inspired by the seemingly simple methods he uses to make a difference. I recently watched another webcast of his. The Nobel Peace Prize winning Grameen Bank methods have continuously stood out to me as a leader in development projects. Most notably, Yunus, recognizes the importance of women in escaping the grasps of the poverty trap. As Ester Boserup describes through the ‘feminization of poverty’ phenomenon (Woman’s Role in Economic Development) and as Grameen Bank exemplifies, in order to reach the poorest of the poor and make a difference, we must reach out to women. There have been 9.34 million borrowers since Grameen’s founding. 94 percent of borrowers are women, which is encouraged by Grameen. It is no coincidence that consequently the loan recovery rate is an impressive 98.15 percent and most importantly, that 65 percent of clients have crossed the poverty line (Yunus. "The Grameen Bank." 192.) Organizations like this show that a “differential impact of development efforts on women and men” (McSweeney) may be necessary to achieve promising results.