The Filter Bubble

“Internet firms increasingly show us less of the wide world, locating us in the neighborhood of the familiar. The risk, as Eli Pariser shows, is that each of us may unwittingly come to inhabit a ghetto of one.”

—Clay Shirky, author of Here Comes Everybody and Cognitive Surplus

“‘Personalization’ sounds pretty benign, but Eli Pariser skillfully builds a case that its excess on the Internet will unleash an information calamity—unless we heed his warnings. Top-notch journalism and analysis.”

—Steven Levy, author of In the Plex: How Google Thinks, Works and Shapes Our Lives

“The Internet software that we use is getting smarter, and more tailored to our needs, all the time. The risk, Eli Pariser reveals, is that we increasingly won’t see other perspectives. In The Filter Bubble, he shows us how the trend could reinforce partisan and narrow mindsets, and points the way to a greater online diversity of perspective.”

—Craig Newmark, founder of craigslist

“Eli Pariser has written a must-read book about one of the central issues in contemporary culture: personalization.”

—Caterina Fake, cofounder of flickr and Hunch

“You spend half your life in Internet space, but trust me—you don’t understand how it works. Eli Pariser’s book is a masterpiece of both investigation and interpretation; he exposes the way we’re sent down particular information tunnels, and he explains how we might once again find ourselves in a broad public square of ideas. This couldn’t be a more interesting book; it casts an illuminating light on so many of our daily encounters.”

—Bill McKibben, author of The End of Nature and Eaarth and founder of 350.org

“The Filter Bubble shows how unintended consequences of well-meaning online designs can impose profound and sudden changes on politics. All agree that the Internet is a potent tool for change, but whether changes are for the better or worse is up to the people who create and use it. If you feel that the Web is your wide open window on the world, you need to read this book to understand what you aren’t seeing.”

—Jaron Lanier, author of You Are Not a Gadget

“For more than a decade, reflective souls have worried about the consequences of perfect personalization. Eli Pariser’s is the most powerful and troubling critique yet.”

—Lawrence Lessig, author of Code, Free Culture, and Remix

“Eli Pariser isn’t just the smartest person I know thinking about the relationship of digital technology to participation in the democratic process—he is also the most experienced. The Filter Bubble reveals how the world we encounter is shaped by programs whose very purpose is to narrow what we see and increase the predictability of our responses. Anyone who cares about the future of human agency in a digital landscape should read this book—especially if it is not showing up in your recommended reads on Amazon.”

—Douglas Rushkoff, author of Life Inc. and Program or Be Programmed

“In The Filter Bubble, Eli Pariser reveals the news slogan of the personalized Internet: Only the news that fits you we print.”

—George Lakoff, author of Don’t Think of an Elephant! and The Political Mind

“Eli Pariser is worried. He cares deeply about our common social sphere and sees it in jeopardy. His thorough investigation of Internet trends got me worried, too. He even taught me things àbout Facebook. It’s a must-read.”

—David Kirkpatrick, author of The Facebook Effect