filter bubble

[ fil-ter buhb-uhl ]

noun

1. a phenomenon that limits an individual’s exposure to a full spectrum of news and other information on the internet by algorithmically prioritizing content that matches a user’s demographic profile and online history or excluding content that does not:

   My roommate streamed so many arthouse flicks on my account that she confused the filter bubble—the recommended movies page thinks I’m some kind of fancy-pants intellectual now.

verb (used with object)

1. to cause (a person) to have such a limited online experience through the predictive algorithmic filtering of content:

   We are being filter-bubbled into homogeneous peer groups by social media platforms.

Word History and Origins

Origin of filter bubble¹

Coined by Eli Pariser (born 1980), U.S. political and internet activist, in The Filter Bubble (2011)

Example Sentences

This led to a narrowing of who controlled the most powerful messaging platforms and the creation of what is commonly referred to as “filter bubbles.”

From Washington Post

An algorithm that interprets your behavior inside such a filter bubble might assume that you dislike people with darker skin.

From MIT Technology Review