This is an awesome mashup. Search the world for newspapers using a map interface. Then translate them with one click. Cooooool
Eli Pariser on “The Filter Bubble: What the Internet Is Hiding from You”
The internet is increasingly becoming an echo chamber in which websites tailor information according to the preferences they detect in each viewer. When some users search the word “Egypt,” they may get the latest news about the revolution, others might only see search results about Egyptian vacations.
via democracynow.org
This is a great issue that we should be discussing. While these technologies are getting to know us better and better with each visit, this knowledge ends up catering to our immediate tastes, which often results in a sort of tunnel vision approach to content delivery. At one time, people fretted over this aspect of communities (social networks), but I’m much more concerned about corporations catering to their perceptions of my desires and, even scarier, the lack of information gathering on these topics that are seen as less desirable.
What is Twitter, a Social Network or a News Media?
via an.kaist.ac.kr
Interesting research project done here in Korea at KAIST. I first read about it here (http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/guest/25128/?a=f).
Essentially, the findings suggest that Twitter is efficient as spreading news, but not very good at promoting reciprocal relationships.
I’m not sure that I agree. I have formed some relationships in Twitter, mostly local people. We exchange information in Twitter and I have even met with quite a few in the real world. I find it is a much better medium to develop new relationships than Facebook. Facebook is for the existing network and Twitter for the expanding network.
Regardless, the findings are interesting and do reflect one way that I use Twitter these days. I use it as a mega-aggregator. I no longer use Google Reader or News, and I no longer make my daily visits to CNN or other news sites. Twitter is my new recommendation engine for information. I follow 850 individuals, businesses, and news sites. I use TweetDeck to break out the different groups/lists that I’m interested in: Korean local, News, Students, and miscellaneous hash tags.
Whether this is only a fad or the future, it is a fascinating technology and culture that has grown around the technology.