But I think in real life as well people live in their own bubbles. We see the world as we are but not for what it is. It's just that Internet takes it to whole different level.
I like to see Internet as catalyst. It accelerated speed of people becoming more conscious or more stupid. The choice is still in the hands of individual like it was before Internet.
There are definitely bubbles in real life, but they are far less insular and toxic. I can't "unsubscribe" from a person that I work with. Everyone around me shares in a lot of the content that I see. Content streams like TV channels give me the ability to switch channels and see what others are seeing.
Like you said, the internet takes this to a whole different level, and then takes control away from me. How do I tell Youtube that I'm just interested in researching Qanon, and not that I want to be recommended it? How do I tell facebook to stop recommending me content related to some topic? I can't change the channel anymore, and I'm at their mercy. That's a huge problem.
RSS is fantastic in that it gives you complete control over your content streams, but there's still something missing to let you "change the channel."
I like to see Internet as catalyst. It accelerated speed of people becoming more conscious or more stupid. The choice is still in the hands of individual like it was before Internet.