We live in a bubble

Nowadays people talk a lot about “the bubble” that we live in. It’s this environment, in real life and online, that we create around us, even without trying to create it. It’s hard to avoid, and in many cases getting out of that bubble is very hard for numerous reasons. We become biased and end up getting to know about things, but only from one point of view.

Online, the bubble is easier to create, mostly because of how a lot of websites operate. We’ve all been there: you look for a new phone online, a few days later your Facebook is full of ads about new phones. Same goes for nearly everything we do in the internet, even information. Let’s say you read news stories about what’s happening with Brexit. You’ll notice that different websites and social media platforms start feeding you stories about what’s going on with Brexit. Let’s say you are very anti-environment-friendly and have looked up information that boosts your believes about climate change and plastic pollution being false. You’ll soon notice, most of your feed is filled with those opinions only. There is nothing that will give you any other opinions and that will make you lazy, in a sense.

When there are things you have to form your opinion on, it’s important to think outside the box. Let’s take the Brexit example. You’ve looked up every reason to think Brexit is a good thing and don’t see any reason for UK to stay in the European Union. That’s because you’re lazy and not looking at any reasons. They won’t most likely end up in your feed the second you open Google. You have to look for it yourself now. That’s important because if you don’t, you’re just taking one opinion and brainwashing yourself to believe it. That is the easy way out. That’s how a toddler makes up their mind.

When you decide to think for yourself, you’ll dig deeper. It’s important to think about the opposite view. Why does the person who disagrees with you, think they are right? Look up information on why Brexit is a bad idea and harmful to many people. That might give you some ideas and let’s say you’re arguing about a topic with someone else, it’ll also give you an advantage. You might be able to overthrow their argument if you have enough knowledge about its backgrounds and consequences. People will believe you and listen to you if you have explanations for you views, not just “facts” you think are facts. They might not be.

The not-so-easily seen bubble, is the real life one. You might have friends who think differently about things. Your family might share different values than you. Then those may not be the bubble that surrounds you. Maybe it’s only online. But most people do tend to form a bubble and it’s normal sociology and human behavior.

Let’s say you’re a student, studying economy. Many of the friends you have may be your co-students. You share a same interest and may have similar viewpoints on life. You might think about the economic perspective first, rather than a biology student who might think about the environmental aspect first. That’s just how people work as social beings: we tend to form groups of people who think like one mind. That’s not a bad thing, of course. It’s just important to always take a step back and look at things differently. It’s also important to listen to other’s points and explanations: they might give you some food for thought. It’s also always okay to change your opinion because that means you’ve realized something new and learnt something. What’s the most important thing though, is to be critical about your sources and always, always, ALWAYS, explain why you think you're right. If you don’t give any reasons, you’re going to look like an idiot not capable of doing any brain work.