Thanks for your post, Ruth! SO much of what you are discussing here and things that I think about, especially when I am searching online. The knowledge that there are algorithms altering what I view compels me to searching harder and deeper for what I want. I go out of my way to find different perspectives. The book recommendations on sites like Amazon perplex me because often it’s just more of the same. The same could be said for the advertisements on Facebook, which (usually) only show me content related to what I already look for. While it is nice and comfortable to only look at stuff that is relevant to me and my personal values, I also think it’s really important to be confronted with alternative content in order to know what else is available, and who else is out there and what they are talking about. Maybe there could be some kind of “Wildcard” algorithm that sporadically throws randomised content into Facebook news feeds, online advertising etc.
I often think about Facebook like being in a car. If you’re in a car you’re less likely to encounter unpredictable and un-asked-for situations. But, if you’re on a bus, or walking, or cycling, you’re more open and exposed to unmediated information coming in… I think about that a lot.
Back to reader’s advisory… I think it is essential to continually develop folksonomies in libraries and online in order to promote content that would otherwise be marginalised.