The Bubble of Confirmation Bias

Critical Thinking about Digital Media

by Alex Acks

Confirmation bias is the tendency of people to interpret, remember, and specifically seek out information that confirms beliefs they already have. It's part of how the human brain works. Being aware of its existence and how it can creep into your life is the best defense. A growing feeder of confirmation bias in the modern world is the internet, particularly social media, where it's easy to surround yourself with a bubble of like-minded people. In this text we will explore the ways that the social media bubble encourages confirmation bias, and how to combat it.

80 pages, Paperback

Published December 30, 2018

Reviews

[Julie H. Ernstein · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Bubble of Confirmation Bias is one of six books in Enslow Publishing's "Critical Thinking about Digital Media" series. It's a concise reference that should be useful in elementary and middle schools to help students hone their critical thinking skills. Of necessity, the book plays it a bit safe in so far as offering recommendations without naming names for which the book's intended readers might/might not have sufficient discernment to readily distinguish the "fake news" sources from the "mainstream" outlets.

This title, in particular, could be helpful to readers of any age in navigating their socials and maintaining peace of mind by muting the family misogynist from ruining their tranquility without fully isolating themselves from a healthy range of opinions in their feed. This short book, roughly 60 pages of text, defines everything from algorithm to truther and provides a nice refresher for readers of any age.