Breaking the Information Cocoon: Expanding Cognitive Boundaries in the Digital Age
2024-11-29
Recently, the Secretariat of the Central Cyberspace Office, the General Office of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the General Office of the Ministry of Public Security and the General Office of the State Administration of Market Supervision jointly issued a notice to deploy and carry out the special action of "Qinglang · governance of typical problems of network platform algorithms", to thoroughly rectify the problems of "information cocoon room" and induce addiction, so as to further deepen the comprehensive governance of Internet information service algorithms. The information cocoon refers to the phenomenon where people's information fields are habitually guided by their own interests, thereby confining their lives to a cocoon like "cocoon". In the era of rapid digital development, the phenomenon of information cocoons is becoming increasingly prominent and has become an important issue affecting people's cognition and social development. With the rapid progress of information technology, the Internet has become the main channel for people to obtain information. The intelligence of search engines, the popularity of social media, and the widespread application of personalized recommendation algorithms have not only brought convenience to people, but also unconsciously facilitated the formation of information cocoons. On the one hand, personalized recommendation algorithms accurately recommend content that users may be interested in based on their browsing history, search history, and social relationships. For example, when a person frequently browses sports news, their information flow is filled with a large amount of sports related information, while information from other fields is gradually marginalized. On the other hand, on social media platforms, people tend to follow people who share their views and join groups that align with their interests. This' stratosphere 'effect makes it easier for people to come into contact with information that is similar to their own views, thereby reinforcing their existing cognition. The information cocoon restricts people's cognitive vision. Surrounded by information cocoons, people can only access information that they are interested in and identify with, and lack understanding of different perspectives, ideas, and cultures. This makes people's thinking narrow and difficult to conduct comprehensive and objective thinking. Over time, this may deepen people's cognitive biases and stereotypes, affecting their accurate judgments of things. For example, in some social hot events, people often only see information that fits their own position and turn a deaf ear to other different voices, objectively exacerbating social divisions and oppositions. The information cocoon is not conducive to the cultivation of innovative thinking. Innovation often stems from the collision and integration of knowledge from different fields. When people are limited to specific information fields, it is difficult to come into contact with new ideas and concepts, which makes it difficult to generate innovative inspiration. In the field of technology, many major innovations are interdisciplinary achievements. If researchers are trapped in an information cocoon and only focus on their familiar fields, it is difficult to achieve breakthrough innovation. Similarly, in the business field, if companies cannot timely understand market changes and diverse consumer needs, it is also difficult for them to launch competitive products and services. The information cocoon may pose a threat to social harmony and stability. When there is less and less information exchange and understanding between different groups, the barriers and misunderstandings between them will deepen. In this situation, it is easy to trigger social conflicts and contradictions. For example, in some countries' political elections, voters with different political stances lack communication and understanding with each other due to the existence of information cocoons, leading to increased social division and opposition. So, how should we break through the information cocoon? Individuals need to improve their information literacy and actively expand their information channels. Information literacy includes the ability to acquire, evaluate, utilize, and create information. We should learn to critically view the information we receive and not blindly believe or spread it. At the same time, one should actively step out of their comfort zone and explore information from different fields. You can broaden your horizons by following different types of media, reading books and articles with different perspectives, and participating in various offline activities. For example, regularly reading magazines or newspapers outside of professional fields, attending interdisciplinary lectures and seminars, and communicating and discussing with people from different backgrounds. Technology companies and platforms should also take on corresponding social responsibilities, optimize recommendation algorithms, and provide more diversified information. Recommendation algorithms should not only consider users' interests as the sole criterion, but also take into account the diversity and public value of information. For example, it is possible to add some randomly recommended content to give users the opportunity to access high-quality information from different fields. At the same time, the platform can also guide users to pay attention to important social issues and public affairs by setting up special topic recommendations, hot topics, and other means. Government and social institutions can also play an active role. Strengthen the supervision of information dissemination, regulate the online information environment, and combat the spread of false and harmful information. At the same time, promoting information exchange and understanding among the public through activities such as information literacy education and cultural exchange. For example, adding information literacy courses in school education to cultivate students' critical thinking and diverse perspectives; Organize various cultural activities in the community to promote communication and integration between different groups. The information cocoon is a major challenge we face in the digital age. Only through the joint efforts of individuals, technology companies, governments, and social institutions can we break through the constraints of the information cocoon, expand people's cognitive boundaries, and enable the public to obtain more comprehensive and objective cognition. In this era full of opportunities and challenges, we should maintain an open attitude, actively embrace diverse information, continuously improve our information literacy and cognitive abilities, and contribute our strength to creating a harmonious, innovative, and progressive social environment. (New Society)
Edit：Yao jue Responsible editor：Xie Tunan
Source：People's Posts and Telecommunications News
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