Filter Bubble Trouble
Grade
12Time
Define "filter bubble" and explain how it occurs.
Reflect on the limitations and drawbacks that filter bubbles cause.
Identify strategies for escaping their own filter bubbles.
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Key Standards Supported
Common Core ELA
L.11-12.1, L.11-12.3, L.11-12.4, L.11-12.6, SL.11-12.1, SL.11-12.1a, SL.11-12.1b, SL.11-12.1c, SL.11-12.1d, SL.11-12.2, SL.11-12.4, SL.11-12.6, W.11-12.10, W.11-12.2, W.11-12.4, W.11-12.8, WHST.11-12.10, WHST.11-12.4, WHST.11-12.8
ISTE
1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, 3a, 3b, 3c, 3d, 4a, 4b, 4c, 5d, 6b, 6c, 6d, 7a, 7b, 7c, 7d
CASEL
1a, 1b, 1d, 3a, 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d, 5a, 5b, 5c
AASL
I.A.2, II.A.1, II.A.2, III.A.1, III.A.2, IV.A.1, IV.A.2, IV.A.3, V.A.1, V.A.3, VI.A.1, I.B.1, I.B.2, I.B.3, II.B.1, II.B.2, III.B.1, III.B.2, IV.B.1, IV.B.2, IV.B.4, V.B.1, V.B.2, I.C.1, I.C.4, II.C.1, II.C.2, III.C.2, I.D.1, I.D.2, I.D.3, I.D.4, II.D.1, II.D.2, II.D.3, III.D.1, V.D.1, V.D.2, VI.D.1, II.B.3
Current Events Connection!
As we enter election season, it's important for students to understand the role that algorithms play in shaping what we see online. Use this lesson to help students consider how they might go beyond their "filter bubbles" and challenge their perspective.
Lesson Plan
Consider: Different Feeds
15 mins.Explore: Reasons for Filter Bubbles
25 mins.Create: Burst Your Bubble
10 mins.Additional Resources
Extend the lesson: Have students choose a social media, gaming, or other platform they use regularly (Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, etc.). Have students review their feed and identify what content they think might be part of their filter bubble (i.e., content where their friends and others might not see the same thing). Take screenshots of at least three examples, and arrange them in an image with “you” at the center using a Google Slide, Padlet, or VoiceThread. Students should explain in the drawing why they think the pieces of content are part of their filter bubble. Have students share their examples with each other, and invite them to use the comment function noting what they observe about each other’s examples.
For related lessons, check out the Essential News & Media Literacy Skills for Students lesson collection.
