Digital polarisation is often explained by the idea of the filter bubble: the notion that people are stuck in a stable information environment that confirms their existing beliefs. New research from the University of Twente shows that this view is too simplistic. Search engines such as Google, Bing and DuckDuckGo do not create fixed bubbles, but constantly changing patterns. Digital polarisation is therefore not a stable condition, but rather a mirage: what appears to be fixed is constantly shifting.
The research was conducted as part of the 'Zoek de Verschillen!' (Spot the Differences!) project, with support from the SIDN Fund. Over a period of three months, nearly 400 Dutch participants automatically and anonymously collected search results via a specially developed browser extension. The data shows that search results vary greatly between users, platforms and moments. The differences are real, but not permanent: they are constantly shifting.
No clear bubble
Whereas many theories assume relatively stable filter bubbles, the results show that personalisation in search engines actually fluctuates. Temporary configurations of information arise, dissolve again and make way for new ones. Polarisation therefore manifests itself as a dynamic process that moves along with algorithms, user behaviour and social context. It is precisely this changeability that makes polarisation more difficult to recognise and more difficult to combat: there is no clear bubble that can be 'popped'.
According to researcher Dr Alex van der Zeeuw, what users see sometimes corresponds to existing social differences, such as age, educational level or political preference. This does not mean that search engines actively create these categories, but rather that they build on existing social structures. This connection can give the impression of fixed digital divides, when in reality they are constantly shifting.
“Search engines are increasingly functioning as public infrastructures," says Dr Shenja van der Graaf, lead researcher on the project. "They not only determine what information becomes visible, but also where public discourse begins. Precisely because this ordering is constantly changing, transparency is essential. Without insight into how differences arise and shift, it becomes more difficult to maintain a shared reality."
Transparency necessary
With the rise of generative AI in search engines, this dynamic is becoming even more complex, according to the researchers. Answers are increasingly being summarised, rewritten or generated directly, making differences less visible but potentially more profound. "When AI selects and summarises information, it shifts not only what we see, but also how reality is presented," says Van der Graaf. "Transparency and accountability are therefore not a luxury, but a democratic necessity."
More information: https://digitalepolarisatie.nl/ (Dutch website)
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