Occasionally I'll read a book that really shakes me up. Eli Pariser's new book The Filter Bubble is one of those.
In it, Pariser describes the increasing use of our Internet search history to personalize our Internet experiences. Most of the largest web companies - Google, Facebook, Twitter - develop algorithms to ensure we get the information that we are most likely to want.
On one hand, this is something we all know. If I search for running shoes, it's kind of neat that I get ads for running shoes.
On the other hand, I find the implications disturbing because the algorithms don't just apply to things we might buy. They apply to everything - including politics, social issues, religion.
And if we only receive information with which we already agree, we will only move deeper into the political divisions that so often serve as roadblocks for solving problems.
In my work, I cannot survive on one set of ideas alone. When I get only information that confirms what I already believe, I cannot learn new things; I cannot be surprised; I cannot find new solutions.
Let me be clear. The Internet remains a tremendous tool for building community.
Whether we're using Kickstarter, or Front Porch Forum, or Facebook, or Twitter, or scores of other tools and networks, the Internet explosion is a force for much that is good.
But this particular trend - building the Internet targeted solely for “me” - is one that has disturbing implications.
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And this is why this week in Vermont - town meeting week - is so important.
It's a time when Vermonters of all stripes can get together and talk about - well, everything.
Should we buy a new ambulance? Should the school hire a new teacher? Is the road crew doing a good job? Should our school district merge with another? And in some towns this year, should we object to the Supreme Court's decision in Citizens United, about corporations and political contributions?
UVM Professor Frank Bryan, in Real Democracy, his excellent book about Vermont town meeting, writes of the “satisfaction, frustration, irritation, anxiety and hope that real democracy brings.”
And indeed, town meeting is one place where we learn to be with our neighbors and talk about our different views. It's a place where we build the kind of connections that allowed Vermonters to respond so well - and quickly - to the deluge of Irene.
It's not always dramatic, but it's sometimes messy. And it is where we can build community that transcends our politics, religion, and class.
Enjoy town meeting, everybody.