Information is constantly being generated and transmitted. At certain points, that information is transformed, whether by an automatic or human process.
Data can be aggregated and summarized, news can be consumed and commented on. Each of these could be thought of as information lenses. Similar to convex and concave lenses, these lenses manipulate information. The different types of lenses lead to different types of manipulation, and subsequently different information focal points, where the information converges.
Now, if each individual has different pre-conceived notions on a particular topic, they may be looking at that topic through their own pre-determined lens. Which would manipulate the information in a different way than their neighbor.1 And if two feeds on a social network have their own personalized ranking, those automatically generated lenses will create unique timelines and distinct information focal points. What looks like a unique vacation on someone’s feed looks like just another Tuesday to someone else. So is it any surprise that people cannot agree on what is or isn’t true when they are starting from different information focal points?
-
That sound you hear is the strain of this metaphor. ↩