It influences the news and information we receive and what is shared about us. Mouse clicks influence opportunities for jobs, medical care, and even social engagement.
Algorithms can determine whether we do or do not get a call for a job interview. A person may not get that life saving ambulance ride because their address didn't make the cut on profitability. We may miss the opportunity to hear an inspiring speaker or discover a brilliant artist if our algorithm doesn't align. But the most frightening thing of all, is the control of our news exposure and the silencing of our voices.
When information is funneled, we simply don't know what we don't know. When we are afraid to ask questions or search for information for any reason, we lose an opportunity for growth, as individuals and a nation.
Google, Amazon and Facebook are considered monopolies by many. If we are a nation controlled and influenced by monopolies, will we grow and innovate, or we will widen the socioeconomic chasm already present in our country? In a nation where the rich gets richer, what happens to the middle? What happens to the poorest among us?
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