Tristram Hunt warns that social media creates “narrow online world” for activists

Social media is skewering how we perceive politics, according to Labour MP Tristram Hunt. In a speech at the University of Sheffield last night, Hunt said that Labour needed to deal with three aspects of a changed political landscape: “populism and social media; a ruptured political economy; and new identities of patriotism”.

He identified the ‘filter bubble’ as a problem – whereby search engines and social media sites record information about a user to deliver content they will like, but ends up excluding results that may challenge their world view. He said:

“There is a risk, I think, with what we might call ‘algorithm politics.’ What the algorithms which underpin our digital lives do is take information about us and fire similar information back at us.

“Google’s skill at offering you what it knows you like is now directing you towards what you want to hear, from people like you.”

Hunt said he believes this is “radicalising political opinion”, and has disconnected the left from the views of the wider electorate. He said this affect had been a problem in May’s General Election.

“If social media were politicising the many as well as radicalising the few; were it significantly growing the number of people engaged in politics in first place rather than confirming pre-held bias then Ed Miliband might now be sitting in 10 Downing Street – and this discussion would not even be taking place.”

You can read the full text of Hunt’s speech here.