Problem

Social media has become one of the main sources of information for many of us. With the growth in the number of users, the algorithms of the social networks have developed, bringing the core principle — content related to you. Thus people tend to over-consume information they are already familiar with, information that they most likely agree with.

As a result, we become isolated inside our filter bubbles, our outlook becomes narrower, we lose sight of the big picture, and the society becomes more polarised and aggressive.

Target audience

We focused on millennials as the heavy users of digital tools and social media, that are keen to keep track of their personal data such as health and fitness metrics. On the other hand, they are very limited in their sources of information, being stuck in their personal filter bubbles.

User interviews also helped us identify the topics that appear most often in their digital environment: personal development, climate change, responsible consumption, politics. What united all personas was the suffering from uncertainty and daily routine, terrible polarisation of opinions and inability to listen to their opponents.

Proposal

Burst is an app that bursts your mental filter bubble by bringing an alternative news feed. The app mixes interface patterns of both news and fitness apps, thereby offering diverse content in a playful way.

Social media overconsumption can be compared with high-carb junk food — the easier to digest, the tastier. So, what can help avoid what Eli Pariser called ‘the digital obesity’ and ‘isolated web of one’? It’s a healthy and balanced information feed that not only assures you in your beliefs but lets you open your mind to the new and unexpected.

Every bit of information can be measured in mental efforts — the amount of cognitive work required to overcome resistance factors such as self-righteousness, laziness and narrow-mindedness. The tougher the challenge, the more points it brings.

How it works

1. Getting access to your current sources of information
   You can connect your social media accounts (incl. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Reddit) or manually set up an RSS feed to define the most relevant topics.


2. Analysing the community ✨
   By comparing the activity of different people, we’ll be able to detect the level of polarisation.


3. Composing the content that other media would find irrelevant for you:
   🔥 Opinions you most likely disagree with
   🗑 Subtopics you may find irrelevant
   🙈 Facts you prefer to ignore


4. Keeping you motivated
   We can reach this by setting specific and achievable goals rather than generic ones, and other gamification mechanics.


5. Escaping the filter bubble
   Even if you only skim through the headlines, the alternative news feed will still affect the way you think.

Community

You can also access the news feeds of other community members to see the world through the eyes of your potential opponents and to get in touch with them. The higher the total number of points earned by a user, the more their picture reveals. As a result, the amount of common topics and shared opinions gradually increases while the level of polarisation goes down.

Gamification

We know very well that sometimes opening the new horizons may be quite tricky. The process of game-thinking and game mechanics help to engage more people and to keep them using the app. Following the idea of healthy and responsible consumption, Burst adopts methods and patterns which are especially popular in sports and health related products.

Conclusion

Burst is a concept that raises the question of balanced news consumption and the responsibility of news aggregators. Recommendation systems do have a big impact on how we think and feel. Imagine how cool it would be if they followed these principles while forming your daily feed:

1. Give you a fresh perspective while keeping you up to date;
2. Keep you balanced, inspired, and sometimes amused, to support mental health;
3. Expand your horizons to motivate personal development;
4. Influence the media to overcome polarisation of the society.