Are you politically biased? Maybe you need to be a bit more balanced. A web browser widget keeps track of the political leanings of your surfing history ā and suggests ways to even out your habits.
The Balancer was created as an attempt to help people break out of āinternet news ideological echo chambersā, says at the University of Washington in Seattle, who was part of the team behind the widget.
A small indicator in the corner of your window indicates if your browsing history is tilting consistently to the left or the right, and suggests sites that will give you an alternative viewpoint.
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Munson and his collaborators ran a trial on 990 volunteers in the US. After a month of surfing, there was a small but statistically significant shift in the browsing behaviour of users who werenāt in the control group.
āItās about 20 more visits a month to a neutral site,ā says Munson, āand about four more visits to sites with opposing views, as compared to the control group.ā The Balancer was presented at a in Boston in July.
Political limits
The widget has limits, most obviously its focus on US politics, and its division of political ideology into a rigid liberal-neutral-conservative spectrum.
More importantly, it is not clear whether the widget can actually change anyoneās mind. , and can even cause them to stick to their beliefs more strongly.
āWeāre not making any claims that [the Balancer] is persuasiveā says Munson. āEven if you arenāt persuaded, youāre more aware, and awareness is an acceptable outcome ā sometimes the other side isnāt right.ā
If youāre curious about whether youād be persuaded, you can , as long as you use the Chrome web browser.
