The Problem with Relevance

The dark side of "relevance" is that technologists promise us a personalized experience based upon what we are most interested in. These are often aggregated based upon what we like. It's like Spotify or Pandora for social interactions. The more I "like" something, the more likely it will be to show up in my feed. Case in point: during the devastating 49ers game, my feed was full of pro-49ers updates. Meanwhile, my Voxer was full of counter-points, with a few people teasing me about the Kaepernick mistakes. At the end of the night, when everyone was in an uproar over Richard Sherman, the tone shifted. Suddenly, I was surrounded by teachers. That's pretty much what's happened to my Facebook feed. It's mostly fellow educators that I already knew on Twitter.  There was a lot of push-back to my criticism of Sherman. I still hold that humility is strength and I'm not a fan of any athlete or coach (that includes Harbaugh of the 49ers) who gloats. Still, I was reminded of the other side: of the racism that Sherman experienced, of the fact that being proud of your accomplishments looks different when you come from a place of privilege or a place of poverty, that Sherman's words paled in comparison to the racist rhetoric used to describe him. I still believe that leaders should be humble. Nothing I see is going to shift my view that there is power in humility. However, it was chorus of Facebook people that reminded me that maybe it's not my job to throw the first stone. The point is that suddenly there was ideological diversity in the conversation. It's why there are a few "radicals" that I remain Facebook friends with even when they post angry feminist rants that make it nearly impossible for nuance. It's why I remain friends with neo-cons who say things about the poor that break my heart. It's because the "relevance" filter feeds me only what I agree with. I need people who engage in hard conversations, who point out things that irritate me at first, who say things that I might never entirely agree with. Those are the conversations that broaden my worldview and help me find nuance.