In his recent NY Times op-ed piece, Nicolas Kristof said that the internet can cripple us, if we let it.  With our unprecedented ability to filter and customize what we see and hear, we are effectively protecting ourselves from seeing opposing—or  objective—viewpoints.  

There’s pretty good evidence that we generally don’t truly want good information — but rather, information that confirms our prejudices. We may believe intellectually in the clash of opinions, but in practice we like to embed ourselves in the reassuring womb of an echo chamber.”

Think this doesn’t apply to you? Well, think about what Google Reader feeds to your computer screen. And what types of folks you are quick to follow on twitter.  What blogs do you comment on, and what websites are you most likely to Digg?

If your day is filled with commentary by people who share your views, then you are participating in what Kristof calls the rise of the Daily Me.

The decline of traditional news media will accelerate the rise of The Daily Me. [As a result] we’ll be irritated less by what we read and find our wisdom confirmed more often. The danger is that this self-selected ‘news’ acts as a narcotic, lulling us into a self-confident stupor through which we will perceive in blacks and whites a world that typically unfolds in grays.”

 

How do we avoid this myopia?  According to Kristof, one way is to “work out intellectually with sparring partners whose views we deplore.”  So we should force ourselves to become self governing critics or even our own worst enemies?  Yes. Staunch conservatives should try to read The Huffington Post, and bleeding heart liberals must at least pass a glance at urbanconservative.com. Try it. And try to stay calm—you want to come through this experiment with your arteries intact.

Or don’t. Read only what appeals to you; follow only those who agree with you. But consider that continuing to operate with blinders intact means doing yourself—and by extension, your clients, partners, or employer—a huge disservice.