As the title suggests, am I trapped in an information cocoon? It is currently presented in the form of a question because I have not yet confirmed if this is indeed true.
What is an information cocoon?
An information cocoon is a concept in the modern internet context, referring to certain individuals who become gradually isolated from the real world due to excessive indulgence in the internet, forming a "cocoon" of information that is difficult to break free from. These individuals may spend a significant amount of time consuming content online, neglecting relationships and activities in the real world, and even developing resistance towards the real world.
The latest chatGPT launched by OpenAI has once again become popular all over the internet. Back in late November of last year, I had the opportunity to experience it for a period of time when it was just introduced, making me one of the first users to try it out.
At that time, it felt like an inexperienced AI. During my interactions with it, I could clearly sense its immaturity, but it still demonstrated strong learning capabilities, which amazed me. However, as time went on, its popularity gradually declined, and I rarely used it anymore.
Now, in mid-February of this year, it reappeared before my eyes with a powerful presence, gaining 1 billion users worldwide in just two months, and this number is still exponentially growing. I believe this is largely due to Microsoft's investment, once again proving the exceptional vision they possess.
As I have been using it more recently, I have discovered that it can enhance or even replace some of my office tools. I can use it to write documents better than what I can produce myself, among various other uses.
But what puzzles me is that when I browse V2EX, Twitter, and other social forums, chatGPT dominates my feed to a great extent, and I can hardly find any other news. Half of the top ten posts are about chatGPT, and I feel like my information channel is being overwhelmed. This makes me feel annoyed, and I start to question whether I am trapped in an information cocoon.
After careful analysis, I found that individuals trapped in an "information cocoon" typically exhibit the following characteristics:
1. Bias and extremism: They often only trust information that aligns with their own views and are unwilling to accept different perspectives and evidence.
2. Excessive reliance on authority: They tend to treat all information as authoritative without evaluating its reliability.
3. Excessive stubbornness: They are often stubborn and unwilling to accept new evidence and viewpoints, even if they are correct.
4. Unwillingness to think: They often prefer to believe others' opinions without engaging in critical thinking and evaluating the accuracy of information.
After self-assessment, I believe I have not reached this level yet. So why do I have the illusion conveyed by the title?
Upon analysis, it is highly likely that this is currently a phenomenon, just like web3 before. It is flourishing but may also be short-lived.
I do not know if chatGPT has this trend or if it can become a groundbreaking product, but I remain optimistic about it.