In contrast it was suggested that the Internet itself should be seen as the sharp needle which has punctured the historical information filter bubble. During the immediate pre-Internet age and television represented the primary source of news and information (with newspapers and radio operating as more distant secondary sources). With the arrival of the Internet this limited range of information choices has exponentially expanded beyond recognition delivering a spectrum of social, political and cultural content which simply would never have been accessible in the pre-digital age. The presumption that people are only exposed to online content and opinions they already agree with is mistaken. On social networks people are bombarded from all sides by newsfeeds, posts, blogs and links from more diverse sources than they have ever previously encountered.
Much of our previous appetite for content diversity was constrained by the costs of accessing information. An individual might be interested in a range of different areas but would lack the sufficient resources to acquire content or information across all those areas of interest. With the arrival of the Internet this cost barrier disappears which empowers and enables individuals to radically expand the horizons of their consumption of news, content and information. Optimists would argue that information technology drives more (as opposed to less) opportunities for diversity of experience.