Filter Bubbles, Polarization, and the Question of Responsible Advertising

The current IAB Europe report reveals a quiet but consequential shift: away from the open web, toward closed, algorithmically controlled systems. Efficient, yes – but increasingly at the expense of diversity, transparency, and genuine freedom of choice.

That this development carries societal risks is also confirmed by the World Economic Forum 2026: misinformation and disinformation now rank among the greatest global risks of the coming years, and societal polarization remains one of the most significant long-term threats.

The two phenomena are connected. Where user autonomy is replaced by intransparent logic, distortions and filter bubbles emerge – along with a loss of trust.

As a provider of a user-centric advertising model, we consciously stand for an open web and voluntary decision-making. Within the #ValueMedia project at IU Internationale Hochschule, we are working to define criteria that make user experience, self-determination, and media diversity visible and measurable.

Because the decisive question is no longer just: what is efficient?

But also: what is sustainable for society?