Eli Pariser is an American author, activist, and entrepreneur born December 17, 1980, whose career has been dedicated to answering the question: "how to make technology and media serve democracy." Pariser's activism began early: he and college student David H. Pickering launched an online petition calling for a nonmilitary response to the attacks of September 11, and in less than a month, half a million people had signed. This early success demonstrated the potential of internet-enabled citizen engagement and launched Pariser into digital activism.
He became executive director of MoveOn.org in 2004, where he helped pioneer the practice of online citizen engagement at scale. His most significant contribution to public discourse came with the 2011 publication of The Filter Bubble: What the Internet Is Hiding from You, which introduced and popularized the concept of "filter bubbles"—the phenomenon where algorithmic personalization creates intellectual isolation by selectively presenting information reinforcing users' existing beliefs. The concept resonated globally; his TED talk on the topic has been viewed over five million times.
Pariser has since co-founded multiple organizations advancing digital democracy and meaningful online content. He is the co-founder of Upworthy, a website platform for meaningful viral content, and Avaaz, a global citizen's organization engaging millions on social justice issues. His work addresses fundamental questions about technology's role in either fragmenting or connecting society.