Four Tips For Building A Healthy Media Diet

The start of a new year brings the inevitable push to start new things, including new hobbies, exercise programs and healthy eating habits. But there's one consumption pattern you didn't expect to improve this year: media and news consumption.

Getting up-to-date information is not easy these days. We have access to more information than ever before, but not all of it is of good quality. Media publications are accused of bias. Fake stories spread in seconds. And false information generated by artificial intelligence may appear in our feed.

Most people get information through social networks. These platforms have algorithms and ratings that create “filter bubbles” in which users are given tailored or personalized information on certain topics, which can exacerbate polarization.

People choose media and information that align with their preconceived beliefs. This may be due to the publications and analysts they follow, or to the algorithms controlled by the platform.

However, recent research on the topic suggests that audiences may not be as polarized as previously thought. And algorithms can help increase the variety of resources a person can freely access.

However, navigating a variety of sources, voices and opinions can still be difficult, especially when people with strong opinions voice their opinions online. Here are some tips to help you create a more varied and high-quality media diet.

1) Be interested in other points of view

Social media algorithms and personalization offer more options to keep users active. This may result in incorrect information being included if it matches the description the user wants to click on.

If what you find online matches your description, it may be the result of an automated selection process coupled with algorithmic personalization.

You can overcome this by getting information from different sources. Read articles from news outlets with political views different from yours. Click on articles you may not like.

2) Be careful about attracting attention.

Now more than ever, it is important to be aware of your own biases and look at social and political issues for what they are, rather than looking for enemies. Be a scout, not a soldier.

Remember that what you read on the internet may not reflect what people think, but what they think will get more attention (and annoy more people). A 2022 study found that people express themselves more clearly to attract more followers. Pay attention to who “shouts” their opinion and who shares it.

Be open-minded and listen to different arguments, but do not hold extreme views by challenging others.

3) Identify and share balanced resources.

The authors of the 2022 study confirmed that social media platforms reduce polarization by populating the “information environment” (social media users’ feeds) with relevant sources. Of course, most users cannot generate balanced messages; we cannot predict which algorithms will recommend them. However, we can recognize bias in the news and actively combat it by sharing other credible sources.

Research shows that social media users are more informed and critical of the news they read when they are asked to think critically and evaluate it. Instead of just scrolling and clicking on the next article, take a moment and ask yourself what you just read. What did you learn?Who is the source of the article? Don't you understand yet?

4) Recognize strong emotions

Publishers and social media companies do everything they can to evoke strong emotions in users, especially those that evoke both positive and negative emotions (shock and anger). Because emotional messages can go viral.

If you encounter content that evokes a strong emotional response, ask yourself before you respond: Can I present this content in a way that makes me feel that way? Is it good for me to feel this way? You may find that your emotions drive you to do the things that matter to you. Or you may find that your instincts lead you to ignore questionable information and sources.

A good way to check the credibility of a particular source is to read other articles from the same source and look for misinformation or exaggerated headlines. You can find out if a similar story has been reported on a website you trust.

You might want to consider adding fact-checking reports and respected journalists to your media feed, following them on social media, or subscribing to their newsletters.

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Sharon Coyne is Lecturer/Associate Professor in Media Psychology at the University of Salford.

This article is republished from a discussion under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash.

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