Information is everywhere, available for us, all the time, and it can be overwhelming. Google News, Youtube, and Whatsapp are some of the apps I use every day since I decided to stay away from other platforms like Reddit or Quora and only check my Facebook account once a week. But even after making those changes, I still get distracted when using my phone, and I decided to look for other ways to reduce screen time.
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I noticed that I spend a lot of time reading random news that pops up on my Google homepage whenever I search for information online. I customized Google News and Google Discover a couple of times before. However, the news feed kept showing the same unrelated articles and headlines, which made me spend more time consuming media. I decided then to turn off Discover and find another source and instead downloaded the Reuters app that allowed me to check the news when I am ready for it and choose the topics I really wanted to read. I also signed up for The New York Times newsletter, which reminds me of the way I used to read the news before social media. Every day, I receive an email with daily summaries of news headlines, and if I want to know more about a specific topic, I click on the link that takes me to the newspaper homepage.
Being unable to find more sources made me think about the term “filter bubble” mentioned by Eli Pariser in his TED2011 talk and how the power of digital platforms in our daily lives can affect and limit our knowledge and critical thinking. The influence of media consumption impacts our daily life, and understanding how it works is key if we want to reduce its negative effects.
Sources:
Pariser, E. (2011). Beware online “filter bubbles”. Eli Pariser: Beware online “filter bubbles” | TED Talk. Retrieved November 17, 2022, from https://www.ted.com/talks/eli_pariser_beware_online_filter_bubbles/transcript
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