Personalized News -- A Double-Edged Sword

A new report by the Pew Research Center looks at how we get and use news.  It shows that most of us rely on multiple platforms for our daily dose of news.  Nearly half of us get our news from 4 - 6 different places on a typical day.

That's not news, but what I find interesting -- and potentially dangerous -- is the ability to personalize the news we get.  The Pew report says 28 percent of internet users now customize their home page to receive news and information from sources and on topics that interest them.

Personalization can be a great time-saver, helping direct you to stories on subjects of interest.  It can filter out all the stuff you don't care to see.

But news personalization can be a double-edged sword.  For those who rely mainly on their personalized news feeds, what they get can be very limited in both scope and point of view.  It can lead to a dangerously uninformed populace.

The great thing about newspapers -- dinosaurs though they might be -- is that the reader sees the full range of subjects.  The front page won't be only sports or entertainment or politics or business, but a mix of what the editors feel represent the most important or relevant information of the day.  Even if you normally make a beeline for the sports section, your eye might catch a non-sports story on Page One or elsewhere as you quickly leaf through the paper.  TV news is similar; if you watch a half-hour newscast, you'll get a smattering of a range of topics.To rely solely on personalized news feeds would be like watching only Entertainment Tonight or The Food Channel and nothing else for news and information.  It may be interesting, but it would be like wearing blinders.

I have a friend who, before the days of the internet, personalized her news intake by reading only Page Six of the NY Post and the entertainment and gossip magazines like Entertainment Weekly and People.  She never read The Times and, when reading The Post, would venture beyond the gossip pages only to check out how the Mets were doing in Sports.

I remember when she was job hunting and she told me of some questions she was asked in an interview, like who is the Secretary of State and what Supreme Court nominee had just gone through a grueling Congressional interview process.  She didn't know the answers, and she didn't get the job.

My friend's limited knowledge of current events beyond gossip and sports may be the exception, but I wonder how many young people who haven't grown up reading newspapers or watching TV news are already in the habit of personalizing their news intake to the point of severely limiting their awareness and understanding of what's happening in the world around us.  As we know, an uninformed population can open the door for political and corporate corruption and decisions based on narrow self-interest.

That could be the downside of personalized news.

Comments

[Sherry Goldman (twitter @sherrygoldmanpr)]

I agree with you David.
The myriad of media channels, web sites, etc - makes it too easy to only see what you think you want to see. But I don't think that bodes well for our future- we need broad-based thinkers, creative folks who see/read something, identify a need and then go on to tackle that need and do great things. Too many people may not reach their potential if they don't expand their minds and also have the ability to 'stumble onto' an idea or problem that that they haven't programmed into their narrow-cast media options.

[Shelly P]

Yes, it is a real risk. But search engines and feeds also open up so many avenues to get information you might not see otherwise. You're right that it can cut both ways.

[Alan Hirsch]

David, my opinion regarding personalizing news received is that it is a big mistake.

Anyone just reading about topics that interest them is hurting their development. The point to remember is that for one to gain knowledge and expertise, one must become aware of many subjects and that includes subjects that one might not want to learn about.

To learn something every day, one must read and study about things they really aren't interested in. That is a key. Don't just read for entertainment; read for information that will make you better rounded so you can compete in the world.

To keep current, one must read nearly everything, whether it is interesting to you or not. That is the difference between an intelligent person and a stupid person, who only reads what they think is interesting to them.

Especially for those in public relations and journalism, they must be able to talk to anyone about any subject for any length of time.

Anyone choosing to filter out stuff they don't want to see is on the path to filtering themselves out of the position they are holding. Just reading what one wants to read is a certain path to failure, and that is a guarantee.

[Renaissance Clothing]

"According to Pew report 28 percent of internet users now customize their home page to receive news and information from sources and on topics that interest them." People tend to customize or invent stories to draw attention of viewers. I guess these are all part of marketing strategy.

[David Reich "my 2 cents"]

Maggie at Renaissance -- Well, if people are inventing stories to draw attention for marketing purposes, those stories aren't news.