How to outsmart algorithms and take control of your information diet

“‘Certain algorithms,’ says Tim Cook, ‘pull you toward the things you already know, believe, or like, and they push away everything else. Push back,'” Nick Douglas writes for Lifehacker. “In a commencement speech to Tulane University, the Apple CEO tells graduates to take charge of their information diet.”
“News feed algorithms try to show you more of what you already like, which can lead you down a rabbit hole of increasingly radical content, or just block you from any information that might broaden your perspective,” Douglas writes. “This isn’t just about Republican vs. Democrat (vs. leftist revolutionary vs. neoliberal centrist shill), but also about ending up only with the most popular, sensationalist or insipid feel-good stories from garbage sources.”
“Instead of getting your news from a Facebook or Twitter news feed, try less popularity-driven platforms like Feedly,” Douglas writes. “Don’t let the algorithms run your life. Take back your time, your attention, and your thoughts.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: As always, the best way to consume “news” is to cast a wide net.
As always, readers of “news” need to consider the sources and interpret what they are being told accordingly. The more disparate sources you can find, the better. And we don’t mean different newspaper, network, website brands that are all owned by the same conglomerate. Determining the actual ownership of your “news” sources is an investment that requires a bit of time, but it is very enlightening. — MacDailyNews Take, June 17, 2015
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