'Read Across the Aisle' Reminds Users to Read Alternative News Sources
Joey Haar — January 30, 2017 — Pop Culture
References: readacrosstheaisle & fastcoexist
The current political climate is fueled by the media through which people get their information, and 'Read Across the Aisle' is a new app working to balance that information as much as possible.
Despite what publications might claim, virtually any source of current events comes with a bias. Thanks to the mechanisms of social media, the Internet, and for-profit journalism, people unfortunately end up reading those publications whose bias most conforms to their own opinions: be they the Breitbarts or the Buzzfeeds of the world. This self-satisfying reading leads to an amplification of opinions, where people on one side of the spectrum not only disagree with the other side, but can't even understand the opposing viewpoint whatsoever.
Read Across the Aisle tracks the sites that people read, and it gently reminds users to check out alternative publications to broaden the scope of their information.
Despite what publications might claim, virtually any source of current events comes with a bias. Thanks to the mechanisms of social media, the Internet, and for-profit journalism, people unfortunately end up reading those publications whose bias most conforms to their own opinions: be they the Breitbarts or the Buzzfeeds of the world. This self-satisfying reading leads to an amplification of opinions, where people on one side of the spectrum not only disagree with the other side, but can't even understand the opposing viewpoint whatsoever.
Read Across the Aisle tracks the sites that people read, and it gently reminds users to check out alternative publications to broaden the scope of their information.
Trend Themes
1. Balanced News Consumption - The trend towards balanced news consumption encourages individuals to seek out alternative publications to broaden their perspective.
2. Cognitive Diversity - The trend of promoting cognitive diversity highlights the need for individuals to understand and appreciate opposing viewpoints in order to foster better dialogue.
3. Personalized News Curation - The trend of personalized news curation empowers individuals to curate their own news experience, including diverse sources, to combat bias and echo chambers.
Industry Implications
1. News Aggregation - The news aggregation industry has the opportunity to develop platforms that provide users with a balanced selection of news sources to combat biased information consumption.
2. Media Literacy - The media literacy industry can create innovative tools and educational programs to help individuals understand and critically analyze different news sources, promoting a more diverse information ecosystem.
3. Social Media - The social media industry has the potential to leverage algorithms and features to encourage users to engage with diverse content, challenging echo chambers and promoting a more inclusive online discourse.
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