Nicholas Kristoff of the New York Times:
When we go online, each of us is our own editor, our own gatekeeper. We select the kind of news and opinions that we care most about.
Nicholas Negroponte of M.I.T. has called this emerging news product The Daily Me. And if that’s the trend, God save us from ourselves.
That’s because there’s pretty good evidence that we generally don’t truly want good information — but rather information that confirms our prejudices. We may believe intellectually in the clash of opinions, but in practice we like to embed ourselves in the reassuring womb of an echo chamber.
That’s cause for concern by itself, but I wonder if this was one of the factors that led people to move to online news consumption in the first place. Think about it – haven’t we all heard these? “Oh, I read only the sports page”. “I wish newspapers had bigger business sections”. “I love the Op-Ed pages in the Guardian!”
That’s what online is about – you can read only sports, only business, only politics, only gossip, only high-brow opinion pieces – whatever agrees with you – or whatever you agree with.
We do not get online to read what we agree with. Rather, it is to read about what interests us.
It is the same offline also. “I read only the sports pages” does not mean “I do not read sports pages when India loses.”
It is what we get in return that dictates what we read. (profit in business or pleasure)
Interesting point, about people generally wanting information that confirms their own prejudices. I guess there is truth to that. With online news, I think it's still generally the same as with printed material. You can choose not to read the other sections too with the printed material, right? I guess its just easier doing it online.
True, online has made it easier to access just what you want. But like the previous comment said, people could (and generally did) do that with paper versions too. As a result of which, most newspapers only published what the majority readers wanted to read. I know I have complained of the sensationalist news in the TOI, or terribly subjective or even false content in other papers.A likely positive outcome is that the niche category of people who do want quality news will be able to find it, since publishers don't have to send the entire news in one bundle. And if this means that I get filter the news to my one-sided views, it may still be better than having someone else filter my news to their one-sided views…