For all its talk of a more connected world, Facebook has a tendency to silo us—its users—into feedback loops, those spheres of information where we're rarely subjected to views that differ from our own.
Never was this phenomenon more pronounced than in the months leading up to the 2016 election, when it sometimes seemed as if people were living in entirely different, ideology-driven realities.
This interactive tool using analysis from the Wall Street Journaldoes a good job of illustrating how people with different viewpoints might inhabit completely different media worlds.
But you don't have to submit entirely to Facebook's take on the news. Below are some ways to hack your feed for a more well-rounded online experience.
Adjusting your feed
The bad news: Facebook’s proprietary news algorithm is an unpredictable black-box. The good news: There are ways to adjust your settings so that you see more of certain types of posts or sources than others.
Facebook's "News Feed preferences" let you to set which accounts' posts you see as soon as you log in.
The tab can be found under the arrow in the righthand corner of your homepage.
Put together a handful of well-rounded news sources to get a dose of different opinions at the top of your page.
Ads might seem like an irrelevant factor in the news you see, but oftentimes publishers will boost posts by promoting them among users whose interests line up with those of their prospective audience. Facebook's "Ad Preferences" control panel gives you a good idea of what ads you can expect to see based on your interests and lets you adjust those interests accordingly.
To access this tool, click on the arrow in the righthand corner of the desktop page, scroll down to "settings," click "ads" in the lefthand column of that page and go to the row that says "manage the preferences we use to show you ads."
The panel also gives a sense of Facebook's best guess of your ideological orientation. Remember that even if you don't spend a lot of time on the site, Facebook has ways of following you around the web with trackers and cookies, so its profile of your perceived interests might still be extensive.
It's worth noting that Facebook's been around a while and these interest pages tend to accumulate on your profile. Sometimes innocuous interest pages even adopt odd political beliefs that they broadcast out to followers.
When I went through my preferences, I unchecked lots of pages I had subscribed to years ago and since forgotten about.
When I went through my preferences, I unchecked lots of pages I had subscribed to years ago and since forgotten about.
Following a well-rounded set of voices
Playing with your News Feed settings can only get you so far. The only real way to ensure an ideologically diverse feed is a good working knowledge of the legitimate sources on all sides. Here's a starter list for some intelligent opinionated outlets.
Conservative-leaning prestige media
The National Review-- Long recognized as a leading voice in intelligent conservatism, the William Buckley-founded magazine tends to hold a lot of weight in right-wing circles. Like most legacy conservative outlets, the Reviewwas outspoken in its opposition to Donald Trump's candidacy.
The Weekly Standard-- Bill Kristol's weekly magazine features an array of neoconservative viewpoints and informed takes from right-leaning Washington think tanks.
The American Conservative -- The bi-monthly magazine is supposed to be a bastion of "true conservatism" and doesn't hesitate to call out Republican party views when it disagrees.
Liberal-leaning prestige media
TheNew Yorker -- While not explicitly liberal, the New Yorker’s editorial board leans left on most contemporary issues. Widely considered one of America’s best magazines, look to it for in-depth reporting, unique commentary and some humor -- but watch out for fake headlines from uninspired satirist Andy Borowitz.
The Nation-- The oldest continuously running weekly magazine in the United States, The Nationcan be reliably counted on to provide a thoughtful liberal point of view.
Mother Jones -- On top of some great investigative reporting, the San Francisco-based magazine provides incisive liberal punditry.
Conservative new media
Independent Journal Review -- IJRseems to aspire to be a sort of BuzzFeedfor the right with a heavy emphasis on social media and a bloggy tone.
Heat Street -- Rupert Murdoch’s answer to dominant conservative blogs, Heat Streetbrings a new media mindset to conservatism that’s geared towards a young, digitally in-tune audience.
Daily Caller -- The Tucker Carlson-founded blog looks at politics, culture, entertainment and other topics through a conservative lens.
Liberal new media
Salon -- Salonwas one of the early pioneers of online news, and the staunchly progressive site has a reputation as a launching pad for respected lefty voices like Glenn Greenwald and Joan Walsh.
AlterNet-- Another web pioneer, AlterNetis known for its liberal activism and policy critiques. It's syndication service has also made it a hub for content from liberal outlets of all stripes.
Talking Points Memo-- Run by respected liberal pundit Josh Marshall, the progressive blog helps set the agenda for liberal thought.Libertarian media
Reason -- The decades-old magazine is widely seen as the publication of record for libertarian thinking.
Socialist media
Jacobin -- For anyone looking for voices even further to the left, Jacobinoffers unabashedly socialist perspectives on contemporary events.
International perspective
Al Jazeera-- It may be a state-run outlet for the Qatari government, but Al Jazeera has consistently proven it's committed to clear-headed thinking and in-depth reporting on issues facing the Middle East. It's a good go-to source for opinions and angles you might not be able to find in Western media.
The Economist-- The vaunted British magazine features bold reporting-backed commentary on foreign affairs all over the world that might get little attention in the U.S. press.
Der Spiegel(International edition)-- One of Europe's biggest news weeklies, Der Spiegel offers an English-language international edition that gives readers a comprehensive window into continental politics.
Dig Deeper
ProPublica-- The Pulitzer prize-winning nonprofit is known for its in-depth investigative journalism, invaluable explainers and informative databases that demonstrate the tangles of interests at play in everyday institutions.
News Deeply-- The media organization encompasses a collection of specialized sites that dig deep on important issues. Syria Deeply, which traces the ongoing civil war in the country, is particularly well-regarded.
The Marshall Project-- The investigative outlet -- another Pulitzer winner -- delves into criminal justice and law enforcement issues. Its editorial operation is headed by former New York Timesexecutive editor Bill Keller.
Outside the media-sphere
Medium -- Medium's Facebook page highlights the best and most popular posts from the blogging platform. It's a good place to look for perspectives that might fall outside the traditional media bubble.
StoryCorps-- StoryCorps is an independent nonprofit project that collects audio accounts of experiences from a diverse array of Americans.
Individual media figures
Most prominent journalists frequently update their followers with news and links from their own perspective as well as insight into their work. Look for names connected with reputable organizations or other well-regarded personalities.
What to avoid
Any accounts that share fake news
While thousands of people fall for hoax stories every day, it only takes a few minutes to check for the telltale signs of a bogus article.
Check the URL: Oftentimes, fake news sites will try to fool you with a site address that’s almost identical to that of a trusted news source -- abcnews.com.co, for instance, is a real operating example of a scam news hub.
Be wary of hyperbolic headlines: Any article headers with lots of caps, breathless adjectives or a shouty tone should immediately raise suspicions
Watch out for common formulas: Many fake news writers rely on the same provocative set-up again and again. "X celebrity is moving to [your hometown]" is a common one for example. A quick Snopessearch can easily debunk these.
Actually skim the article: Many fake articles count on the fact that most people don’t read beyond the headline and pad the text with complete gibberish. The text in the screenshot below, taken from a fake post about Barack Obama banning the pledge of allegiance, should be a dead giveaway. But this article racked up nearly 50,000 views and more than 700 comments -- the vast majority seemingly unaware of its falsehood.
Credit: abcnews.com.co, screenshotQuestionable sources
Breitbart --The website has essentially become a mouthpiece for Trump's campaign and now soon-to-be administration. Its executive chairman, Steve Bannon, is now Trump's chief strategist. The site has been known to pump oxygen into right-wing conspiracy theories and features a tag for "Black Crime."
Russia Today -- Friendliness between the Trump camp and Russia's government has turned this Kremlin-controlled news service into a shill outlet for the president-elect. Aside from that, it regularly spouts Moscow-endorsed propaganda.
Infowars -- This one should go without saying, but considering how chummy site proprietor Alex Jones is with our president-elect, it's worth mentioning. Jones espouses several insane conspiracy theories; he believes 9/11 was an inside job, the Sandy Hook shooting was faked and Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are literal demons, among other things.
The Gateway Pundit-- Don't be fooled by the wonky-sounding name. This right-wing site has seemingly no qualms about running with erroneous information. Some greatest hits include a credulously outraged post over an obvious prank tweet about destroying ballots and a host of articles feeding the inane "spirit cooking" debacle.
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