[LINK] "A Beginner's Guide to More Mindful Media Consumption"

[rfmcdonald]

On Medium, Steve Rubel makes recommendations as to how consumers of online media can best find useful things.

In a digital environment there are arguably only three pathways to news: direct engagement, referrals via search engines and serendipitous discovery through social media.

In the case of direct engagement, you are in 100% control of where you focus your attention. You decide what news apps to download, what sites to bookmark and what email newsletters and podcasts are worth subscribing to. And it’s relatively easy to opt out.

In the case of search, you are partially in control. Once you enter your keywords, a highly tuned algorithm that is backed by 20 years of data and a relentless focus on quality strips out most of the junk and delivers relevant results. (Garbage in, can result in garbage out however.)

With social media, it can be a different story. You only have two choices — who to friend/follow and what to click. Then content finds you through the lens of your friends. This human aspect can greatly influence what news makes it into your feed. Quality can vary based on the social network, the device, the time of day, your friends, your previous clicks and more.

All three have merits but what they deliver can differ vastly. (Our research reveals that search trumps all when it comes to the public’s trust.)

Much more at the link.