Read the following article from a website.
Social media allows us to view political news and participate in political discussion like never before. At the same time, Facebook, Twitter, and other platforms are so popular because they know what we already like. Cute cats? Pics of your bestie? A certain political viewpoint? No problem. Our social media feeds aren't about helping us explore new things. They're about creating a comfortable place to hang out. And it works.
Until it's time to expand our worldview and explore all sides of an issue.
"One of the great things and one of the horrible things about social media is that everyone can have their say," says Juana Summers, an editor for CNN Politics. "It's kind of a marketplace for ideas. And some voices that sometimes are not correct or have a very partisan slant can oftentimes get amplified."
Living in a democracy means that all voices can be heard. But with the ability to curate our own news and limit the voices of those with opposing political views, we end up only hearing from people we agree with and completely missing out on anyone else's opinion. Instead of embracing a vibrant public conversation, we end up in an online echo chamber.
One of the ways out of this echo chamber is to take control of your news feeds. Here are some ways to curate your social media news to capture more than the sound of your own opinions. Do you do any of these things? If not, take our poll to let us know which ones you'd actually do.
Using the drop-down menu (▾), choose the best option according to the information given on the website.
Facebook, Twitter, etc. engage people to 2.
One of the dangers of social media is it 3.
When users of social media prefer their own identical opinions only, 4.
The suggestion made in the conclusion here is 5.
The following is a comment by a visitor to the website page. Complete the comment by choosing the best option to fill in each blank.