What tech companies could do to create a better news experience
Ways to overcome consumption bias and make news more “real”
In theory, it’s the media’s job to describe the world as it is, and not how people want it to be. But, as humans we tend to consume news by paying attention to information that confirms what we already believe, and ignore information that challenges our beliefs. In online platforms like Facebook and Google, where news is made visible through compelling clicks, upvotes and shareability, this confirmation bias has become ingrained in our experience of news and information.
Is it the tech industry’s responsibility to reconcile the need to experience the world as it is and not the way we want it to be? For those surprised and shocked by a Trump presidency, they may argue yes.
For the tech-saavy tabloid entrepreneurs who “earn money by gaming Facebook, Google, and Americans”, like the Macedonian teens who duped Trump supporters with fake news, they may argue no.
Facebook has decided to address the concerns of people who accuse their platform of spreading misinformation and fake news with their click-based algorithms. A recent study showed that a significant amount of people are experiencing their news through social media platforms, where confirmation bias flourishes and our exposure to diverse information can be extremely limited. The user experience champion tool of customization allows you to block friends who challenge your views on Facebook, or downvote opposing articles on Reddit, while personalized algorithms feed you news that you’re most likely to click on and share. A perfect environment is created, with friends that agree with you and news that makes you feel important and right. If we curate every aspect of the information we experience, our scope of knowledge and exposure to difference narrows. But the user has choice, which is important for companies who sell their users data.
So, do we give up our bubble of customization, rely on consensus, or let Google do the math?
What Could an Alternate Experience of News Look Like?
Google is exploring the idea of ranking news search results based on “truthfulness” rather than popularity. To make this happen, Google would consult its Knowledge Vault, a knowledge base created by Google containing facts that it has pulled automatically from sources like Freebase and Wikipedia (where facts are seen as a consensus of the internet representing truth). Statements from news articles will be given a confidence value determining their likelihood of being true by referencing other data sources. So instead of counting page links, Google counts the amount of incorrect facts. Fewer incorrect facts produces a higher page rank. This is one idea, but one that isn’t without it’s own problems, mainly that statements may need to be interpreted within context. With this, it’s not hard to imagine Google performing real time fact checking or creating truthfulness scores on news articles (with Wikipedia and other sources serving as a sort of trust network for this truthfulness). But besides being able to access accurate content, we also may need to think of other creative ways to consume news.
Some media companies are backing the potential of VR (Virtual Reality) in the realm of experiencing news. VR could change the way we experience news in a very literal sense. Long-term viability, tracking of ad sales and accessibility issues aside, it’s been seen as a way to tap into users emotional connection to news stories. The New York Times launched NYTVR where users can immerse themselves in news stories with their iPhone and Google cardboard headsets. The Washington Post joined in by releasing a 360 degree experience of the surface of Mars viewable from different degrees of VR, from Web to Oculus Rift. Users have reported that their connection to the information was more emotional and visceral where VR brought them closer to the events and stories. It’s easy to ignore information that challenges us when it’s on a flat screen, but it might not be so easy to ignore when it feels like you’re experiencing it. Some are seeing VR as a step more towards experiencing the world as it is, as opposed to how we want it to be. Would we want VR to take us into news stories and events that challenge our assumptions? Would it make us more informed or empathetic, or would it just be another form of entertainment?
One thing is for certain, and that is our experience of news is constantly evolving, and there is no easy solution to reconcile our biased consumption of news. When it comes down to it, we as individuals in a free and democratic society are ultimately responsible for choosing the news we see and hear. However, if we choose to consume that news from online platforms run by tech companies that are built on the principles of connecting people, sharing ideas and making the world a better place, then we need more discussion on how they can encourage access to accurate and more diverse news experiences in the first place.
