How can we measure and prefer the content with more intrinsic value?
I think that there has been an increasing tendency in people to look for information on the web that validates their own opinions. The increasing bipolarization and radicalization seem to indicate this fact. However, I have no scientific data to allow me to validate this trend.
chrisaldrich annotation on
You cannot measure the health of journalism simply by looking at the number of editors and reporters on the payroll of newspapers. There are undoubtedly going to be fewer of them. The question is whether that loss is going to be offset by the tremendous increase in textual productivity we get from a connected web. Presuming, of course, that we don’t replace that web with glass boxes.
in https://stevenberlinjohnson.com/the-glass-box-and-the-commonplace-book-639b16c4f3bb
The value of journalism must take account of the increase in textual productivity gained by the interconnected Internet and not solely by the number of editors, reporters, and size or number of newspapers.
Of course we also need to account for the signal to noise ratio created by the masses of people who can say anything they like, which can also be compounded by the algorithmic feed of social platforms that give preference to the extremes and content that increases engagement (a measure which doesn’t take into account the intrinsic value of the things which are shared.)
How can we measure and prefer the content with more intrinsic value? Similar to the idea of fast food and healthier food? How can we help people to know the difference between the types of information they’re consuming.