News is one way for individuals to know about what is happening in society in real time. In today’s world, people are relying more on personalized algorithms in news and entertainment, which might cause a possible threat to societal understanding. I believe the advantages of algorithm-driven content do not outweigh the disadvantages for a well-informed public. And I will disscuss the reasoning futher below.
The main reason of news being broadcasted is to make people aware of problems that is happening in society. And usually the event that is informed by the news is important for future adjustment. For example, a news showing forest fire is not only for individuals to know about the situation, but also implicates about environtment awareness. This may result in people taking action to save the earth such as recycling products, planting more trees etc.
When news and entertainment are algorithm-driven, it means that it’s only going to show content that is relevant to it’s individual. For instance, only seeing news about their favorite artist makes them happier rather than seeing the forest fire news because it fits their interest more. Although this may give the individual the a sense of satisfaction, the impact of it will only be felt by the individual.
Considering the range of impact both content brings, a non algorithm-driven content gives a more universal feedback, which weigh more rather than algorithm-driven content that focuses more on the individual satisfaction. Therefore, content that focus on the user preference, only fits the interest of one actor, I believe it does not give a lot of advantages.
