Lemieux Library: Navigating Information: How We Get Information

Living in the Modern Information Landscape

Our individual responses to information are complicated. They are based on our own experiences, interests, backgrounds, emotions, needs, and associations. The following resources explore how individuals respond to information and how media companies sometimes use those reactions manipulatively.

Social Media "Bubbles"

Social Clicks: What and Who Gets Read on Twitter?
A French & American study exploring the habits of social media users who share news links.
Blue Feed, Red Feed
A Wall Street Journal experiment shows readers what a Facebook feed might look like for a traditionally liberal user vs. a traditionally conservative user on a range of political topics.
Are you living in a social-media bubble?
An article written for the Boston globe shortly after the 2016 presidential election explores the issue of "media bubbles" or "social-media bubbles."

Perspectives on Information Sharing

The Emotional Combinations That Make Stories Go Viral
The Harvard Business Review explores what makes a piece of content emotionally engaging.
Age and thinking style affect how young people evaluate online information
An article from Science Daily that discusses how a young person's information evaluation practices correlate with their identities and personalities.
A New Understanding: What Makes People Trust and Rely on News
A report from The Media Insight Project shares findings on what clues consumers look for to determine whether they find a source reputable or not.