• by Cory Treffiletti , Featured Contributor, December 19, 2018

That doesn’t make a whole lot of sense at first pass. There are billions of websites, millions of print publications, thousands of television stations and at least a few radio stations left (wink, wink).   

Media fragmentation is real, but technology has created a smaller world to surround each of us through personalization.  Media does not overwhelm you because, simply, you are rarely exposed to most of it.  

Social media has been the biggest constraint, effectively curating your feed and creating tighter and tighter bubbles of content that envelop you and keep you focused on certain points of view.   

When you log in to Facebook and express liberal ideals or you view conservative types of content, you’ll see more of the same.  The recommendation engines tailor your experience to what it thinks you like to see.  

The same goes for retargeting of ads.  I wrote about Shinola last week in this space, and as a result I have now seen a dozen Shinola ads follow me around the web.  

My entire digital experience is one intended to shelter me from different points of view.  It tries to not expose me to new ideas, new services, new brands and new ways of thinking. Media has become too targeted and maybe a little too focused on what it thinks I want.

I like routines, I like change, but I get frustrated with stagnation. I feel as though media is perpetuating a stagnant way of thinking -- and, in 2019, we need to find ways to throw off the algorithm and seek out new things.  

This last year has been one full of frustration, anger and even hatred in media.  There’s a general focus on one-sided points of view, and I would hope the next 12 months we can do things to change that.

If you have read this far into the article, I have a good feeling you are the person I should be talking to.  You are open to this idea. 

So, here goes: Next year, make an attempt to understand ideas and points of view outside of your “bubble.”  I’m not saying you need to agree with anyone you don’t agree with, but take the time to step out of your personal sphere of influence and see what is important to others.  

Read some editorials from a site you never visit.  Check out an area of the country you never thought to visit, and maybe visit there. Find someone you know whose point of view is in opposition to yours, and have an inquiring conversation to find out what drives their thinking, rather than arguing with them.  Let them know your goal is to understand, not to challenge or sway them in any way.  

In a simpler fashion, reset your cookies, dump your cache, and start the year anew.  Maybe doing so will allow you to understand things in a more holistic manner and not get stuck being surrounded by media that makes you think you’re right.  

As the saying goes, there’s your point of view, there’s my point of view — and the truth lies somewhere in between.

2019 seems like a good time to do that. What do you think?