I read a lot of liberal writing. Probably as much or more than I consume from the right. And though I agree with little of it, leftist literature is extremely valuable to me as a conservative.
Let me explain.
Thanks to the way social media works, conservative news outlets chase me day and night. You know those algorithms; they’re designed to treat users as consumers. “Oh you clicked the ‘like’ button on that one post?” the algorithm says. “Then here’s a boat load of similar stuff you should see.”
That’s why our Facebook experiences are so narrow in scope. Whenever I log in, all I usually see are pictures from the 20 friends I engage with most, a gazillion bits of right-leaning political commentary, ads for products I’ve recently online window-shopped, and stories about how the Cubs are finally going to win the World Series this year.
In addition to the way individually tailored information is shoved in our faces in the digital age, it’s human instinct to gravitate to topics and viewpoints of our liking. People, after all, are biased creatures.