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Frictions in News Consumption: How to Improve the Social Media News Diet

Author

Listed:
  • Luca Braghieri
  • Ro'ee Levy
  • Hannah Trachtman

Abstract

Key Messages:An optimal news portfolio requires individuals to be informed, make an active choice, and be offered a relevant choice setInforming users about news reliability leads them to follow more reliable accountsEncouraging users to actively choose which outlets they follow nudges them toward less extreme news, even without informationUsers’ news portfolios depend not only on their preferences but also on the outlets they are offeredInterventions that decrease the slant and increase the reliability of users’ portfolios also shift users toward their bliss points

Suggested Citation

  • Luca Braghieri & Ro'ee Levy & Hannah Trachtman, 2025. "Frictions in News Consumption: How to Improve the Social Media News Diet," EconPol Forum, CESifo, vol. 26(04), pages 12-16, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:ces:epofor:v:26:y:2025:i:04:p:12-16
    as

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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Hunt Allcott & Matthew Gentzkow, 2017. "Social Media and Fake News in the 2016 Election," NBER Working Papers 23089, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    2. Sacha Altay & Emma Hoes & Magdalena Wojcieszak, 2025. "Following news on social media boosts knowledge, belief accuracy and trust," Nature Human Behaviour, Nature, vol. 9(9), pages 1833-1842, September.
    3. Felix Chopra & Ingar K. Haaland & Fabian Roeben & Christopher Roth & Vanessa Sticher, 2025. "News Customization with AI," CESifo Working Paper Series 12121, CESifo.
    4. Ro'ee Levy, 2021. "Social Media, News Consumption, and Polarization: Evidence from a Field Experiment," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 111(3), pages 831-870, March.
    5. Hunt Allcott & Matthew Gentzkow, 2017. "Social Media and Fake News in the 2016 Election," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 31(2), pages 211-236, Spring.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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