The fact that we've gotten to a point where just pure randomness can provide us some novelty on the internet might also say something about the current state of content we consume. To get an accurate picture of what Americans think about their digital habits, Flipboard and the YouGov team collaborated on a poll of 1,000 respondents, and got interesting insights into their online "diets."
More than two in five Americans (44%) think they would be very likely or somewhat likely to be described as a "news junkie."
Men (54%) are more likely than women (35%) to think they would be considered part of this group. Conversely, nearly half of women (45%) say it's very unlikely they would be described as news junkies, while just over a quarter of men (26%) feel the same way.
Overall, nearly half of US adults (47%) think they consume too much digital content, while just 2% think they consume too little.
Although men are more likely to think they are seen as news junkies, they are less likely than women to believe they consume too much content in general (44% of men vs. 52% of women).
Women are nearly twice as likely as men to feel they consume "way too much" digital content, with 16% of women expressing this sentiment compared to 9% of men. Additionally, men are more likely to feel their digital content consumption is "just about right," with 54% selecting this option compared to 46% of women.
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The data also confirms an oversaturation of national political news, with 28% of respondents feeling they consume more than desired, and just 9% consuming less than desired.
"People are getting redirected, and their emotions and their instincts are being manipulated by these algorithms that are designed to get you to click on things that you wouldn't normally have decided to opt-in to seeing," said Mike McCue, CEO of Flipboard. "That's a big challenge that a lot of these social media platforms and algorithms are causing right now."
Entertainment and curiosity emerge as the dominant emotions for Americans when they consume content online, with 39% of respondents feeling entertained and 37% feeling curious.
"People are inherently curious. They want to learn more. They want to be better versions of themselves," McCue added. "It's really important to build a system and an information ecosystem that allows them to have an information diet like that, that feeds those needs."
The thing that really stuck out was the correlation between daily screen time and emotional responses. As leisure screen time increases, so does the feeling of being entertained, almost doubling from 31% for those with less than 3 hours of daily screen time to 55% for those spending more than 8 hours. But feelings of being overwhelmed and addiction also increase with screen time, peaking at 33% and 20% respectively for those in the 5-8 hour range.
As for why these random images are so addicting, humans are naturally inclined to see connections in completely unrelated things—this psychological phenomenon is called apophenia. As a result, even the most absurd or “cursed” pictures can feel strangely artistic, educational, or profound, and therefore, valuable to us.
