The social-media web is built on a lie. Platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter enticed countless users to join with the promise that they could see everything their friends or favorite celebrities posted in one convenient location.

Over time, though, the sites were carefully calibrated to filter what users saw—regardless of their stated preferences—in order to manipulate their attention and keep them on the platform. Algorithmic timelines quietly replaced chronological ones, until our social-media feeds no longer took direction from us, but rather directed us where they wanted us to go.

Lately, this deception has become more transparent.

[The core of Rosenberg’s advice is to start using RSS fead readers in order to put yourself in control of curation. I’ve never stopped using an RSS feed reader (I use Feedly but there are other options), and I concur with his assessment. It’s not a panacea for echo chambers, since users tend to only follow publications that resonate with them, but at least we are the architects of those bubbles rather than corporate-government collusions. And it inevitably brings more diversity of viewpoints to users’ attention, especially if they are diligent in their curation and ensuring its breadth. — Ed]