Google is rolling out a new “preferred sources” feature, starting in the United States and India, that lets users prioritise Top Stories that come from specific outlets. The internet giant introduced the function into testing for Labs users in June of this year, followed by its full release.
Google what I want
According to Google, the “new feature in Search […] lets you customize your experience to see more from your favorite sites within Top Stories.” While the new option is aimed at Search users, its release so soon after websites have complained that AI Overviews is mugging their traffic seems a little too coincidental.
On its face, having the option to put preferred sources at the head of the line is a good thing. People like to experience the things they are fond of or trust, after all. Having a trusted news source appear more frequently could save time when scanning the daily goings-on. It also risks immersing a user even deeper into a filter bubble if there’s only a very specific viewpoint being presented.
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Google says that users will “still see content from other sites, and can manage […] selections at any time,” but rolling up a favoured perspective and handing it over runs the risk of filter bubbles hardening over time. The company assumes its users will act responsibly. World experience suggests that it won’t be the case for everyone. Still, the search giant is doing a new thing. Yay.
Still, if you’re planning on climbing into a bubble, you’ll have to do the climbing yourself. The process for adding a preferred source involves finding a newsworthy topic and clicking an icon to the right of the Top Stories bar. From there, any preferred sources can be searched and added to the list. Google reckons its Labs users have indicated that four is optimal, but users can add one or more outlets. The News page is refreshed, and any relevant coverage from the selected sources is surfaced as it becomes available. A new ‘From your sources’ tab may also be in the offing for users at a later stage.
