By following the work of authors that you trust and getting recommendations from people you trust, you can reduce your need for recommendations from machines an

By following the work of authors that you trust and getting recommendations from people you trust, you can reduce your need for recommendations from machines and companies. Then you won't need to rely on clickbait images and headlines to decide if you want to read or watch something. This requires effort, so it's not free, but I think it's a better way to engage with media.