The popular news aggregator Flipboard is now rolling out changes to its newsfeed. Starting today, users will be able to customize and choose which topics are shown in the app’s “For You” section, which will let them see more of the content they want.
According to Flipboard, the idea is to prevent users from having to deal with what the company calls “doomscrolling,” which is a term used to describe situations in which people find themselves continuously scrolling over bad news. The company acknowledges that while some users like to use Flipboard to read political news, other users just want to follow less intense topics.
While millions come to Flipboard to catch up on breaking news and politics, a majority of users spend their time on the platform engaging with thousands of other topics including food, travel, photography, fitness and parenting. The new personalization capabilities let users be more intentional with their media consumption, which mental health experts recommend as an antidote to doomscrolling.
The company says that the new For You section with the personalized newsfeed comes after studies showed that some people were developing symptoms of anxiety and depression from reading bad news on COVID-19. If that’s the case for you, you will now be able to choose what to see on your Flipboard.
Users will receive topic suggestions based on trends, but they can also search for more specific topics. There are options such as science, sports, technology, travel, and even a dedicated section for Apple news. After saving the chosen topics, your newsfeed will be immediately updated with related news.
These changes are being rolled out to users running the latest version of the Flipboard app, which is available for free on the App Store.
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