Of course, before diving in, I must emphasize that the following views are strictly my own, representing merely my conclusions as of today. They will inevitably be criticized by the faux-neutral, faux-rational crowd on this forum for "smuggling in private agendas" (since these thoughts are inherently based on my own life experiences and observations, what else could they be? Or, for that matter, what exactly is the "public agenda" that this so-called "private agenda" is supposedly undermining?).
If I had to construct a methodology for consuming information—whether online or in real life—I personally prioritize the caliber of the source above all else, followed by its historical track record, and finally, its underlying intent.
1.1 Personally Speaking
I prioritize the caliber of the information source. This concept is rather abstract, but let me give an example. I used to be really into IT and consumer electronics, so I consumed a vast amount of related content. In the process, I stumbled upon a podcast where the host discussed a lot of IT topics, but it felt vastly different from the rest. While other sources were busy with cookie-cutter recommendations for the "most beautiful apps" or minor phone tips, this podcast was talking about the industrial development of the mobile device sector before 2013, the survival status of independent app developers, and the application of cutting-edge technology in the film and gaming industries. Even though I was just dipping my toes into these topics and didn't fully grasp many of the details they discussed, I immediately got the impression: this host has real caliber.
Naturally, human nature kicks in: when you read a great article or watch an excellent video, it's like tasting an amazing egg—you want to know what the chicken that laid it looks like, and whether she has laid any other eggs. At that point, I discovered that this podcast host also had, say, a Zhihu account and a Twitter account. I would then check what content this person was producing on other channels. I found that not only did he understand IT, but he was also an editor in the publishing industry. If he expressed very positive views about certain authors or books on Twitter, I might become curious about those authors and books and seek them out. Of course, during this process, I might also discover that in other areas—even areas I know very well—his content's caliber or professionalism isn't up to par, or at least completely incompatible with my taste. If so, the exploration of information sources stemming from this person might end there. In the future, I might only trust his IT-related commentary, or perhaps not trust him at all.
But if you continuously repeat this process, you'll find that there are people in this world who dabble in several fields, possess a high caliber (or, whether it's objectively high or not, at least it perfectly suits your taste), and consistently offer relatively insightful perspectives. Such information sources are worth following long-term. Where this source intersects with other fields is a golden opportunity to expand the boundaries of your knowledge and values. After following them for a while, you might notice that this person is experiencing the same social events as you. When they drop a few words about these events, you'll pay attention. Perhaps their attitude toward certain events differs greatly from yours, or from mainstream public opinion. In such cases, I become curious: what information sources does he have that I don't (e.g., what accounts does he follow, who among his online friends shares his views, what industry or company is he currently in)? What experiences or social circles have led him to such distinct views? Have I previously encountered his information sources, experiences, or social circles?
By constantly repeating this process, you will accumulate a roster of information sources with relatively high caliber, whose values roughly align with your current ones, but who can also occasionally pose a healthy challenge to your worldview. Information from these sources—which have passed my caliber filter—usually commands the highest credibility and priority in my book.
1.2 Secondly
What I value next is the source's historical track record. For instance, there was a time when I felt that many accounts on Bilibili advocating the rise of China or criticizing American hegemonism made some sense, and some even convinced me for a while. But suddenly one day, I found that one such account emphatically claimed Russia would not invade Ukraine, and that the US President's warning of an impending war was just a political lie. In the end, Russia absolutely did launch a war, and it was actually us—supposedly Russia's close partner—who failed to evacuate our citizens in time. Or take another account that bragged about how we immediately utilized every possible resource to evacuate our citizens, while your Ukrainian classmate tells you that students from many other countries had left on specific dates, but he never saw any news about being able to leave. At that point, you can directly blacklist that information source, along with any highly correlated sources, and even use them as contrarian indicators. My personal habit regarding a source's track record is a strict "one strike and you're out" rule. Furthermore, depending on the severity of the error, I employ a relatively strict system of guilt by association: any highly correlated sources are blacklisted in batches. By repeatedly applying this process, you will develop a holistic understanding of inaccurate or even harmful information sources (where they come from, their characteristics, their preferred style of content production, etc.), making your future judgments far more efficient and confident.
1.3 Finally
Another thing I personally value—and I don't mind injecting some subjective judgment here—is deciphering the intent behind the information a source provides. For example, when I want to research a certain topic, forum posts, personal Zhihu accounts with little promotional content, replies under videos, and personal blogs are all far more trustworthy to me than official WeChat accounts, video channels, or big Zhihu influencers. This is because the authors of such content usually have almost zero commercial motivation when posting. For instance, the guys sharing resource or discussion threads on Nan+: I'm highly inclined to believe they are sharing simply because they genuinely like it, have a real desire to share, or, at most, want to stroke their own ego a bit. They aren't trying to build traffic to sell to advertisers, nor are they trying to hawk products to you. Conversely, content on many official WeChat accounts might indeed compile incredibly detailed information when you're trying to learn about something, but these accounts are almost always either trying to sell a product/service or peddling a narrative designed for you to blindly agree with. Either way, to you, this isn't information that grants a competitive edge; it just herds you into the exact same pen as everyone else, forming the exact same opinion.
1.4 One Last Thing
Although it's not technically part of this methodology, I think there's a crucial counterintuitive principle: "Not all information is presented to you in a straightforward manner. In fact, the information that is closer to the truth and more likely to set you apart from the crowd is often delivered to you indirectly."
Let's say you want to buy a certain electronic gadget, but all your search results are generic official descriptions. When you ask Taobao customer service, you get cookie-cutter PR speak. You check Zhihu and find nothing but advertorials from big influencers. You visit the company's official website, and naturally, everything is marketed as "powerful" and "groundbreaking" (think most Xiaomi or Samsung products). But then you notice that just three months after the product's release, someone on Xianyu is already selling it secondhand at a 1,000-yuan discount. If you chat with these sellers—whether they're professional flippers or actual users—they will give you the real, unvarnished user experience (like why they're dumping it, or why a flood of cheap secondhand units is suddenly hitting the market).
The above are some methods for consuming information that I've summarized and personally find quite effective. I hope they help you navigate this era of information overload.