What is your priority in reading and discussing the news in social networks?

[Winnie1122]

Hi! Does the survey question below sound natural in English, or does it feel awkward?

Question:
“What is your priority in reading and discussing the news in social networks?”

Answer options:

1. reliable information
2. internet security
3. volume of information
4. friendly attitude of other social network users
5. discussing information with other social network users

 

[emsr2d2]

Hi! Does the survey question below sound natural in English no comma here or does it feel awkward?

Question:
“What is your priority in when reading and discussing the news in on social networks?”

Answer options:

1. reliable information
2. internet security
3. volume of information
4. friendly attitude of other social network users
5. discussing information with other social network users

With my corrections, it's correct. I don't know what you mean by "feel awkward".

 

[Winnie1122]

With my corrections, it's correct. I don't know what you mean by "feel awkward".

Here's what AI says:

That’s a slightly awkwardly phrased survey question
Let me unpack what it’s trying to mean.

“What is your priority in reading and discussing the news in social networks?”
→ The question is asking: When you read and talk about news on social media, what is the most important thing for you?

 

[Winnie1122]

With my corrections, it's correct. I don't know what you mean by "feel awkward".

After I gave the answer choices, AI says:
Ah, that makes it much clearer

So the survey question “What is your priority in reading and discussing the news in social networks?” is basically asking:
When you engage with news on social media, which of the following matters most to you?

This explains why I asked: "...or does it feel awkward?"

 

[emsr2d2]

I suggest you ask AI why it thought it was awkward.

 

[Winnie1122]

I suggest you ask AI why it thought it was awkward.

Here's what AI says:
The question feels a bit awkward because of how it’s structured and the mix of concepts. Here’s why:

1. Mix of activities: “Reading and discussing” combines two actions, but it’s not clear whether respondents should think about both equally, or pick which matters more.
2. “Priority” phrasing: Asking about someone’s “priority” can feel abstract—people might not naturally rank their news habits in terms of priority.
3. Social networks context: The sentence lumps all social networks together, which could feel broad or vague for some respondents.

A smoother way to phrase it might be:

• “When using social networks, what matters most to you about news?”
• “What is your main purpose when reading or discussing news on social networks?”

 

[Winnie1122]

With my corrections, it's correct. I don't know what you mean by "feel awkward".

Thank you for your response and your time.

 

[teechar]

1. reliability of information
2. internet site/platform security
3. volume scope/depth of information

Is that what you meant?

 

[emsr2d2]

Here's what AI says:
The question feels a bit awkward because of how it’s structured and the mix of concepts. Here’s why:

1. Mix of activities: “Reading and discussing” combines two actions, but it’s not clear whether respondents should think about both equally, or pick which matters more.
2. “Priority” phrasing: Asking about someone’s “priority” can feel abstract—people might not naturally rank their news habits in terms of priority.
3. Social networks context: The sentence lumps all social networks together, which could feel broad or vague for some respondents.

I disagree with AI on all three points.
1. If it wasn't a multiple choice question, AI might have a valid point #1 because it could be taken to mean "Which is your priority - reading news on social media or discussing news on social media?" However, the way the question and the answer list are worded make it clear that the two actions on social media are supposed to be taken together.
2. I see nothing vague about asking people about their priority when a list of priorities to choose from is then given.
3. There's no problem with lumping all social media platforms together. The alternative is to pick just one (ie Facebook) and ask solely about that. That doesn't achieve the objective.

A smoother way to phrase it might be:

• “When using social networks, what matters most to you about news?”
• “What is your main purpose when reading or discussing news on social networks?”

Neither of them mean the same as the original. The first loses the idea of "reading and discussing" the news. The second has changed "priorities" to "purpose" - they don't mean the same thing.

 

[Winnie1122]

I disagree with AI on all three points.
1. If it wasn't a multiple choice question, AI might have a valid point #1 because it could be taken to mean "Which is your priority - reading news on social media or discussing news on social media?" However, the way the question and the answer list are worded make it clear that the two actions on social media are supposed to be taken together.
2. I see nothing vague about asking people about their priority when a list of priorities to choose from is then given.
3. There's no problem with lumping all social media platforms together. The alternative is to pick just one (ie Facebook) and ask solely about that. That doesn't achieve the objective.

Neither of them mean the same as the original. The first loses the idea of "reading and discussing" the news. The second has changed "priorities" to "purpose" - they don't mean the same thing.

Much appreciated!

 

[emsr2d2]

Much appreciated!

Your gratitude is appreciated. However, in future, it's a lot quicker to simply add the "Thanks" icon to any post you find useful. Hover your mouse over the "Like" button and choose the icon.