One of the best things you can do when you read something is to simply click links.
That’s it.
When an article makes a statement and has a link, just go ahead and click it and then start reading. Forcing myself to engage and research what I’m reading rather than passively consuming has had a lot of benefits.
First, it lets you prune out people or sources you read that may seem trustworthy on the surface but are citing absolute crap to support claims.
Second, reading more primary sources inoculates against a lot of lazy writing about “scientists say X”. You’ll quickly realize there’s a broad range of research credibility and rigor. Just because there’s a study that says something that doesn’t mean it’s true.
Third, it’s just a good brain exercise. Force yourself to do hard things. Push back against the TikTok and social media induced stupor of consumption. Reading dense primary sources forces you to put some effort into comprehending what you’re reading. Too much content online is written to require as little effort as possible. Put some mental reps in and get effortful reading back into your daily routine.