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From Information Cocoons to Cognitive Risks: Deep Reading Dilemmas and Countermeasures for Vocational Students in AI-Fragmented Environments

Changfen Chen

Study on Journalism and Communication / 2026,6(1): 22-33 / 2026-08-19 14 6

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• Information:

  Chongqing Vocational College of Media, Chongqing

• Keywords:
  Information cocoon; Cognitive risk; Deep reading; Shallow reading; Vocational college students; AIdriven fragmented environment
• Abstract: In the era of deeply embedded artificial intelligence in information dissemination, the fragmented information environment centered on algorithmic recommendations has become the primary field for knowledge acquisition among vocational college students. This environment, through the information cocoon effect, triggers cognitive risks such as cognitive shallowing, superficial thinking, and metacognitive degradation. These risks consequently lead to a crisis in deep reading, posing a structural threat to the quality of vocational talent cultivation. Following the progressive logic of “information cocoon → cognitive risk → deep reading dilemma”, this study systematically analyzes the generative mechanisms of this crisis and constructs a four-dimensional intervention system encompassing “technological regulation, ecological reconstruction, individual empowerment, and institutional safeguard”. The research indicates that the formation of the deep reading dilemma results from the interplay of algorithmic technology, individual cognition, and socio-psychological factors. It requires systematic interventions across algorithm ethics, information ecology reconstruction, individual metacognition enhancement, and multi-stakeholder collaborative governance.
• DOI: 10.35534/sjc.0601003 (registering DOI)
• Cite: Chen, C. F. (2026). From Information Cocoons to Cognitive Risks: Deep Reading Dilemmas and Countermeasures for Vocational Students in AI-Fragmented Environments. Study on Journalism and Communication, 6(1), 22−33.