Do you think consuming fringe material has any benefit?

Recently I got into an argument with a friend of mine. My friend says I give no shred of credibility to mainstream opinion, which made me mad because I said popularity has nothing to do with truth.

I tend to flirt with fringe topics, not mysticism, but stuff on the edge of the mainstream. I think it has helped me get lucky in some areas by being able to predict some future directions of technology (which has benefitted me financially), and challenge my thinking. I remember an older video with Steve Jobs where he says innovation comes from the fringes and not from the mainstream, which influenced me. But recently I’ve been wondering if it is doing more harm since it might make it easier to loose touch with certain people, potentially develop an unpleasing personality, or make my life unnecessarily difficult. I’ve always been more of an introvert so that may be a cause.

I’m not sure how to best summarize but should I be giving more credibility to opinions solely because many people think they’re true? Would my life be better off in the long run if I avoided fringe material for practical reasons?