No, You Don't Need To Follow The News 24/7.
Don't fall into the 24 hour news cycle black hole: Context Collapse #160
In this issue: Why to follow the news regularly, not obsessively.
I’m about to say something noone who ever worked as a journalist is supposed to say:
You don’t need to follow the news 24/7.
In fact, you don’t even need to read the newspaper everyday or (Especially! Especially! Especially!) consume news nonstop on Twitter or leave CNN or MSNBC or Fox News or talk radio on non-stop in your house.
Bear with me.
Nonstop News Consumption Is Bad For You
Once upon a time, we lived in an era before non-stop cable news, continuous social media updates and newspapers publishing online 24/7.
Back in these olden times, newspapers published once a day, local news affiliates aired the news a few times a day, the networks aired the nightly news and Time and Newsweek published once a week, and… that was it.
Needless to say, those days are over.
We live in a golden age of non-stop news consumption. Never before in human history has it been easier to find out what’s happening anywhere in the world in real time.
However… Finding out what’s happening anywhere in the world doesn’t necessarily equal understanding what’s happening anywhere in the world. It also leads to some nasty psychological side effects that dull the beneficial parts of continual news access.
(And—hey, media studies friends and academics reading this, this disclaimer is for you—this is a newsletter designed for bite-size consumption rather than a serious thematic treatment. Keeping discussions at a high level here for everyone’s sanity. Thank you!)
So… here’s the thing…
Doomscrolling is crap for you. Nonstop consumption of bad news distorts reality and makes you less able to be psychologically prepared for bad news that you have actual control over.
Constant news consumption leads to a false sense of control. Almost all of us are better off watching less CNBC or Fox Business for stock news and investing in index funds instead if we want to make money on the stock market. An ordinary person supporting a politican who follows news about them on a daily basis is participating in fandom, not politics. Someone looking to increase their control over day-to-day life is better off exercising more, eating a healthier diet and finding ways to increase their earning potential instad of constantly consuming news online.
Constant news consumption doesn’t necessarily increase your understanding of the world. Someone who wants to understand human nature is arguably better off watching The Sopranos or reading Dostoevsky then watching CNN all day. Reading a Rick Perlstein book is just as important for understanding modern American politics as Politico is. Reading the Sunday New York Times or the Economist puts the news in context more than a constant dripfeed of headlines online. I could go on and on…
Coming up soon: How to use industry news sources and the trade press like a freakin’ pro.