🗞 Why You Should Avoid Reading News
There are many negative effects that come with reading the news too much, so now I try not to read it at all!
👉 Introduction about why you should stop reading news
In this article, we are going to discuss why you should avoid reading news.
The news is a great source of information and it helps us to stay informed about what's going on in the world. But if you're like me, then you probably spend way too much time reading the latest headlines—something I often found myself doing when I was a student in college. I've come to realize that there are many negative effects that come with reading the news too much, so now I try not to read it at all!
❗️ Problems related to the news
You've probably noticed the following:
The speed of news delivery has increased. It's no wonder that people are getting their news from blogs and other sources. The speed of delivery, the cost to produce it, and our ability to get it immediately have all increased.
We used to have to wait for a newspaper or gossip with people in our town to get our news, but not anymore. Thanks to alerts, texts, and other interruptions, news finds us almost the minute it’s published.
The cost for producing news has dropped significantly. Some people write 10 to 20 blog posts a day for major newspapers! It's nearly impossible for someone to write something thoughtful on one topic … imagine about 10 to 20 topics. Over a year, this works out to writing 3000 - 3500 articles, which is huge. The fluency of the person you're getting your news from in their subject matter is near zero—they haven't spent years researching it or developing their expertise. As a result, you're filling your head with surface opinions on isolated topics. Because costs are near zero, there is competition among these sites—and if one becomes more popular than another one by even a small margin then that site will become.
News purveyors are incentivized to get more people to consume more news, and they have an incentive to keep raising their audience's expectations for how much they should consume (and pay attention) as well. News is a business. Just like any other business, the people who produce it want you to consume more of it.
The incentives are misaligned. When the news is free, you still need to pay people. If people aren’t paying, advertisers are. And if advertisers are in charge, the incentives change. Page views become the name of the game. More page views mean more revenue. When it comes to page views, the more controversy, the more share-ability, the more enraged you become… well, you get where I’m going here.
When it comes to page views, most of these ads aren’t just static impressions; they’re also transmitting information about you to the advertisers (and thus helping them target their ads better).
More truths about news.
😕 It makes you sadder.
Most news is negative and sensationalized. It’s out of your control. And bad for your mental health.
News is mostly irrelevant to your life, but it still makes you sadder by feeding off of your fears and insecurities.
😞 It damages your mood.
You’re probably thinking, “But I love hearing about what’s going on in the world!”
It damages your mood. News can cause anxiety, depression and negative emotions such as fear, stress and anger. The worst part is that these feelings can be long-lasting even after you stop watching or reading the news. In fact, some research shows that positive or neutral news stories may be just as harmful as negative ones because they can still take a toll on your mental health.
It makes you feel like you're powerless to change anything. It turns everything into a competition between good and bad instead of focusing on what we can do together to make things better.
🪝 You get hooked on it.
One of the most common reasons people like to read the news is because they get hooked on it. It can be hard to put down a newspaper or turn off your phone when there's another story waiting for you just below the surface. The problem with this habit is that it's not always healthy, and if left unchecked, a person who reads too much news may find themselves addicted to bad news in particular—something that's becoming more common with time (and especially since social media has made it even easier for us all to connect).
So if you're reading this article only because someone told you that news consumption leads to an increased risk of depression or other mental health issues like anxiety, then I'm sorry—but no matter what I say here today about why avoiding reading about current events isn't beneficial for your overall happiness level as well as general well-being, chances are good that nothing will change until we address what's really causing us all these problems: ourselves!
😐 It makes you less confident in humanity.
The news is designed to grab attention. It's not a good measure of the state of humanity.
In reality, there are many good people who do not make the news. And there are also bad ones who do. But if you only read about the bad ones and never see anything else, then your view of humanity becomes very skewed (and depressing).
To be sure, you should know what’s going on in the world around you so that you can make informed decisions about where to live or work (if possible), but it's not necessary to read every article or watch every video related to current events—especially if it puts you into a negative mindset!
😵💫 It makes you worry about things you can't control.
Worrying about things you can't control is a waste of time and energy.
News stories are often focused on events that are out of your hands, like world leaders' actions or natural disasters. When you read the news, you're probably focusing on these types of stories. While it's important to be aware of what's going on in the world, focusing too much on these types of news stories can lead to unhealthy worry. You may end up worrying about things that aren't actually very important or worrying about things that are out of your hands—and either way, it won't help anything.
💡 If you want to feel better, avoid reading the news.
You may have heard that reading the news is a good way to stay informed about what's going on in your community and the world at large, but this isn't necessarily true. Reading too many news articles can actually make you feel worse about yourself and the world, which is why it's important to avoid them if you want to feel better.
Instead of reading articles from major publications like The New York Times or The Washington Post, spend your time doing something else that makes you feel more positive: meditate or go for a run; talk with friends; volunteer at an animal shelter. These activities will help clear your mind and give you the energy needed to tackle whatever comes next in life!
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Sincerely,
Stathis 👋