Rising Impact of the News on Mental Health

[ShortCutie7]

Today, I saw a piece of news online that very much upset me… I was furiously reading all of the comments and kept going back to check on them.  It completely ruined my day!  And then I did some introspection: a couple years ago, the same kind of news would have made me think “that kind of sucks” and then I would have stopped thinking about it.

Has anyone else been experiencing this sort of shift in the news having a much bigger impact than it used to?  Why do we think that is?

[viewing ownly]

Unfortunately, shock value is not just limited to the comments people make about news stories, but now what used to be tabloid trash is everyday news. 

I hate reading articles that are just flat-out untruths for the purpose of gaining readers rather than having any accuracy. 

Here's how I've managed to improve my life immensely. Stop reading comments. Just from the way a headline is angled, you can already know what the masses are going to say, and it will undoubtedly piss you off frequently. Stop listening to "talk radio". It's boring as fuck to begin with - the callers make those shows unbearable. Plus, special guests dropping in NEVER have interesting, opposing views to make the discussion enlightening. 

[ShortCutie7]

4 hours ago, viewing ownly said:

Unfortunately, shock value is not just limited to the comments people make about news stories, but now what used to be tabloid trash is everyday news. 

I hate reading articles that are just flat-out untruths for the purpose of gaining readers rather than having any accuracy. 

Here's how I've managed to improve my life immensely. Stop reading comments. Just from the way a headline is angled, you can already know what the masses are going to say, and it will undoubtedly piss you off frequently. Stop listening to "talk radio". It's boring as fuck to begin with - the callers make those shows unbearable. Plus, special guests dropping in NEVER have interesting, opposing views to make the discussion enlightening. 

Thanks!  I’ll try to give more details without breaking forum rules…

An organization that I belong to posted an endorsement of a political candidate whose being in power would make me and many others feel unsafe.  This organization is not obligated to endorse ANY candidate for any office, but still decided to post an endorsement of this candidate, even knowing (I’m sure) that many of its members would be against it and feel the same way I do. This also means that the dues we pay to this organization will be funding advertising for this candidate.  But the worst part was not the comments on the post in support of this, but the fact that the handful of comments against it (and there would be more if people including myself weren’t afraid of getting blacklisted) were constantly being shut down and even labeled as spam.

[pubic_assistance]

6 hours ago, ShortCutie7 said:

Has anyone else been experiencing this sort of shift in the news having a much bigger impact than it used to?  Why do we think that is?

I can't say that the news has impacted ME differently, but I certainly observe how it rattles many other people in the manner in which you've shared about your own experience. As far as the "why" ? Pretty simple: Emotional thinking trumps logical thinking. The best way to gather people to one side or the other is to scare them/ upset them/ rattle them with strong emotional appeals.

Divide and Conquer is the end game.

Can't say more without discussing politics vs. sociology. 

[+ sync]

8 hours ago, ShortCutie7 said:

Today, I saw a piece of news online that very much upset me… I was furiously reading all of the comments and kept going back to check on them.  It completely ruined my day!  And then I did some introspection: a couple years ago, the same kind of news would have made me think “that kind of sucks” and then I would have stopped thinking about it.

Has anyone else been experiencing this sort of shift in the news having a much bigger impact than it used to?  Why do we think that is?

I frequently experience the same feelings of despair.  I've come to the conclusion that it's not so much the content of online/TV news but the constant repetition of it.  The second part of it is the scope of it.  There was a time when news was more locally confined, now if there is a fart anywhere in the world, it's shoved into our faces 24/7. 

[pubic_assistance]

1 hour ago, sync said:

I frequently experience the same feelings of despair.  I've come to the conclusion that it's not so much the content of online/TV news but the constant repetition of it. 

Well THAT is the intention of US news organizations ( all owned by the same three large global corporations). I never listen to US news, and therefore I don't expose myself to the angst-riddled-reporting. Maybe try this for yourself ? I stick to foreign news organizations that don't play this game.

[Nightowl]

My feeling is that, if most of what is currently happening in the world and being reporting in the news is not affecting your outlook for the future, peace of mind, and mental health, you are either enjoying your privilege or happy with what is going on.  

Edited Tuesday at 04:11 PM by Nightowl