Emotional toll of constant negative news and unlimited access to ‘doomscrolling’ has led to record-high news avoidance
News has never been more accessible – but for some, that’s exactly the problem. Flooded with information and relentless updates, more and more people around the world are tuning out.
The reasons vary: for some it’s the sheer volume of news, for others the emotional toll of negative headlines or a distrust of the media itself. In online forums devoted to mindfulness and mental health, people discuss how to step back, from setting limits to cutting the news out entirely.
There is “tuning out from news because all they report is bad news”, and then there is “tuning out from news because all they report is bad news and I missed out on major events.” I had a colleague who stopped watching news precisely for the anxiety it gives her, but she falls on the latter camp and only found out two days later that Russia invaded Ukraine 🤣🤣
Two days doesn’t seem that bad TBH.