We may be running out of toilet paper during this pandemic, but there is no shortage of news. Each day new reports come out, and we feel like we have to be the first to soak up everything.
And we have so many questions. What’s going on? Should we wear masks? When will normal life return? Is the government infringing upon civil liberties? Who is to blame?
We want to be informed, and we want our friends to know we are informed.
Fortunately, there are plenty of experts ready and willing to share information that will completely confirm our prior opinions.
Perhaps being locked up in our homes is making us crave more information from the outside world. It’s possible, but I really don’t think this is something new. As technology has advanced the news has come at us at a faster and faster pace. With the internet now living in our pockets, the latest news is always just a glance away.
I see some problems with this. So much so that I’m going to try to convince you to stop reading the news. Or at least, cut back and be more diligent about your news consumption. It’s something I’ve been doing lately, and I’ve found it to be a positive change. I’ll share a few reasons why.
It’s Low Quality
News is cheaper to produce than ever before. This has led to a reduction in its overall quality. There are people whose job it is to write thousands of articles a year. This means they are writing multiple articles every single day.
It takes me several days of work just to crank out one JavaScript tutorial, and when I finish I’m still worried that I’ve left out an important detail or described something poorly. Now, lots of these people are probably better and faster writers than I am. But there is no possible way most of them have spent the time to understand each of the subjects they are covering at a deep level.
It’s Not Designed to Help You
By and large, today’s news is designed to produce outrage and confirm your biases. There are some exceptions, but news is mostly free. This means the advertisers are the customers. That makes you the product. And what the advertisers want is as big an audience as possible. Nothing draws bigger audiences than outrage inducing headlines and information that you can rub in the face of the “other team” on Facebook.
A disturbing result of this is that it leads to living in an echo chamber. What feels like staying informed is often just indulging in the most extreme stories and explanations that confirm your prior beliefs. Before long you’ll start viewing half the country as evil, when in reality most of them are probably a lot like you.
Of course, some stories really are egregious and deserving of our attention. Being outraged about true injustice is a healthy response. But when you find yourself getting worked up every single day over people you’ve never met, I’d say it’s time for some self-reflection.
There are Better Ways to Spend Your Time
I’ve been thinking about opportunity cost a lot lately. It applies to so many things in life, and news consumption is no exception.
You should stop to ask yourself some questions about the news you are reading. Will it be important to you two weeks from now? Will it help you make better decisions? Will it bring you peace? In short, are there other things you should be spending your time on?
If I’m being honest with myself, there is almost always something better I could be doing than reading the news.
Your time is precious. Spend it wisely.
Parting Words
It’s a good thing to stay informed of and connected to the world around you, but be wise about how you do it.
Prefer actively creating over passively consuming. Read time-tested content that adds value to your life. Read content from authors and journalists who have earned your trust and respect. Read content that will nudge you to think for yourself.
If you’re like me and struggle to get through even one book in a month, maybe we have no business consuming the junk food of today’s news.
Since I have the best readers in the world, you’re all probably asking the obvious, though slightly cynical question.
“So, should I stop reading your blog?”
To that I say, if my writing isn’t adding value to your life, then yes. Ironically, by taking my advice, you’ll be proving that it is. So actually no, you should probably subscribe 😜