INFORMATION OVERLOAD
In our social media age, we have constant access to global news cycles and information at the touch of a button. But what effect is this constant connection having on our mental health? SHAHED EZAYDI investigates
THE NEWS IS EVERY
WHERE. It’s on our TV screens, on the radio, and on the social media apps we scroll through on our phones. It’s simply never been easier to access and consume news – we can read about just about any headline, any topic, in most parts of the world 24/7. So, with the rise of the 24-hour news cycle, it’s no wonder that our news consumption has rapidly increased over the years.
The average Australian household now has 1.8 TV sets and 6.6 screens in total, and people are using all of them to watch television and access the news throughout the day – inside and outside the home.
Due to the fast-paced nature of the news cycle, it’s not uncommon to feel an ever-present need to stay in the loop. Chris Cooper, life coach and founder of Life Complete, has worked with a number of clients regarding news consumption. He says that, “the way news is presented can create and feed our addiction, leading us to feel that if we aren’t constantly plugging into the news, we are missing out on information that is vital and we need to know right now.”
The coronavirus pandemic of 2020 only further illustrates our constant need for the news. Press briefings by political leaders brought in high viewing figures, as people turned to authority figures for up-to-date information. At the very height of the pandemic, a lot more of us were watching TV news and accessing news websites, and on a much more regular basis. But it seems our interest and need for all this news might be waning, as levels of news consumption have come back down again. Are these falling figures due to a lack of interest, or a case of news fatigue? I’ve always been the kind of person to check the news throughout the day, and this increased during the early
The way news is presented leads us to feel that if we aren't constantly plugged in, we're missing vital information
months of the pandemic. Increased consumption definitely led to higher anxiety levels, and a sense of fatigue.
MILLICENT THOMAS, 22,
has also been dealing with news fatigue, and it’s hugely impacted her mental health. She consumed news for a large proportion of the day and would spend around five hours on Twitter each day. Millicent says that she checks in with the news for two reasons: a fear of missing out and a fear of being ill-informed or unaware of significant stories.
“I would cry every single day about what was on the news… it made it hard for me to function”
“I would be [connected] every day and late into the night, trying to keep up with the Black Lives Matter protests, COVID-19, the climate crisis, and more terrible things. It made me feel so hopeless that it would paralyse me,” she says. The effect her news consumption was having on her mental health escalated to the point that her parents began to notice, and even confiscated her phone.
EVIE MUIR, 26,
reached her tipping point with news fatigue while studying for her degree.
“I studied a social science degree that demanded that I was not only consistently up to date with the news, but that I was consistently thinking critically about it – it was exhausting and depressing.”
She felt as though she cared too much about everything and regularly burned out from it.
The news made her feel “disenchanted with the world and it reinforced a lot of pre-existing mental health issues, built on the constant belief that life is pointless and painful”.
LINDSEY EVANS, 30, checks the news once every two hours at a minimum. She needs to stay up to date with current affairs as her job as a podcast host is reliant on this knowledge. However, the coronavirus pandemic has left Lindsey feeling drained and depressed from all the news consumption.
“I would cry almost every single day about what was on the news. All of the pieces hurt individually and when put together made it hard for me to even function”.
ACCORDING TO THERAPIST
Sally Baker, news consumption can take two forms: either as a disciplined daily habit or as a constant and compulsive response. The first is when a person chooses to tune in or watch a scheduled news broadcast to update themselves on current events. They may choose to consume their news across several platforms and even numerous times per day. But the second way a person can consume news is through ‘doomscrolling’ – this takes place in a zoned out, compulsive way that is used as a distraction from real life. Sally says that “the more people ‘doomscroll’, the more vulnerable they are to lowering their mood, experiencing news fatigue, and increasing symptoms of depression and anxiety.”
Chris also points out that most of the news that we take in is ‘bad news’, which means we’re usually
confronted with something terrible that’s happening in the world. “This can lead our minds to focus on the negative and construct an internal narrative that we live in a bad and dangerous place,” he explains.
Both Chris and Sally have worked with clients reporting news fatigue.
SO, WHAT CAN WE DO
to avoid feeling so fatigued from the news? Chris advises reading rather than watching the news.
Reading the news gives a person a bit more choice in what stories
‘Doomscrolling’ takes place in a zoned out, compulsive way that is used as a distraction from real life
they’re consuming, plus “this way you won’t be exposing yourself to so much distressing imagery and the process feels less involving”. He says we should also avoid checking the news early in the morning or late at night, and getting sucked into the rolling 24-hour news channels.
Sally recommends picking one or two news platforms a day and sticking to them. She adds that the “best antidote for bad news is looking for content that lifts your spirits and makes you laugh, hence why kittens are such an online favourite”.
Millicent, Evie and Lindsey have all had to set some boundaries when it comes to tackling news fatigue and its impact on their mental health. They all now dedicate time to checking the news in chunks, instead of endlessly scrolling or constantly listening to the news. This way, they’re still up to date with current affairs but aren’t constantly engaged to the point of detriment.
The 24-hour news cycle has resulted in a lot more of us becoming fatigued by the endless barrage of news stories. It can make us feel hopeless, and can cause stress and anxiety.
Although it’s important that people stay informed about what’s happening in the world, we simply don’t need to be consuming so much news all the time.
As Evie says, “In such a technological age, engaging with news on our own terms and enforcing our own boundaries should be seen as an empowering form of self care, and not a rebellious act.”