this post was submitted on 26 Aug 2023
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Turn off the news, and stay away from anything online that lets you or other people comment.
Lose Twitter, Facebook, reddit (or reddit alternatives) and the world will look like a much different place.
Sticking your head in the sand will do that. Nothing will actually change but it’ll feel like it’s not there.
More like "don't stick your head in a pile oft shit", ignoring these platforms is not ignoring the world, it's changing your point oft view, you won't miss anything of importance.
That's may be true for you, but a lot of these type sites are a great source for news and information about the world. Ignorance is bliss as they say, but the world keeps spinning whether or not you pay attention to it. I'm not saying you HAVE to get news from social media, but that's what I primarily use it for.
If it doesn't cause you to act, then the news is just entertainment
Covid vaccines made available was the last news that actually changed my behavior. That was like years ago. The rest is just entertainment written to make people scared and angry
Bullshit. Responsible news consumption is how we make informed decisions about the world. It's a critical part of any democracy which is why Burke called it "the fourth estate."
this. A lot of news is kind of inactionable too; what are we supposed to do from knowing about some dictatorship half way across the world having a coup? The thing that actually started lifting me out of passive observation and into action was reading political analysis and political theory. Strongly recommend some introductory political theory for anyone who feels a responsibility to keep up with the news but then finds that all doing so does is make them exhausted and depressed.
That sounds like a ‘you problem’. I change my behaviors and my attitudes accordingly based on what I intake and digest. When McCain first ran against Obama, he was a moderate with decades of experience who had seen the dark side of war and wouldn’t thrust us into one senselessly.
Thanks to the news I saw the rapid conversion of a formerly moral politician into someone who would say anything for power.
When the situation in Maui came up I donated as I have in the past to people affected by disasters.
Should you assume information that doesn’t affect you personally is irrelevant or are you willing to step down from your Main Character title card?
Sorry but I don't have the ability to stop caring how the world is doing
Sorry in advance for the unsolicited advice, but if you’re a news junkie (like me), try out an RSS feed reader (Feedly, Inoreader, Newsblur is a FOSS option).
You get to bypass the comment section of social media while still being aware of what is going on around you. I use Ino because it’s cross platform. It makes it super easy to subscribe to anything from Nature to Vogue to my local news affiliate, and it has a trending section, as well as curated groups for hobbies/interests and your work industry as well.
You don’t have to stop caring about the world in order to live without social media.
Nah you're right, but I'm always curious what people think too haha
Oh I totally understand, I’m the exact same way. But lately looking at social media comments is the equivalent of taking +1000% psychic damage.
I've considered fishing, but the equipment is expensive, and all the closest locations are pretty far. When I need to chill I just play a game or go for a smoke.
I appreciate the concern and know about the potential negative consequences. But with all due respect, you don't know me or the type of news I seek out or how I feel about it. I prefer to know what's going on around me and the world so I can work towards making impactful changes. That doesn't mean everyone else has to but it works well for me.
Social media is for social interaction. There are better alternatives for news. I'd rather invest some money in good journalism than picking relevant news in the flood of garbage click and rage bait articles. There is also good, free of charge journalism out there. For example the guardian
This is so honestly so true. Once I moved my news sources onto an RSS app and left my social media interactions for my hobbies or catching up with people my pessimism decreased dramatically.
News on social media is filled with bad actors, misinformation, and bots deliberately to drive up engagement through outrage. 99% of the time it’s not worth the mental blowback.
I think it's more just reducing the overload, not really hiding. An information vacation.
A healthy diet, if you will. Fastfood is okay once in a while but eating it all the time just as tiring to one's body as clickbait information to one's head.
We'll have a Dalmatian plantation!
Is not being on most social media sticking your head in the sand now? I still read the news and try to stay informed. It's just not in my face as much anymore. I would consider that a win.
This is like you breaking up with a toxic girlfriend and she tells you “oh yeah well other people are still gonna date me idiot!”
Arguably that's one of (though not all of) the reason for so many people not voting. They think if they disengage, then that'll fix the problem. When in reality they're just allowing the problem to get worse and pretending there isn't a problem.
Can confirm this. I've been trying to set my life up to be as internetless as possible.
I did the same thing. I still am on social media such as lemmy and discord but its mostly to talk to people. And I havent watched the news since I was a child. Important things come your way eventually and I dont see it as being ignorant. Now I only receive information I can actually do something about if I want to.