Asklemmy

Try to be informed about the stuff you can have an impact on

For example on my rss feed I just wiped out most of the non EU stuff. It’s ok to know that there are wildfires somewhere in the world but being overexposed is really just toxic

I can organize here in Italy, not even the whole of it but my region and the cities I spend time in. It’s much better to know what my little city council is discussing about rather than any even major event but so far from me.

Unluckily, social media doesn’t help too much with curating the feeds but as others said try to work more on mutes and filters. Don’t forget that getting informed is just one tool for change, do not get too high on it :)

Edit and P.S. : it’s also much easier that on social networks driven by engagement algorithms the posts that travel the most are the ones that cause hate/rage and sex or generally emotions easier to exploit online. Newspapers themselves tend to post more negative stuff. It’s just a human bias, take it into account and watch around yourself to find the positive stuff of life

I'm only a day in of trying to get away from this, and I'm mostly talking about Lemmy right now (but it would also work / help on Bluesky), but something that's already made a huge difference for me personally since yesterday, is separating the feeds. I woke up this morning and scrolled through content that didn't make me want to start a revolution first thing in the morning and I'm already having a pretty good day for it.

I decided to cut most news and politics out of my subscriptions, other than maybe some small communities that don't show up on 'All' on a 24 hour cycle. So from now on, my subscriptions will be only things that interest me and not enrage me. And 'All' is still there if I happen to feel like indulging in the rage for a little bit.

Also, finding a server that's more tailored to what you personally vibe with adds a 3rd option in the 'Local' tab for a feed that doesn't destroy your soul piece by piece.

So the 'Reddit' experience is still there in the 'All' tab, for everything. From rage to cool shit you haven't subscribed to yet. But you don't have to spend all day there. You can fill the other two tabs with stuff that makes you smile or learn or that aligns with your interests / career / philosophy or whatever. And spend more time there.

I was doing the same when I gave Bluesky a try, making use of different feeds for different things. Keep the news and politics in its own tab and only go there when you feel like catching up, or if you're specifically in the mood to rage against the machine.

You are 100% correct, negative news has a greater impact on people than positive: https://assets.csom.umn.edu/assets/71516.pdf

Media sites know this, and use it to drive engagement:

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-023-01538-4

https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/social-media-facebook-twitter-politics-b1870628.html

And so, negative headlines are getting worse: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0276367

But negative news is addictive and psychologically damaging: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/why-we-worry/202009/the-psychological-impact-negative-news

So it's important to try and stay positive:

https://www.goodgoodgood.co/articles/benefits-of-good-news

If you want a break from the constant negativity, here are some sites that report specifically on positive news:

• https://www.goodgoodgood.co/
• https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/
• https://fixthenews.com/
• https://positivenewsfoundation.org/
• https://www.onlygoodnewsdaily.com/

And here's 35 more: https://news.feedspot.com/good_news_websites/

Some communities on Lemmy you might be interested in:

• [email protected]
• [email protected]
• [email protected]
• [email protected]
• https://lemmy.world/c/hopeposting
• https://lemmy.world/c/worldinprogress
• https://lemmy.world/c/climatehope

Remember, realistic optimism is important and, unlike what some might have you believe, is not the same as blissful ignorance or 'burying your head in the sand': https://www.learning-mind.com/realistic-optimism-blind-positivity/

https://www.centreforoptimism.com/realisticoptimism

And doesn't mean you must stay uninformed on current affairs: https://www.goodgoodgood.co/articles/how-to-stop-doom-scrolling

https://goodable.co/blog/tips-for-balancing-positive-and-negative-news/

Taps on the mirror… hello me. I apologize for not having any advice about solutions, although there are lots here, but I felt like I should post and say you are definitely not alone!!! I to am here and feeling the same way and looking for better interactions.

Hold fast.

Lemmy lets you filter out keywords

Block users, block communities, setup filters for keywords. But you will not fully escape it because there is actual doom in this world. Things aren't good for everyone, no matter how hard people try to tell you it's the best it's ever been.

Its a pretty low bar to clear when you use history as your measurement. Comparing our information age civilization with feudalism is not the win people think it is. Things were worse, but that doesn't mean things are good as is. Have higher standards.

That said, I hope things are good for you and your people. Peace.

I subscribed to stuff that shows uplifting news, added art stuff and some animal content to my feed. I also follow stuff that's related to my hobbies.

Look into solarpunk

Stay away from echo chambering news sources. New Republic, HuffPost, Commondreams and the like. They’ll either go full outrage or tell you exactly what you’ve been waiting to hear.

Indy journalism can be solid, you just have to be careful.

I enjoy Heather Cox Richardson. She definitely leans left but everything is so steeped in the context of American History (she’s an American historian) it’s not doom and gloom so much as educational. Historical context adds depth and width to the present issues. Accessible. She’d be a good professor to attend classes with not a boring one.

Echoing solarpunk! Along those same lines is “hopepunk”. I like to think of my media consumption in a similar way to my diet and consider how much I need from different areas to stay balanced. It is hard to fully escape the doomerism narratives but seeking out generative, hopeful narratives has made a difference in how much I find myself disrupted by them. Also poetry can be a great way to explore the heavier subjects and often where I head when I get overwhelmed.

It's hopeless, you'll never escape it!

I have no good suggestions, just wanted to say I feel the same way as you do. I want to believe the human quality of life on average is better than it's ever been, but if I look at unfiltered media it's all doom and gloom. I've now completely stopped watching/reading news because of what it does to my mental health. Even then I still end up finding out about things.