opinion
This is the worst it’s ever been!
I see that headline, and I click, which leads me to another story. And another. Pretty soon, my stomach is queasy, and I can’t sleep.
Tommy Siegel uses the term “doom-scrolling” in his cartoon of a person consumed by the news late at night in a bed of fire.
Skip to the next paragraph if you don’t want to read the list of worries. We have overarching issues (fighting to dismantle systemic inequities, high unemployment rates, a recession) and daily issues (paying bills, getting groceries, non-virus-related health issues). And, of course, a killer virus lurks among us.
It’s no surprise we have trouble falling asleep.
In “'The Internet wants to keep you ‘doom-scrolling.’ Here’s how to break free,” Sunny Fitzgerald writes that it’s not our fault that we get sucked into the vortex of bad news because some news is created to bring up strong emotions, encouraging clicking, which encourages an algorithm to send us more of the same. Also, it’s normal to lose track of time when scrolling because it’s an “automatic behavior.”
Fitzgerald suggests that people can take steps to stop doom-scrolling. One is to set your screen to grayscale. Another is to click on news that may be more positive or related to other interesting topics (maybe gardening?), which will alter the algorithm. Set a timer to limit time, or install an app to do it. A final suggestion is to log off completely from time to time.
I’m a news junkie. I can’t give it up completely. And bad news is not an excuse for me to become a blanket burrito, avoiding all news. No, I need to be informed because we’re in a time of great change.
If I avoided all news, I would have missed U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s July speech in response to Rep. Ted Yoho’s rude actions and words. I admire her for standing up for herself and, in the process, standing up for all women.
I would have missed that there is a promising blood test that may be able to detect Alzheimer's disease years before symptoms develop. I would have missed the rescue of three sailors stranded on deserted Pikelot Island in the Pacific. And I found the comforting news that 102-year-old Mildred Geraldine Schappals of New Hampshire survived both the 1918 pandemic and COVID-19.
I don’t want to miss news like this, so I’ve created a routine. I’m not saying that my way is the best way. This is the best way for me.
In the morning, I have a news station on the television while I eat breakfast. I also read the St. Cloud Times and USA Today online while I drink a cup of tea. Then I check other local, state and national news, followed by a little research if the news seems particularly shocking. Yep, that’s a lot.
I take a break during the day. After my evening meal, I’ll check news briefly. And then I’m done.
I don’t read the news before sleeping. I read a book instead, perhaps the next great American novel or a cookbook. I’ll plan my next dessert, one that will send keto worshipers screaming but will calm my frayed nerves into carb-induced bliss.
I’m not perfect, sometimes returning to bad habits. But I remember one thing. While falling asleep at night, it’s better to think about doubling a recipe than a death rate.
This is the opinion of Linda Larson, a St. Joseph resident. She is the author of "Grow It. Eat It," which won a national award, and "A Year In My Garden." Her column is published the second Sunday of the month.
"much" - Google News
August 08, 2020 at 12:18AM
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How much news is too much? - SC Times
"much" - Google News
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