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How Watching the News Affects Our Lives
And what we can do to turn things around
There has been a widespread rise in information consumption, especially after the onset of the pandemic. In their Total Audience Report study, Nielsen found out that the amount of time spent by people on streaming videos increased by almost 75% in 2020 compared to the previous year.
The consumption of news has also increased. In the UK, TV is the leading source of news at 75%, followed by the internet at 69%, according to Ofcom’s News Consumption Survey.
Understandably, it is necessary to stay updated concerning events taking place, especially in recent times.
However, exposure to so much information whose content is often negative drains our mental, emotional and physical wellbeing. It leads to increased levels of stress and anxiety.
The risk involved
When we turn on the news, what comes up? Mass shootings. Spreading fires. Climate change. Economic recession. Terrorist attacks. Political dissension. Civil unrest. Racial violence. The list goes on and on.
Yet for every bad incident, there are scores of positive ones that never get reported. The subject, context and presentation of news have increasingly taken a negative tone and constantly consuming information in this form has been proven to be detrimental to mental health.
Images have a deeper impact on the brain than other forms of sensory input. There is imagery and narration in news broadcasts that induce the same conditions that are found in PTSD patients.
One report, for example, showed that viewing the September 11 terrorist attack led to people exhibiting the same symptoms that such patients have. This was brought on by worrying about safety and the possibility of such attacks in the future.
Similarly, reports showed that as more people continued to receive constant updates and reports on the ongoing global pandemic, stress and anxiety levels were elevated. People became increasingly fearful and worried concerning their own health and that of their families.
Another report showed a fourfold increase in depression in the US since the onset of the pandemic. Much of this…
