Looking through my media feeds, including Lemmy, YouTube, News Outlets (Reuters, Financial Times) as well as news related to my profession, I would estimate that 85% of what I see is doom and gloom, i.e. reports about something that’s going wrong in the world or might go wrong in the future.

I try to limit what I follow to educational and unopininated sources (as far as that’s possible anyways) and some satire or a meme here and there. I don’t like suggestion algorithms and don’t use social media, because I don’t want to be trapped in a self-reinforcing bubble. On YouTube for example, I use third party apps which show me only videos from channels I explicitly follow.

Still, it’s mostly depressing information: how bad the job market and economy is, geopolitical threats, AI risks, symptoms of late stage capitalism. I am aware, thanks. But I didn’t ask to hear these things over and over and over again, and it’s negatively affecting my outlook on life. I’ve given up on reading the news entirely because I just get triggered by the enshittification of society, politics, the environment and daily life where I live. At this point I’d rather not hear about it anymore.

What I want to ask is whether you are having the same experience? Am I doing something fundamentally wrong? I don’t want to be blind to what’s happening in my/the world, but I want to have a positive and optimistic outlook on the future. How can I make that happen? How can I get away from an engagement economy constantly bombarding me with bad news without giving up on learning about the things that I am interested in?

  • ex_06@slrpnk.net
    4·
    3 hours ago

    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 :)

  • Zero22xx@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
    1·
    2 hours ago

    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.

  • Siathes@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
    4·
    16 hours ago

    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.

    • Derp@lemmy.mlOP
      1·
      2 hours ago

      I really appreciate your comment. Knowing I’m not alone in this feeling is so encouraging and has been eye opening. Gives me a sense of community and hope that we can do something about it.

  • YungOnions@lemmy.world
    30·
    23 hours ago

    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%2Fjournal.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:

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

    Some communities on Lemmy you might be interested in:

    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/

    • Derp@lemmy.mlOP
      2·
      2 hours ago

      I just want to say thank you for writing such a detailed response. It’s been quite eye-opening for me, I wasn’t even aware that so many great resources and communities exist to explicitly counter this sentiment I’ve been feeling about negativity in news and other media.

      It’s very encouraging to see that I’m not the only one with this feeling, and even just the responses to this post are sending me on a whole journey of being more positive!

  • UltraGiGaGigantic@lemmy.mlEnglish
    7·
    21 hours ago

    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.

  • Zeusz@lemmy.world
    14·
    1 day ago

    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.

    • QuarterSwede@lemmy.world
      11·
      1 day ago

      Yep, great advice. Stop subscribing or following politics and common “news,” add hobbies and things you want to learn helps a lot. You’ll find that the news media is 99% negative and, honestly, lies a lot for clicks and eyeballs.

      If you have to have some news then there are services like Allsides that show how liberal or conservative (US) a news article is. That at least gives you better context. I’m sure others exist in other countries. There are certainly more US centric ones.

  • Didros@beehaw.org
    5·
    22 hours ago

    Spend more time on media for interesting hobbies. I’ve recently gotten into looking at things for gem facetting.

    • Björn Tantau@swg-empire.de
      6·
      22 hours ago

      Wow, I knew it’s a vice of many people but I never thought someone would call it a hobby.

      cleans glasses

      Oh, you mean making jewelry.

  • zephorah@lemm.ee
    81·
    1 day ago

    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.

    • Derp@lemmy.mlOP
      1·
      1 day ago

      I will look into indy journalism, thanks for the recommendation! Never gave it much thought but it makes total sense. Is substack the best place to look or are there other places you can recommend?

  • laurel@lemmy.ca
    41·
    1 day ago

    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.

  • keepee@lemmy.world
    11·
    24 hours ago

    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.