I have a confession. I’m drowning in information.
It is all I can do to skim The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, my local paper, and check Facebook each day without feeling like my brain has been put through a salad spinner.
And yet. Apparently, that is not even close to “keeping up.” Because in addition to the news, we are now expected to monitor a sprawling universe of platforms, feeds, channels, stories, shorts, threads, reels, lives, alerts, and algorithmic nudges that all scream: You missed something important. Did I? Or did I simply choose not to watch a 43-second video of a stranger explaining global economics while dancing?
Browsing these alone could be a full-time job:
The New York Times
The Wall Street Journal
Oregonian
The Economist
Forbes
By the time I finish one article, three new crises have emerged or one celebrity has apologized for something I didn’t even know they did. Or someone famous dies or is arrested.
And then there is Social Media!! Here’s where things get truly absurd:
Facebook – where I try to keep up with family, friends, events, community posts, and photos of people’s dogs occasional baby hippo reel
Instagram – curated perfection, filtered vacations, and motivational quotes I did not ask for
LinkedIn – professional humblebragging disguised as inspiration
TikTok – an endless scroll of trends, outrage, therapy-speak, recipes, and strangers oversharing
X (formerly Twitter) – still yelling, just with a new name
YouTube – long videos, short videos, ads before, during, and after
Snapchat – apparently still a thing
Pinterest – where I save things I will never make or cook
Reddit – deep dives into topics I didn’t know I cared about
Substack – everyone is now a columnist
Each one urgent. Each one convinced this message cannot wait. Somewhere along the way, staying informed quietly morphed into constant vigilance. Skimming a few trusted news sources and checking Facebook already feels like a reasonable civic contribution.
My Radical Position? It is okay to miss things and not have an opinion instantly.
Staying sane is not the same as being uninformed.
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