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.
Be grateful that you have a local newspaper. Ours, 250-ish years old, was recently closed by its churlish owners (who live in another state). Growing up, our city had two daily papers, now none. It is a struggle to find information about our local politics, etc., at the worst possible time.
ReplyDeleteNina
Portland also had two. And the one that is still published isn't much to read. Mostly repeats of the same articles all week. I've finally gotten used to reading everything on my laptop ... especially because I can enlarge the print! I only subscribe when they are on sale. Same with NYT and WSJ. The Economist is the only one that is more than $4/month. Thanks, Nina, for reading my blog!
DeleteThe only social media I routinely look at is Facebook, but I hear you on the political watch sites. It's a lot to keep up with and I am growing more and more resentful of what 45/47 doing that to our country and our world and my personal time and donation money. I just unsubscribed to 4-5 newsletters because there is only so much time in a day. However, I do believe we are at a tipping point where we could easily lose our democracy so I won't do a total news and media blackout.
ReplyDeleteWe used to have two newspapers too but with the internet fewer and fewer people are supporting the print and that's really ashame.
I agree. It's just toooo much. Yet I am so concerned. There are people who still post on my FB page how thrilled they at the good 🍊 💩 is doing for our country. Seriously? How can a narcissistic felon even be allowed to speak to other countries let alone claim them as his own? How can so many drink the Koolaid? OK. Rant over. Thanks for reading and commenting.
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