The world around us is constantly changing, and as we are inundated with updates about that ever-changing world, it can be difficult to know where to get your news, how to think about that news, and how to not get overwhelmed while also staying informed. While many people decide to not partake in the news at all, a less informed society is much more easily controlled, and far less likely to be in control of their own lives as regulations, laws, and the world shift. Here are a few ways that you can stay informed about current events without overwhelming yourself.
Pick Your Sources Wisely
The internet has made it possible that anyone with access to social media or editing software can produce content that the reader may assume to be true. Most traditional journalists have integrated rules about the publishing of information by establishing a reputation through their embodiment of journalistic integrity. Journalistic integrity is the idea that news produced by traditional journalists must come from reputable sources and be in some senses contained with some truth. For example, in this article about Stefan Soloviev, there are references contained about the source of their information. However, the modern era has made it possible that anyone with access can post information without reliable sources backing it up. Staying informed can be a lot of work, especially when it comes to vouching for the information that you read, but reputable news outlets are generally found by providing accurate information with references included in the source of the information they produce.
Pay Attention To Virality
One of the main reasons that people get overwhelmed by the news is that the sources they find online are often emotionally triggering. Online news coverage can be intentionally emotionally triggering through the use of specific words, phrases, and photographs. The reason for the emotionally triggering nature of news on the internet is because it produces an emotional response in the individual. This often leads to more engagement and longer interactions with their websites, which is ultimately great for business, if not terrible for society. By being more objective, meditative, and self-regulating your emotions, you’ll be able to have more clear-headed responses to information found online, rather than just reactionary responses.
Cross-Reference Information
Another option for ensuring that you have better and more accurate information about a specific event is to cross-reference information. If you take two different news sources and compare the information that is produced about that specific event by both companies and compare it, you’ll also learn more about the news source and have multiple angles from which the information is displayed.
