How watching traumatic content impacts our mental health and ability to take action.
Is opting out of the news only for the privileged?
There’s a raging debate online. Influencers who say they ‘protect their peace’ and keep their stress levels low by not watching the news are accused of being privileged and choosing to stick their heads in the sand. The people in the opposing camp firmly maintain, ‘when the news affects you, you’ll want to know about it.’
Digital activism (using social media and the internet as a platform for mass mobilisation and political action) is widespread and largely positive. It can be as simple as sharing a post or signing a petition. But, because we’re drawn to like-minded people, it can also exacerbate the echo chamber. It’s hard to see the reality of a situation when we’re surrounded by ideas that resonate so strongly with our own.
Does engaging with the news help or hinder activism?
Is digital activism and staying up to date with the news keeping us informed and giving us the power to protest, or is it wearing us down and immobilising us with fear? When the war in Palestine flooded our social media platforms with traumatic videos, we were asked not to look away. The responsibility to watch and share fell on each individual. A distrust of mainstream media means more people are now relying on social media for their news, but with that comes its own problems. When we consume all our news on social media from peers or influencers, we lose the journalistic integrity of mainstream media.
Just because you value someone’s opinion doesn’t mean they’ve researched the hot take they’ve shared online. With the added danger of a one-click reshare, this can lead to the spread of misinformation. And when that viral content is particularly harrowing, the constant bombardment also causes us to burn out and become desensitised.
For digital activism to be successful, the ability to discern propaganda from fact and strong media literacy skills must be a priority. Without them, even the most well-meaning activist just adds to the fear and panic on both sides.
How fear and negativity bias cause us to opt-out.
Fear has long been used as a marketing tactic to make us take action. The fear of missing out, being left out, making the wrong choice. Ethical or not, playing on our emotions has been used to sell to us for years. This same fear is now being leveraged in activist spaces, but it may not be having the desired effect.
Research shows that negativity bias in the news can leave us feeling depressed, disengaged, and disempowered. Those feelings lead many to stop watching the news altogether, becoming less knowledgeable, less engaged and unable to take action.
So that begs the question: does watching and sharing videos of horrific news help the causes we care about or cause people to turn away?
Anecdotally, friends have shared that they’re overwhelmed, disengaged and afraid to go on social media because of what they might see. There’s a feeling of guilt that our lives are going on as normal when so many others aren’t. But if people who care passionately and deeply about a cause can no longer engage, what can we do? And is it really just a privilege to be able to turn away?
In conversation with Dhru Purohit, Dr Tara Swart claims neuroscientists don’t watch the news or read newspapers.
‘If you repeatedly look at bad news….. you are going to be embedding that wiring more deeply in your brain.’
Instead, she recommends staying informed by curating your news feeds so you’re not being bombarded with bad news all the time.
Is media illiteracy hurting human relationships as well as activism?
Ofcom defines media literacy as “the ability to use, understand and create media and communications in a variety of contexts.” However, it’s not a lack of ability or awareness that drives media illiteracy but an overreliance on heuristics – the mental shortcuts we use to make quick judgments and decisions. When someone we trust shares something, we decide it must be true because we don’t have time to research and find out otherwise.
Sharing snippets of news stories and clickbait headlines isn’t just bad for activism, it’s hurting human connection too. Data shows that the divide between the left and right is growing in the US. Young women increasingly identify as liberal, while men stick to more conservative values. But, research suggests, it’s our media-fuelled assumptions about the other side – rather than their actual views – that are driving this divide and hindering our ability to connect. With fewer young people willing to date someone who doesn’t share their politics, unless we overcome our differences, heteronormative relationships might be doomed too. As a quarter of adults in the UK report feeling lonely ‘often or always’, this disconnect has a detrimental effect on our wellbeing.
How to engage in meaningful activism without feeling overwhelmed
Read instead of watching
For activists who want to stay informed while taking care of their mental health, reading the news might be the best course of action. Graphic images and videos raise our stress levels and engage our fear response. Research suggests that continuous media exposure to a traumatic event is associated with higher acute stress than even experienced by those present at the event.
Reclaim your feed
Negative videos get more attention, but that doesn’t mean you have to give them yours. You’re not a bad person for swiping away a video or skipping through a story. It’s okay to choose what you watch, and the more you tell your algorithm you’re not interested in graphic content, the less it will show you.
Sharpen your media skills
We’ve all shared something without fact-checking it first. But, a clickbait headline taken out of context will do more harm than good to the cause you’re fighting for. A quick Google to check the source of the information you’re sharing will save you the heartache and embarrassment of sharing fake news.
Break out of your echo chamber
Social media amplifies the voices of like-minded people and demonises the other side. People’s views are usually formed by what they think will have the best outcome for most people. Maybe their views are fuelled by miseducation, in which case you can probably change their mind, or maybe they just believe there’s a different way to get it done than you do. Neither of those things makes them a bad person.
Prioritise connection
Find people who care about the same things as you do and try to make a change as a community. Alone, it’s easy to feel like we’re one insignificant drop in the ocean, but together we can be a tidal wave for change.