Why Are We So Obsessed With the News?

Editor’s note: I use the words “news” and “social media” interchangeably, as I see both as avenues of information consumption as it relates to people, places, things, and events.

If I were to ask you - point blank - how many minutes you spend consuming information on your phone, laptop, tv, desktop, tablet, etc. on a daily basis, you’d be at least a little embarrassed, right?

You’d probably be unsure as to the exact usage of your time but would ultimately come to the conclusion that you are spending more time consuming information on a daily basis than you would like.

…Am I right?

Many of us have a complicated relationship with the news, with complicated being a massive understatement.

We are attached and utterly dependent on our devices to provide us with dopamine hits on a consistent basis, and it’s likely to get even worse (see Ray-Ban and Facebook integration).

Why are we so effing obsessed with the news?

Social media and news websites and apps provide us with information and entertainment. Each time we ‘pull to refresh’, our heart beats a little faster in hopes of finding something new and noteworthy.

…And if they don’t?

Oh well, we just wait and try again. And again. And again.

Psychologically speaking, this is called intermittent reinforcement.

If you’ve ever taken a psychology class, you’re likely to have heard about B.F. Skinner’s classic studies in the 1950s on rewards with… rats.

In these studies, rats were given a reward (a pellet of food) when they pressed a lever. Eventually, Skinner began varying the reward process by using differing reward schedules.

Skinner eventually found that the most powerful reward schedule was one that was variable, with the uncertainty making it more attractive and addicting.

Hold up, why does this matter?

The concept of intermittent variable rewards is often utilized by the news and social media apps and websites to keep us coming back time and time again, causing us to become even more hooked.

Pause.

How is all of this making you feel?

Enraged, taken advantage of, upset, overwhelmed, and anxious, perhaps?

What if I told you that it didn’t have to be like this?

What if I told you that we have more control than we are giving ourselves credit for?

We must get intentional on what we choose to consume; because the other side is lulling you to sleep.

Wake up.

The only way things will change is if we pause and give ourselves a chance to step back and remove ourselves from the simulation.

If you are ready for more support and guidance on this topic, we have some great news…

Next month (October) we are doing our annual True Core Challenge where you sign up to pledge to stay off of all social media from Friday afternoon to Monday morning throughout the month of October.

Instead of mindless scrolling and consumption, we’ll be intentional about our time, leading us to clarity and direction as to the frequency we choose to invest our time in social media.

Interested in joining us? Click the button below to sign up!