Specifically, Dr. Koriann Cox. The clinical assistant professor of psychology at the University of Washington says she’s witnessed an “overwhelming” increase in self-reported levels of stress, anxiety and depression over the past few months in both personal and professional settings. She speculates these increases could be linked to political turbulence and the ease with which people can consume large quantities of potentially distressing media. Cox says that if your news or social media consumption is impairing your ability to live your life in the way you want – straining your relationships, hampering your health or preventing your ability to do your job – it could be time to make some changes.
In a 2022 study, researchers at Texas Tech defined “problematic news consumption” as becoming immersed in and preoccupied with the news; attempting to alleviate negative emotions associated with news consumption by consuming more news (hello, doomscrolling); and experiencing a loss of control. The study found a correlation between people with moderate or severe problematic news consumption and higher levels of chronic stress and anxiety, fatigue, physical pain, problems concentrating and gastrointestinal distress.
On the other end of the spectrum, there’s a growing body of research on news avoidance, a phenomenon associated with misperceptions, as well as lower political knowledge and participation.
“One of the dangers we see is that, because the environment now is so polluted with all this problematic information, people are kind of throwing up their arms and saying, ‘I can't trust any of it,’” said Chris Coward, a misinformation and media literacy researcher at the University of Washington and co-founder of UW’s Center for an Informed Public. “And that is not a good reaction. We want people to have a healthy skepticism, but not become cynical.”
So how can you to find a path forward through a landscape fraught with fake news, inflammatory comment sections and blurred boundaries between experts and influencers? Cascade PBS compiled these resources to help our readers build a more balanced and healthy approach to staying informed.
1. Separate news from “newsy”
About one in five Americans regularly get their news from influencers on social media, according to the Pew Research Center. The Pew Research Center coined the term “news influencers” as “individuals who have a large following on social media and often post about news or political or social issues.”
About 77% of news influencers have no past or present affiliation with news media. Why is this significant? Influencers aren’t bound to journalistic ethics.
Most news publications have robust ethics policies that they follow, and many use the Society of Professional Journalists’ Code of Ethics as a guide, which encourages reporters to (1) seek truth and report it; (2) minimize harm; (3) act independently; and (4) be accountable and transparent. Reporting facts, being transparent about where those facts came from, and focusing on truth over opinion (unless in a clearly marked opinion section) are journalistic standards that influencers aren’t required to meet.
Additionally, social media sites use algorithms to push content into your feed that you’re more likely to engage with. This has led to the creation of “filter bubbles” and “echo chambers” where consumers receive news from only one side of the political spectrum — the side they identify with — and not the other. This reinforces their preexisting beliefs and leads to intensified political polarization.
This isn’t to say you can’t or shouldn’t get news from social media sites or from influencers. But they shouldn’t be your only source of news, and it’s important to recognize the differences. Good news publications will strive to present verified facts and a myriad of perspectives and sides to an issue.
2. Know what you are reading
Something important to note when you’re consuming media: All publications have an agenda. They’re trying to accomplish something — ideally, to inform you of facts. Most news outlets explain theirs through a “mission statement,” like the one you can find at the top of the Cascade PBS newsroom’s “About” page.
But not all media organizations make it easy. It’s smart to ask questions when you’re reading, watching or listening to news — especially with misinformation and disinformation on the rise. Project Look Sharp created a thorough list of questions to help “decode media” to ensure you know what you’re reading.
Take a look at the byline. Who’s writing this story? If you’re reading a story about the Seattle City Council, you’ll likely want the writer to be some kind of politics or governmental reporter. You want the writer to know what they’re talking about. Most news organizations have an author bio that allows you to see previous work, social media accounts and a general summary of the writer’s qualifications.
A few other questions to ask: Whose voices are included in the piece and whose are left out? How does the medium in which this piece was presented — say, as a short video segment versus a 2,000-word story — impact its message? Was this crafted to trigger an emotional response?
It’s always a good idea to think about who paid for the piece of news you’re reading. The Washington Post has faced scrutiny due to its ownership by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who announced that the publication’s opinion section will no longer feature viewpoints that oppose personal liberties and free markets.
When reading new publications, Coward recommends going to multiple sources for the same story to assess their credibility in relation to one another, rather than spending a lot of time trying to determine whether a single source is reliable.
“You can find out for yourself, is this [piece] really aligned with my priors, my beliefs and the way I think about these things, or am I going to learn something new?” Coward said. “But it also can help in understanding another perspective and becoming empathetic and putting yourself into one’s shoes who you might not agree with. Maybe you still come down to one side, but at least you know what the other perspective is.”
3. Fight “brain rot”
Oxford University Press’s 2024 Word of the Year went viral as a descriptor for the supposed mental deterioration associated with overexposure to digital media, specifically the large quantities of short-form video content people consume on apps like TikTok. Like “chronically online,” it’s become a flippant term for the negative effects of our contemporary attention economy on people’s mental state. While it’s not a technical mental health term and shouldn’t be treated as such, it strikes a chord with many people struggling to control their media consumption habits.
Dr. Cox has some simple, actionable recommendations for reclaiming your brain from the clutches of social media algorithms and news notifications:
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Notice what’s happening in your body. Often the first step in identifying problematic news habits is taking note of your physical reactions when you’re reading, listening or watching, says Cox. Stomachaches, neck and shoulder tension, jaw pain, fluctuations in body temperature and dizziness are all signs you’re having a stress or fear reaction, and if you’re able to pay attention to your physical responses and link them to what’s going on around you, you can gain important insight into your stress triggers.
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Build speed bumps. Engaging with digital media has become such a frictionless experience that it can be easy to do so unconsciously or compulsively, says Cox. She suggests creating friction through physical barriers like keeping your phone in another room or technological barriers like deleting particularly problematic apps, setting screen time limits or silencing notifications for set periods. You can also try social barriers like agreeing with friends and family on boundaries like no phones during mealtimes. These adjustments can “break that immediate gratification ... [and] give you a chance to catch your breath and make a different choice.”
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Question your own motives. Cox recommends asking yourself what your intent is in engaging with a particular media source. Are you being driven by a desire to stay informed and learn new things, or a desire to get righteously angry and have your existing opinions affirmed? It can also be useful to question the motives and incentives of the platforms or content creators you’re engaging with, says Cox. What do they want from you?
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Get out in the community. If you’re struggling with overwhelm or distress about what you’re reading in the news, Cox recommends connecting with those around you and finding ways to be of service, whether volunteering at a food bank or spending more time with loved ones.
4. Identifying misinformation
UW media-literacy researcher Chris Coward has tips for avoiding getting “triggered” by misinformation:
Understand your biases. We all belong to groups and communities with particular social norms and ways of thinking, says Coward, and are naturally inclined to seek narratives that reaffirm these norms and ways of thinking. Being attuned to your biases can help you introduce news media that challenge or complicate your existing beliefs and protect you from falling for misinformation that plays to them.
Consider the consequences. If you’re thinking about sharing a piece of information, either digitally or in conversation, Coward recommends pausing and considering what the consequences might be if it’s not true. Some cases might be relatively low-stakes, but others could create real problems.
Go laterally, not deep. Instead of spending lots of time trying to verify the credentials of a single source, look at many sources on the same topic to assess their credibility in relation to one another, recommends Coward.
Recognize humanity, in others and in yourself. We are all vulnerable and fallible, says Coward, and in the age of deepfakes, we can no longer trust our senses alone to tell us whether something is real or not. It’s OK to be wrong, says Coward, and our mistakes should encourage us to become more discerning rather than to discourage engagement.
5. Manage headline stress
Psychologists are seeing a growing number of patients with news-related stress, many of them teens and young adults. The American Psychological Association is calling this phenomenon “media saturation overload.”
About half of Americans are getting their news from social media, and research suggests this daily exposure to headlines is related to poor mental health. A 2021 survey asked over 2,000 adults about their news consumption across different media. Results showed that seeking news on a stressful topic — in this case, the COVID 19 pandemic — was related to an increase in emotional distress. People who got their news from television and social media reported feeling “anxious, overwhelmed and afraid about what might happen” more often than adults getting pandemic information from newspapers or news magazines.
That isn’t to say you should cut social media and news out of your life entirely. There’s no official diagnosis for “media saturation overload,” but the APA outlined symptoms to look out for:
- Intrusive thoughts about current events throughout the day.
- Persistent anger, resentment or anxiety generated by reading news articles.
- Increased alcohol use to self-medicate related stress.
- Diminished interest in activities outside the news.
To manage your headline stress, the APA suggests limiting your social media checks to 15 minutes. Instagram, TikTok and Facebook apps have ways to set limits in your phone’s settings, or you can turn off push notifications for news apps without completely deleting them.
6. Mindful reading
If consuming certain forms of news such as world news or politics tends to garner negative emotions, try limiting your consumption to news that you care about most.
“I would recommend finding sources of positive news and finding places where you can see good things that are happening in the world around us,” clinical psychologist Adam S. Anderson told Mayo Clinic’s Health Matters podcast. “There are heartwarming, touching and meaningful things that are happening that often, in the negativity bias, get the short shrift.”
Intentionally curating your reading based on topics you’re most interested in can also reduce overload. For example, if you care about the environment, try searching for environment or climate-specific publications such as Grist or National Geographic. Focusing on local news that affects your community can also help inform you about issues that are more likely to impact your own backyard and highlight local organizations or groups that focus on your core values or interests.
Anderson suggests that getting news the old-fashioned way — through physical newspapers, magazines or journals — can also create a more focused mental state with fewer links, pop-ups and tabs to possibly distract your attention. If social media is still your preferred source, try following accounts that boost your mental health, such as “good news” accounts like Good News Movement or Upworthy that can add a needed mood reset to your feed.
7. Touch grass
It’s important to also remember when to take a step back.
If you want to put down the phone, step away from the computer or shut off the television, you’re in a good place for that. Washington state has a myriad of beautiful trails and outdoor spaces to help clear your mind. Try turning your phone on focus mode, airplane mode or simply shutting it off once you get to your location.
In a UW Medicine article about managing stress during election seasons, Cox suggests setting a timer for 10 minutes, walking away and disconnecting. Once the timer goes off, check back in with yourself to see if your mood has changed.
Increased news consumption can also trigger feelings of desperation and hopelessness over things we may not be able to fix or control. Grounding yourself in the present moment through meditation, deep breathing or journaling can help you improve focus.
Another recommended course is to act on issues giving you stress. Joining advocacy groups, volunteering or signing petitions are all ways you can take action. If you need a place to start, the city of Seattle recommends ways to get involved locally.
