Should I Stop Watching News On The Internet?

[Pebble]

I'd like to know you're opinion on this.

I already quit watching television 10 years ago, I don't watch tv-shows, I sometimes watch videos on youtube that I find informative (that's how I accidentally found one of Leo's video's ).

But what I still do is watch a french alternative news website, I find it very informative but it's a bit of an addiction and it can also make me angry and fills me with bad thoughts about the world/society.

Should I completely stop this, geopolitics is a distraction, true. But it's also a passion at the same time for me.

[egoeimai]

Yes. Stop it. 

[egoeimai]

I know from experience that whenever there are excuses as a way of obstacles, its so hard to achieve goals. Its when you drop them that life gets easier, ya know. Its a decision and only that. 

[HII]

Is reading any one of those articles ever relevant to any of your actions? Does it change your behavior? Does acquiring this information contribute to your life in a positive way? Does anyone ever benefit from you reading those articles?

I'd recommend writing down the answers to these questions right here and then make an evaluation if it's really worthwhile.

My guess would be that it's actually just a form of entertainment for you, a distraction that doesn't really benefit you, and if that's the case, it's probably best to stop it.

[Light Lover]

@Pebble In my opinion yes, if you feel deep down that it isn't serving any purpose to you other than a distraction, because even in moderation, any news is bound to stir alot of anger in you for obvious reasons, so it's probably best to do with what you did with the TV 10 years ago that may just be me @egoeimai and @HII though.

[Nahm]

@Pebble of course you should stop. Their aim is to make money, not news. When we’re all done being interested in the lowest consciousness people in the world, a major shift happens within us. If no one watched negative fear based media, they would have to air what we would watch to be able to make money. 

[Pebble]

I almost succeeded in NOT doing it, I suppose it's toxic behaviour.

Edited November 14, 2017 by Pebble

[Dragallur]

I will be on the other side here, partially at least:

Alternative news is probably a bad idea, simply if you take only information from there you might get extremely biased and get your views twisted, that is dangerous. Otherwise, I would recommend everybody here to still watch or read some kind of news. One of the reasons is that you need to be informed to make informed decisions like voting and voting is the key for a functioning democracy which is the key for your freedom that you need to live a fulfilling life. Also if you do not know about what is happening in the World you will never be able to help people who need help since you will live in your own bubble without understanding other cultures and that there are people outside of Western civilizations. I am not saying that every type of news can get you this but I am against of the idea of this community that seems to be about mainly shutting yourself away from the news.

[Source_Mystic]

Well you have two options watch news from left ,right, and center, perspectives then concentrate on the facts that they all agree on.    Then draw your own conclusions from the facts not the spin.

I urge you to look into Mass Media and the very few Corporations that control it. Even the method I stated above will not give you a totally objective look at any event it will only help you sift thought the majority of the quagmire and get a more realistic understanding.

Everyone says we are in the information age I would disagree we have descended  into a disinformation age.   It is easier to distract you with  non-information or news story's that do not even mater. While behind the curtain shady shit is going on that is not even being talked about.  

We  live in a age where if you really want information you can find it the problem as I see it is there is more garbage to sift thought and the individual needs better critical thinking skills to get to the truth.

Tv ,internet and technology in general is making us lazy and we are being spoon fed perspectives that influence the masses  to have a certain emotional response to bait us to take a side. News focuses on negative perspectives almost always this is another reason to limit consumption of it. 

So how do you fight this ?  find credible sources , Increase critical thinking skills. You will still not be 100% correct in all your conclusions but you will be much closer to 90% at least.  

Your second choice is to see this for what it is.  Read a news paper once a week and take everything with a grain of salt and put your energy into something more productive like self actualization or enlightenment.

 

 

 

Edited November 15, 2017 by Source_Mystic

[Shin]

Stop all news, it's just negativity for the most part anyway.
You might want to argue, what about positive stuff ? Well the problem is, these news are always in between 10 bad news.
Even if it was possible to only know about good news, it's still not in your favor, because the more stuff you "learn", the more monkeymind you will have.
 

It is an addiction, an addiction for the mind, because it needs new stuff to complain about, stuff to start debates and doing mental masturbation, its favorite activity just after daydreaming about how much life is unfair or how much life would be better in x days/months.

Edited November 15, 2017 by Shin

[guillaumeS]

I am strongly on the side of the side Yes, read news. The World is full of great minds that have delightful insights.

Here are the good habits are

• Choose your topic: you may want to know what is going on in financial world but not in technology, or the opposite.
• Choose your sources: never pick news randomly on a website (that looks like procrastination). My way of doing so: follow people and brands I trust on Twitter. I also select emissions on the radio when I am commuting. Filter and keep only the one you believe to produce or share quality content.
• Devote time for news. For example 30 minutes in the morning, or once a week, every Tuesday evening.

[Joseph Maynor]

I look at the news, but it's a dirty habit that I want to break.  I figure if it is important enough, I'll find out about it anyway, so I don't need to bathe in it directly.  I let other people do that for me, and then they come tell me about it.  Get a web browser blocker like "Blocksite" to block those sites from your computer.  It works.  Just don't turn it off.  Even if you turn it off, it's still a reminder that clues in your awareness to the issue.  Over time, you can wean yourself off the News.  It's a distraction.

Edited November 15, 2017 by Joseph Maynor