The way we see and understand the world as humans is largely governed by what we experience and are exposed to. But the 21st century has introduced a completely new way of understanding the world, one that diminished the value of our own experiences. As our phones provide instant access to an endless web of constant material, we now live in a world ruled not by our own experiences but often by the experiences of others, most of whom we’ve never met and will never know.
Today’s world runs more on influence than on power, and while often the two coincide, it is not uncommon today to see them in a separate fashion. Influencers, celebrities, entrepreneurs, and social leaders are just a few categories of people who have frequently managed to gain more public attention than the average politician, political figure, or professional in a given field. The reasoning behind this degradation of respect for lifelong work and experts of a field does not come from a general disregard from consumers of media content, but rather from a distancing of real-world understanding as opposed to social media influence. This is why, in today's world, we find ourselves constantly overlooking the phenomenon known as the “news-finds-me” perception. Because of the constant input of digital information via social media platforms, news networks, and internet browsers, it is no longer a habit for most people to wait for a scheduled radio hour, read the daily newspaper, or ask neighbors, colleagues or friends about world events. In fact, it is rare even to overhear people talking about the news, as it is easier to simply scroll through someone else on TikTok narrating an event for you, or to have more news come constantly at you right after you learn one thing.
In this neverending and rapidly moving rush of information and online content, it is hard to find peace of mind, even for a moment. It is hard to digest the things we hear, see, or learn on a day-to-day basis, and moreover to think for ourselves on these matters. This kind of overwhelm, which can often lead to feelings of despair, helplessness, or frustration, has been studied by many who hope to better understand the ways in which news and media affect our lives and health.
In April 2013, after the Boston Marathon Bombing, studies were done analyzing the effects of the bombing on individuals who experienced it firsthand as well as those who learned about it through different news broadcasts or media. It was found that the viewers and readers of news who consumed over six hours of content on the crisis had their mental health worsened more than some of the individuals who actually lived through the attack.
Our reliance on the dramatization of events creates long-term problems that surpass just our addictions to fast-paced content, even if the content is graphic, violent, or utterly negative and depressing. “The excitement and intensity of the news we consume can release a dopamine-like response in our brain, triggering a feedback loop that keeps us coming back,” says podcast host Kristen Meinzer in an interview with Dr. Adam Anderson.
This dopamine-driven behavior obviously affects how we feel as a after consuming content. In the short term, after scrolling through such negative news, a person will undoubtedly feel worse than they did before. The news is wired to work in this manner, to give tense and disturbing headlines, create stories that intensify and often exaggerate the truth, and produce sensationalist content that engages the viewer no matter the topic. In a simple sense this is just media, the more viewership the better, and therefore whatever it takes to get the viewership will be attempted and often achieved. Yet how does this affect us as individuals, and as a collective society? How is culture affected by present day media provoking public interest at the expense of accuracy or truth?
The answer lies in the simple reality that corporate powers enforce much of the media, and if not through direct control of publication, through enforcements made in effect for a desire of profit. Though free speech and freedom of the press are rights that are respected and upheld in most countries, media and news are businesses, just like everything else. With the rapid advancements and implementation of different media outlets and platforms, we now live in a world where people will say nearly anything for views. In most every place online, views earn a commission. But even if they don’t, they still create popularity, which in today's age is more seeked out than ever before.
Because of this, it is crucial to understand that our right to our own opinions, our own voice, and our own agency should not be taken for granted. With the amount of false information that spreads instantly across the web, it is increasingly harder to find news that is accurate, unbiased, or truthful. Yet when it is, there is still very rarely a break from the constant barrage of disturbing or unnerving news. Unfortunately, it is hard to report on topics relating to an individual’s progress, a company's new innovation, or a community's coming-together. The content might be good, but it’s not entertaining. It’s not engaging. In 2014, a Russian news website called City Reporter reported on exclusively good news for an entire day. They lost two-thirds of their viewership.
Part of the reason our minds are so attuned to this desire for engagement through news or entertainment in other forms (like social media) comes from a primal instinct that focuses our attention on the negative aspects of things. This comes in handy in situations where danger is present, as the focus on the negative elements of an environment is a survival mechanism. In the past this would most likely manifest in encountering a wild animal, yet today we rarely face those kinds of situations. Instead, we have endless access to a range of content that we too often find ourselves submerged in. Rather than utilizing this “negativity bias” when it's useful, we subconsciously train ourselves to become desensitized to media, violence, and tragic events (of which there will be an endless amount). We gorge on the negativity, unaware that this “food” we are eating contains few nutrients. In a 2022 article for the American Psychological Association, after talking to Steven Stosny, Charlotte Huff wrote, “At their worst, he said, people can develop learned helplessness, which further fuels anger and other volatile emotions. ‘Whenever you focus on things you can’t control, you feel powerless,’ he said. ‘Anger is really a cry of powerlessness.’”
The news makes it extremely difficult to realize there is more to the world than the bad that it presents, and this creates a mindset that ultimately does more harm than good. This constant exposure to media without restriction creates a belief that news will simply come to the viewer. “When people believe social media and algorithms are in control, they are more likely to develop the social media usage habits that lead to the “news-finds-me” perception” says an Oxford journal article from summer 2025. The news-finds-me perception details how people have become condensed into the narrowness that their phones and socials create. The world is so big, yet it becomes so small when it's compressed into a six-inch screen. The Oxford article continues by saying the news-finds-me phenomenon “has negative consequences for informed and engaged citizenship.” This cannot be more accurate, because in the end it’s not the phones alone that are the problem, and it’s not the people either. It’s what the news and media make out of us that creates larger social and political issues, ones that take decades to erase.
What we choose to see is only partially governed by ourselves, because we do have our own ability to delete apps, turn away from sites, and find places where we can receive more reliable or unexaggerated material. It is true that we voluntarily expose ourselves to a lot, but much of the content that exists for viewership we are involuntarily exposed to as we open our Instagram pages or scroll through Facebook. In the end, the question remains for us as individuals: What news do I need? There is a never-ending galaxy of internet oblivion, and it is for us to decide how much of it we want to see.
Read More
Octavia Butler’s America
By Sarah Tobacman | Nov. 12In 1993, Octavia Butler published Parable of the Sower, speculative fiction about a dystopian America. 32 years later, much of what she predicted rings eerily true. What solutions does she offer, and how could we implement them now?
Everything is Embarrassing—Or is it?
By Una Cutrone | Nov. 10The internet’s newest trend isn’t a fashion statement, it’s emotional concealment. As women hide their relationships and sincerity becomes a social risk, a generation obsessed with appearing unbothered is quietly trading genuine connection for the safety of detachment.
Starving for Attention: Skinny Culture in the Media
By Leila Golzari-Hunt | Oct. 29From Victorian diet fads to Instagram filters, skinny culture has long dictated what it means to be “beautiful.” This obsession with thinness—rooted in racism, sexism, and media-fueled perfection—continues to endanger mental and physical health worldwide, revealing how deeply the “thin ideal” still shapes our bodies, identities, and worth.