Here’s just a reminder that media are entirely funded by clicks, and that outrage and fear are most profitable. Many outlets simply list all the horrible things happening in the world or horrible things that could happen. And any time we calm down, the media will need to get more extreme: more dividing, more fearful. It’s why people fear plane crashes over car crashes, terrorists rather than swimming pools — even if the latter are much more deadly than the former. Not just that: history shows us the dangers of demonising foreigners. Rarely outrage is justified, and mostly it gets in the way of understanding. The world isn’t constantly getting worse, even if media will make us think it is. Don’t let poor journalism distort your view of the world. In countless of metrics, from literary to life expectancy, we’ve never had it better. Ignore constant scaremongering and try to find media with nuance, paradox and depth — or simply ignore the news all together. It’ll do you good.
